Declining a job offer is not good news to the hiring manager. You should therefore look for ways to deliver the bad news in a respectful, considerate and clear way. Doing it the right way maintains bridges that might be vitally useful to you in the future.
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Have you ever received a job offer that you couldn’t take and you were left in a conundrum? You’re trying to figure out how to decline the offer without burning bridges or leaving a bad reputation. Declining a job offer needs to be handled professionally and in a mature way. Correct handling of this sensitive issue preserves relationships and sets the pace for possible future partnerships.
Here are some of the do’s and don'ts when declining a job offer.
Don’ts
Don’t ghost your would-be employer
One sure-fire way of burning a bridge is failing to respond or communicate. There are people who stay silent and leave the hiring manager in limbo because they don’t know if you rejected the offer or you’re still considering it. You may never know but the corporate circles are smaller than you think.
In future, you might be trying to get an attractive position and the hiring manager you ignored might be friends with the company you want to join. When these recruiters get a bad review of you they will end up dropping you.
Secondly, another position that fits your qualifications and has the right pay can come up in the same company. If you ghosted the hiring manager who approached you, it will be near to impossible for you to be re-considered or even hired.
Communication doesn’t have to be complicated; you only need to decline respectfully.
Always keep in mind that the recruiter will have to go through the arduous task of finding another match for the position. Responding to the offer albeit declining it eases the process for them.
Forbes says that you want a recruiter to remember you as a good candidate and also as a considerate person. Because ghosting indicates a person’s character is flawed and makes people think that you’re not trustworthy.
Don’t lie
Avoid lying by all means. Oftentimes people usually resort to lying so that they can give the bad news a soft landing. They, therefore, give false information to make the receiver of the bad news feel better. But the reality is, nothing you can do will neutralize the fact that you’re still going to deliver bad news.
Do’s
No need to explain too much
You don’t have to explain yourself when declining a job offer. HR experts say you reserve the right to decline without giving an intricate explanation. According to Adrian Granzella, if you spent a lot of time interviewing, just give a brief reason.
Don’t leave the hiring manager in the dark about why you are declining the job. At the same time, you don’t have to overshare by giving irrelevant details such as “It agonizes me to reject this position because I have spent many hours thinking about it.”
Adrian says that you should be brief but honest about your specific reason for rejecting the job.
Here are a few examples:
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Having thought about it, I’ve decided that I need to stay in my current position before I make a move.
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I have thought about it carefully and I’ve decided to accept another role in a different company.
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This opportunity is great but it doesn’t align with my career goals or facilitate my interest in growing in this field.
Write an email
Writing an email is the easiest and cheapest form of declining an offer. When you finally come to the conclusion that the position doesn’t fit you, communicate the same to the hiring manager. You can use the sandwich method to deliver the message.
The email should be short and straight to the point. Most importantly, it should be precise and clear. Ashira Prossack, a contributor in Forbes women, says that you should end the email with ‘best’ or ‘regards’. Ending with ‘sincerely’ rather feels cold and disengaged.
Example 1
Hello Beverly,
I would like to thank you for considering me for this role. The whole evaluation and interview process was very friendly and was handled professionally.
As much as I would have loved to take on the position, I regret that I have to reject the offer. The job doesn’t align with my career goals and interests in the field that I would like to transition into.
However, I hope that you will find a candidate who fits the position well. Lastly, let’s keep interacting and updating each other.
Regards
Keshi.
Example 2
“Hello Samuel, I would like to thank you for considering me for this job. I highly appreciate and acknowledge the effort that you put in to fill the position and sift through many qualified candidates to get to me.
However, I cannot accept the offer because I feel that the job doesn’t fit my career goals at this time. I hope that you find just the right candidate for the job.
Best regards
Joy.”
Call them
Human Resource experts agree that picking up the phone and calling your would-be employer is the best form of communication. Verbal messages are often the most efficient because you’re able to use the right tone and voice to deliver bad news.
A phone call might be more confrontational and awkward but it is more personal. It’s more advisable to communicate via a phone call if the whole recruiting process including interviewing was done by phone.
Express your gratitude for being considered for the opportunity but verbalize the regret of turning down the offer.
When you call the recruiter and they don’t answer, call back later or leave a voicemail.
Stay in touch
It is always a good idea to keep in touch with the hiring manager after the whole process of hiring is over. Some industries are well interconnected and relatively small, therefore you might find that you have events that bring various players in the industry together.
Sign off by proposing to meet at an upcoming engagement that both of you will attend.
For example:
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I look forward to seeing you at the tech week workshop we will be attending.
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Thank you for the opportunity to have interacted with you and I hope in the future we can find ways of collaborating and partnering.
In conclusion
Declining a job offer is not good news to the hiring manager. You should therefore look for ways to deliver the bad news in a respectful, considerate and clear way. Doing it the right way maintains bridges that might be vitally useful to you in the future. Just take it as a seed you’re planting for the future.
Go about the whole situation wisely so that in future you will benefit from your professionalism when you’re in need.
