Is Gmail trying to ruin my job search!?

March 4, 2008 9:33 AM

What is this Gmail/email error: "PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 13): 551 Mailhost is on our global blacklist (Mode: normal)" and why would my message, sent to a known person at a known company, bounce back with it?

Text of the bounceback email:

From: Mail Delivery Subsytem

This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

[e-mail]

Technical details of permanent failure:
PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 13): 551 Mailhost is on our global blacklist (Mode: normal)

----- Original message -----


I'm applying for a job to this address (posting was on my school's job board, posted by the forum admin, so I doubt any scam is involved), and I reeeaaaallly want it, so how can I get around this?

posted by undercoverhuwaaah to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Apply from a different email address/provider?
posted by lucia__is__dada at 9:37 AM on March 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, looks like said reputable finance company doesn't want to accept emails from GMail. Do you have a school email address you could use instead?
posted by JaredSeth at 9:39 AM on March 4, 2008

It means areputablefinancecompany.com has blocked all incoming mail from Gmail. Me, I'd take this as a sign that the company employs morons in important jobs.
posted by genghis at 9:39 AM on March 4, 2008 [2 favorites]

Adding onto genghis, the why about bounceback is the company made a rule that anybody on their blacklist (e-mail addresses and/or domains to always be blocked) receives an e-mail response like you. At least they do that much- I've dealt with some companies who don't send a bounceback so you don't even know if your e-mail got there or not.
posted by jmd82 at 10:01 AM on March 4, 2008

I've never used a any other email services but gmail, but apparently Yahoo and Microsoft have one, and their accounts are free? Maybe try checking that out?
posted by thilmony at 11:03 AM on March 4, 2008

I'd take this as a sign that the company employs morons in important jobs.

I'd take it as a sign that the company doesn't want to accept job applications from any joe schmoe with a free email account. They probably block yahoo and hotmail too.

Does your school not give you a reputable email address that you can apply to reputablefinancecompany with?
posted by missmagenta at 11:10 AM on March 4, 2008

They're not just blocking job applications, they're potentially blocking emails from customers, vendors, employees using an emergency account, and friends and family. This is kindergarten spam-blocking and/or employee mail policy micromanagement. Beware.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:27 AM on March 4, 2008

I ended up signing up for a Yahoo account and sent it through without any problems, so the mystery widens. Why gmail but not yahoo? The world may never know...
posted by undercoverhuwaaah at 11:38 AM on March 4, 2008