When applying for content and copywriting positions, one should expect to be asked to provide a portfolio and samples of their work and explain why they are the best applicant for the position and why they want it. So much so, that recruiting platforms systematically offer employers to ask for such documents when one applies. The job you applied for received over 200 applications. We only requested 15 applicants for their portfolio and a short cover letter. You are the only one who did not agree to go through the process, and some applicants were award-winning writers and had a lot more experienced than you. This process led us to interview only 5 applicants instead of wasting the time of 10 others. When you apply for a position within an SME, know that they don't have necessarily a dedicated hiring manager. In our case, we are team leads who hire people for our teams alongside all our other responsibilities. Time is of the essence, so when deciding if we'll spend our time prescreening dozens of people with whom we have little chance of crossing paths ever again or devoting our time to responding to our team members' needs, we'll gladly choose the latter again.