How to Gracefully Turn Down a Job Offer ?

When you are looking for a job, you do not just apply to one company and wait. You often send out the resume to more than one company hoping that some of them would revert for an interview. Maybe more than just a company offers you the opportunity to try for the post. What do you do in such cases? You weigh your option and finally choose the one that best suits your needs. But what do you do with the rest of them? How can you reject the job offerwithout sounding rude?

This is not social media where you can reject requests from people without letting them know about the same. This is an industry where you want to keep working. So, even if you are turning down one job because you have a better one right now, you should do it the right way. You do not want to create a bad image for yourself in that company since you might need a job again.

We live in a world where nothing is permanent, not even your job. You can easily be thrown out and replaced by someone who asks a less salary but does the same work. So, having a job does not give you the liberty of keeping the recruiter waiting for your reply on offer. You should wait for the right time to decline the job offer and let them know why you cannot accept their proposal. You can have your reasons not to accept it. Maybe the job was not what it looked like. You went to take the interview for the post of a senior editor, but they handed over some social media tasks to you. Such things might not seem very pleasant to you and you would hate that place right away. But even then, try to maintain your composure and keep a smile on your face.

How To Turn Down A Job Offer Politely?

#1. Answer Their Call

Once you decide not to take up the position, you should not let the calls go to voicemail. We know you must be thinking that are we asking you to do the tough thing now that you do not even need the job. You would rather just drop a text or email let them know you are not taking the work.

#2. Write A Follow Up Email

Although you have already informed them about your decision, it is always professional to drop a formal email to them about the same. Put in all the contents, including the appreciation for their effort, the apology for not accepting and your reason to do so.

#3. Keep Your Tone Friendly

Even if you are just going to ask them to find someone else for the job as you have already found one, just do not try to sound rude on calls. Maintain a friendly tone with them telling them you would decline the job offer.

#4. Be Direct

We know that you want to keep some options open for yourself even if you do want to accept them immediately. We do this as a security measure for the time we lose our job. But that is not a professional way to keep the recruiter waiting for your response while you do not let them know the truth.

#5. Offer Other Contacts

You applied for the job of a company but the job was just not the one you were looking for. Therefore, you cannot accept their job offer. Suppose you applied for a post in your favorite food outlet as you just admire their brand name and reputation. But instead of offering you to be the chef, like you thought, they want you to manage the accounts for them. You want to be connected with them but the role does not fir your skills. But you might know someone from your circle who is fit for this. So while you write in an apology not to accept the job, you can offer to send them contacts of people they can reach out to. This will maintain a friendliness even though you are not going to work for them.

#6. Give Your Reasons

You should not just decline the job offer while keeping the recruiter wondering why you did not take up the position. They did a lot of work while arranging the interview for you. So, the best you can do is be honest about your reasons to decline the job offer.

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