had applied ?

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thomas615

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Can I use "had applied" here?

I am interested to apply for the position advertised today on your website. I had applied for a job at your company last November but I was not selected for the shortlisted list.
 

susiedq

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How about:

I am interested in applying for the position advertised on your website.

I applied for a job at your company last November. Please see my updated application.
 

TheParser

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I had applied for a job at your company last November but I was not selected for the shortlisted list.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) May I add a comment to Susiedq's excellent answer?

(2) I think (repeat: think) that you have used the past perfect correctly. As I understand it, the past perfect usually means something happened before something
else happened.

(a) Therefore:

I had applied for a job at your company last November but was not shortlisted

[in December?].

(3) Nevertheless, I think that in modern English, people generally do not use the

past perfect unless it is really necessary. In your case, as Susiedq pointed out,

you could simply use the past "applied." There would be no confusion.

(a) Notice the past perfect is necessary here:

I had eaten dinner (at 7 p.m.) when you arrived (at 7:30).

Compare: I ate dinner when you arrived. = I started to eat dinner when you arrived.
 
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