The Right Way to Reject a Job Offer

Refuse a job offer…in this day and time?  That’s correct!  There may be a time in your life where you will have the opportunity to accept or reject a job offer. Why accept a job offer if it does not align with your career goals and job expectations?  If at some point after your final interview (or even during) you come to the conclusion that this is not the job for you, you will need to convey this to the hiring manager.  Whether your reason for rejecting a job is due to receiving a better job offer, the company didn’t comply with your salary expectations, the working hours were inconvenient, or because you received a counter offer from your preceding employer, it’s strictly your prerogative.  You need not feel bad about your decision. Just make sure that you’re prompt, professional, and courteous when you contact the employer to inform them of your decision. This article will focus on and advise how you should correctly turn down a job offer.

Verbally

Contacting the employer by phone shows a high-degree of professionalism and respect on your part if you have no intentions on accepting the job offer. Actually, you should call the person who offered you the job in the first place.  You will need to do this as soon as you have made your decision to decline.  Keep in mind that the employer has invested valuable time and energy in finding the right person to fill this job vacancy.  Therefore you should be considerate of his/her time by contacting them promptly and responsibly.  This way they can begin contacting other qualified candidates to interview for the position that you declined.  As you begin to speak with the individual, start out by stating your name and the particular job you interviewed for…then continue on by thanking them for the interview and the job offer. Next, without going into too much detail, just articulate that you decided not take the job and give a reasonable explanation for rejecting the offer. Express that you did however give this matter some careful thought. You should be pleasant and professional at all times. Also, you might want to keep the door open for future opportunities.  You may decide to apply for a different job at that company in the future, so don’t burn down any bridges.  The way you approach this matter just might determine whether or not the employer will consider you for future job opportunities.

In Writing

You should follow up your phone call with a formal letter confirming your decision to decline the job offer.  Be sure to Address your letter to the person who made you the job offer.  Give some careful thought as to the content you choose to place in your letter. Though -you should indicate in your letter how pleasantly impressed you were with the company, the interview process, and how you would like to be considered for future job opportunities if the need arises. Mention how honored you are that they would choose you to work for their company. Keep your content brief and avoid mentioning anything negative about the company overall. End your letter with a sincerely yours or best regard.  Be sure to sign your letter and mail it to the appropriate address and addressee in a timely manner.


Caution: It’s not good etiquette to decline a job offer by e-mail even if the person contacted you by e-mail to grant you an offer. For one, the person may not view his/her e-mail right away and will therefore be of the impression that you are still open for the job.  Second, it would be unprofessional and impersonal if you did so. And third, it could slow down the hiring process significantly.

You might want to maintain a professional relationship with the company, (human resources) so that if a suitable job opportunity arises in the future, you will have a better chance at the job than other outside candidates.