By Ousman Seckan
It is usually an exciting moment when you receive a call or letter that you are offered a job. However, not all job offers may meet your expectation. In such situation is advisable to reject such offers that accepting knowing that you will not be happy doing the job. There are several reasons why some job offers maybe not ideal. This include, low salary, not clearly defined responsibilities, holiday requirement or insurance policy etc. Whatever the reason for not liking a particular job offer, remember to counter offer or reject offer in professional way. In this article, I provide five tips to politely decline a job offer
- Do not delay response to the offer
Where possible, do not delay more than necessary to give response to job offer. Usually, the offer letter, employer will give you timeline to accept or decline the offer. Whether this provided or not, the timely to job offer tells a lot about professionalism. While timely response is key, never response without considering very well the offer and get back to recruiter once you decide. Once you have thought about your options, you need to let the recruiter know as soon as possible in a polite and professional manner. It is illogical to sit on your decision or fail to respond to the offer for days or weeks. The expectation of the hiring manager is that you will respond to their offer in a short period.
- Thank the recruiter for the offer
Upon receiving a phone call or appointment letter, you have to thank the recruiter for the offer and promised to revert to them in due course . Remember the process of hiring is rigorous and resource demanding, as such, thanking them for going through your application letter, curriculum vitae, shortlisting and interviewing you is absolutely necessary.
- Give a concise reason for declining the offer
Giving a convincing and concise reason for declining the offer is vital. However, this decision must only be made after a careful observation and weighting. If you fail to thoroughly think about the offer, you may regret it later if you reject it right away. Declining a job offer has to be an informed decision that will not haunt you later. For instance, never mention that you are given a job offer which is much better than the one you are offered, instead, you can say you have a another offer that gives you a better chance to develop your skills.
- Be brief in your response
Remember to brief in your response. Avoid unnecessary over sharing of irrelevant issues. You need to be measured when communicating the reason for declining the offer. Recruiters have many applicants to deal with, so keeping your response brief will help them not to miss certain contents of your reply.
- Consider staying in touch
The world is a global village. People are so connected to each other, and networking is on the rise on daily basis. Thus, in the event you decline a job offer based on grounds best known to you, do not be harsh on the hiring manager even if the terms and conditions of the job do not appeal to you. You must note that any vulgar language or harsh remark will be used against you tomorrow and will complicate your chance of getting hired. You need to note that some managers do not work at one company. There are managers who serve as advisers in one company and committee members in another company. This is why you have to be positive in your response in rejecting a job. You may consider staying in touch with them for future opportunities.
About the author
Ousman Seckan is a freelance journalist and blogger. He holds an Advanced Diploma in Journalism and Communication.
You can follow him on: httpts://wwwfacebook.com/ousman.seckan.9678 or https://www.linkedin.com/in/ousman-seckan-a0122319a/ or send an email to: o.seckan75@gmail.com