I gave an interview two months ago for a role at an embassy somewhere in Asia. A week later, this embassy contacted my character references, but, a month later, it told me through email that it had placed me on a merit pool and would consider my application if a position similar to the one I had applied for would arise. Nowhere in its email did it explicitly say, though, that my application had been rejected or unsuccessful. I would like to clarify this email with the embassy, but I'm not allowed to reply to this email. So, what do you think I should make of the hiring decision? Is being placed on a merit pool a polite rejection? Thanks in advance for your answers and happy holidays!