How to Reject a Job Offer Politely (with Email Examples)

You’ve already landed your dream job.

Soon after though, new offers start trickling in…

You have to reject them, but you want to maintain cordial relations with these companies.

How do you decline these job offers gently and gracefully?

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to turn down a job offer politely, step by step.

We’ve even prepared email examples and templates that you can use!

How to Reject a Job Offer Politely

1. Be Decisive!

When you’ve received multiple job offers, but have already committed to a particular company, promptly inform the rest of the hiring managers.

(After you’ve signed and locked in your new job, of course!)

The golden rule for rejecting job offers is: don’t overthink it.

There’s no “best time” for you to inform the Hiring Manager.

For the companies you’re rejecting, the “best time” is simply the earliest possible time.

Don’t drag out the process for fear of offending the Hiring Manager or HR. You have to turn down the offer at some point.

Rejecting a job offer is very common. According to a study by Glassdoor, “29% of professionals reject a job offer at the end of an application process.”

HR just wants to know if your answer is going to be “yes” or “no”.

Your decisive and prompt rejection will help the Hiring Manager move forward and find other suitable candidates quickly.

Beating around the bush before declining the offer may inconvenience the Hiring Manager, and might leave an unfavourable impression of you in their memory.

2. Be Professional and Polite

Always maintain professionalism and politeness when declining a job offer.

Avoid negativity towards the company, position, or hiring manager.

Express gratitude for the opportunity and interest in keeping a connection with the company.

Also, don’t procrastinate when writing back to the employer.

Communicating your decision in a timely matter will speed up the company’s progress, demonstrating your gratitude for the offer through this courteous gesture.

3. Use the Phone (Although Email is Fine too)

So, we’ve established that it’s okay to reject a job offer.

But how you communicate your rejection matters.

Keep it polite and professional, and convey gratitude and appreciation.

There are often 2 mediums through which you can do this:

• Email
• Phone

People decline job offers through email all the time, which is perfectly fine. We’ll even share with you some email examples you can use.

BUT, if you’ve spent a lot of time interviewing with a particular company, we’d highly recommend going with the phone approach.

It takes all of 5 minutes, is more personal, and comes across far more sincere, especially if you want to maintain a lasting, positive relationship with the Hiring Manager.

4. Show Your Appreciation

When it comes to turning down a job offer, you should always show appreciation for the opportunity.

The hiring manager has dedicated time and resources to assess your application, interview you, and extend the offer.

Thus, it’s crucial to express your gratitude for their consideration and time.

Specify what you value, like the chance to learn about the company or meet the team.

Was your interview process with the company a long drawn out, multi-stage one?

Did you have numerous calls and discussions with the Hiring Manager before arriving at your decision?

In an interview process like this, there are typically significant investments – in time, energy, and perhaps even emotion – from both yours and the Hiring Manager’s end.

So in your chosen medium of communication (phone or email), tell the Hiring Manager how deeply you appreciate being given the interview opportunity, and thank him for his time and the generous job offer.

• Thank you for offering me the role of [Name of position] – I truly appreciate it. I’m grateful that you’ve taken the time to consider me, and for sharing with me in detail about the company and role.
• I very much enjoyed speaking with you last week – thank you again for the interview. I enjoyed meeting the team, and learning about the [Name of position]. I deeply appreciate this generous offer.

5. Give a Brief Reason

When turning down a job offer, you don’t always need to give a detailed explanation.

But suppose you’ve had several interviews with the company or a prolonged interaction with the hiring manager.

In that case, it can be beneficial to provide a concise and truthful reason that relates to the offered position.

You can also use phrases like “difficult decision” or “carefully considered.”

However, there’s no need to inform the hiring manager about which role you’ve accepted, share your detailed future career plans, or give lengthy justifications as to why you’ve turned down the role.

Interviewers may sometimes probe you for this, but you can keep your reason brief.

• “I’ve given it much thought, and have decided to accept a role at another company.”
• “While this role would be a great opportunity, I have decided to remain at my current company.”
• “It was a difficult decision, but after careful consideration, I have decided to take on another role that offers more opportunities in [type of work or areas] / is more closely aligned to my long-term career goals.”

6. Offer to Stay In Touch

Turning down a job offer doesn’t require cutting all connections with the company.

Cap your call or email with an offer to stay in touch with the Hiring Manager.

You can express your interest in maintaining a relationship by suggesting connecting on LinkedIn or other social media platforms.

If you decide in the future that you’d like to explore a role with the company again, you can easily reconnect with the hiring manager.

• “I would be delighted to be considered for any future opportunities that match my career goals within your organization. I’m eager to stay connected and informed about any updates or advancements within your company. Here’s my LinkedIn [link]. I hope to stay in touch.”

This approach allows you to nurture connections and keep doors open for potential future opportunities.

If the Hiring Manager and HR think highly of you, it’s also possible that they’ll share about you with other recruiters – leading to more potential opportunities down the line.

5 Sample Emails/Letters to Reject a Job Offer

If you’ve decided that the company isn’t a good fit for you, this is a good and professional way to reject the job offer.

Or, if you prefer other opportunities and offers, here’s how you can word your email:

If you’ve accepted another offer, here’s an example of how you can send your email.

Don’t burn the bridge! It shows professionalism and keeps a window of opportunity open for you in the future.

Whether you were given a counter offer or had a change of heart, if you’ve decided to stay with your current company, here’s an example of how to reject the job offer accordingly.

When rejecting, don’t throw away future opportunities, remain cordial and mention how much you enjoyed and learned during the process.

You can also reject the offer with a personalised feedback on the reasons why you do not think you will be a good fit.

Common Questions about Rejecting Job Offers

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Conclusion

The offers you’ve shut the door on for now might open up new opportunities in the future.

So to sum up – when declining a job offer, be sincere and appreciative, share a brief reason for turning it down, and express your desire to stay in touch.

Don’t invoke negative sentiments with the Hiring Manager and HR and burn (potentially useful!) bridges.

To reject an offer graciously via email, here are 3 sample emails you can use. Feel free to download and adapt them to your own needs!

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