Declining a Job Offer

4/25/2018

You have found yourself in a position where you have more than one job offer on the table, you expected the pay to be more or the commute is something you realized you don’t want to do. You are now faced with having to turn down the job offer from the company. Declining an offer is never fun or easy and it sure doesn’t feel great, but this is part of the job searching process.

First and foremost, it is important to the let company know as soon as you have made your decision. This isn’t just the polite thing to do, but now the company needs to offer the position to another person and you don’t want to hold that up.

This letter or email doesn’t need to be long and give every detail on why you are declining the job.

There are 3 simple steps to make sure you are touching on all the right points when writing this letter.

Step 1: Show Your Appreciation

It is always a good idea to thank the hiring manager for the offer and their time. Even though that is part of their job, if they offered you a position, they probably spent a little more time on your resume, looking through your social media and maybe even during the interview. Also, they could have had to pull a few strings to get other employees on board with offering you the job.

Examples:

“Thank you for the offer for the [Event Management] position. I appreciate you taking the time to consider me and for answering so many of my questions.”

“Thank you again for the interview last week, it was great to meet with you and see a little bit of the office. I appreciate your generous offer for the [Sales Manager] position.”

Step 2: Give a Reason

This is just the respectful thing to do. When you spent time getting interviewed and asking questions to get a better understanding of the company and what the role entails, then leaving the hiring manager in the dark simply isn’t a good idea. You don’t need to explain the red flags you noticed in the interview, or about what another company offered you. Be brief but also give an honest reason for declining the position.

Examples:

“While this position seems like a great opportunity, I have decided to pursue another role offering me more opportunities to follow my interests in [event planning].”

“After much thought and careful deliberation, I’ve decided that now is not the best time for me to leave my current position.”

“After thinking everything through, I believe this position is not quite the right fit for my career goals at this time.”

Step 3: Keep in Touch

Try to reference something you talked about during the interview, such as if you’re both runners or both go to the same dog park. If you can’t remember or didn’t end up having anything remotely in common, a simple wishing them all the best will do.

Examples:

“I hope to see you at the 15K run that we’re both attending next month.”

“It has been a pleasure getting to know you, I hope that we cross paths in the future.”

Full Letter Example (with different wording)

Dear [Mr. Smith],

Thank you very much for offering me the [marketing assistant] position at [RBC]. I appreciate your time and effort, and I’m am grateful for your offer.

After careful consideration, I regret that I must decline your offer. I have accepted another opportunity that is more in line with my career goals.

I wish you and [RBC] continued success. I hope our paths will cross again in the future.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Emma Cloud


 
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