How to refuse an employer after an interview?

Applicants for a position in a reputable company, as a rule, are anxiously awaiting the results of the interview. However, for some reason, the desire to be on the staff of the enterprise may disappear, and then it becomes necessary to inform the failed manager about his decision. By taking advantage of the rules of beautiful refusal, you can do this without any complications.

Before looking for formulaic language for politely rejecting a proposed position, you should think carefully. You spent time looking for a job, successfully passed all stages of the competition, approved the head of the company and singled out among other candidates. In a new place, they rely on you and associate certain expectations with you - there must be a very good reason to refuse the post after you have agreed to the proposed terms. Analyze the situation carefully and consider why you changed your mind.

There are reasons that shouldn't influence your opinion:

• you have been persuaded by someone from your acquaintances or relatives - you should listen exclusively to your own inner voice and rely on trusted reliable sources;
• you are scared of not living up to your hopes - in this case, try to attend a training session or refer to affirmations to increase self-esteem;
• you do not have a good reason for refusal, you just do not want to change anything in your life - force yourself to leave your comfort zone, all changes are for sure for the better.

There are actually not many really noteworthy reasons to justify a decision to leave an interesting position:

• during the selection process, you received another offer that is more beneficial to you;
• misunderstanding of the features of the work ahead due to the lack of a clear structured job description;
• inappropriate work schedule, possible business trips, work on weekends;
• inconsistency of the proposed wages with the declared level;
• lack of confidence in their professionalism.

If your arguments are really weighty, be sure to notify the head of the company in which you have passed the competitive selection of the change in your intentions.

The question arises: is it really necessary to inform the failed boss that you have changed your mind about working for him, because this is not the most pleasant procedure - you need to find time, find words, spend nerves and, possibly, hear reproaches in your address. Nevertheless, it is necessary to gather your will into a fist and still voice your refusal, and this should be done as delicately as possible. There are several reasons for this.

• There is a single database in recruiting agencies, where employers send their feedback on this or that job seeker. If you get there with a negative assessment, then the chance of being invited to another company for a similar position will be small.
• If you work in the same industry, then there is a great chance of intersection in the future. Therefore, it is always better if the separation goes on a pleasant note.

Practical example. One young man applied for a top manager position at a large furniture company, but a few days after he was approved for the post, he received a call from a competing firm and offered a similar job, but with a higher salary. He accepted the offer, but did not notify the employer he was initially going to. Later it turned out that the owners of both firms were relatives. When the fact came to light that one of them had recruited an employee who had failed the second, the young man was fired.

Ideally, you should indicate your rejection of a job offer as early as possible. The maximum allowable period is considered to be a period of 7-10 days from the date of the last interview. Stalling for time will simply embarrass the employer: since a company is looking for a person for a particular position, most likely they will need an employee in the near future. The delay in formalizing the resignation of the position leads to the fact that the employer is forced to look for a new specialist and carry out all the stages of selection again.

You can report your resignation from the proposed position in writing, as well as by phone or in person.

Written allowed refusal to work in the following situations:

• if the position offered to you is insignificant and does not belong to the category of top management;
• if the potential boss is distinguished by a quick-tempered and unbalanced character, rude and unrestrained in relations with others;
• if there was an active correspondence between you before the interview;
• if you got a job in a creative position, one way or another related to writing.

When drawing up a written refusal, make sure that the text is written correctly, without spelling and syntax errors. Check the correctness of the e-mail address and double-check the fact of sending - it is advisable to set in the settings a report on the delivery and read the message by the addressee.

When writing a letter, you can take the following text as a sample.

“Dear Nikolai Nikolaevich! Thank you for your interest in my candidacy and for your time. It was interesting for me to get acquainted with such a large enterprise, but, unfortunately, I have to refuse the offer made to me. The situation developed in such a way that I was offered a promotion and, after weighing everything very carefully, I decided to stay at my previous place of work.

Once again, I thank you for your attention and hope for your understanding. Good luck finding the right professional. Respectfully yours, Petrov Petr Petrovich. "

If the competitive selection for the position consisted of several stages and took a long time, then often personal contacts are established between the candidate and the recruiter. In this case, the refusal of an offer to take one or another position is best indicated at a personal meeting. Be sure to thank the representative of the company for their trust and succinctly justify your decision.

Phone refusal appropriate in the following cases:

• if the interview was carried out through instant messengers, via Skype or by phone;
• if you are not giving up a leadership position;
• if you are unable to arrange a face-to-face meeting (this must be mentioned in the conversation and apologized).

Please note that all managers are busy people, and there is always a risk that your call will ring at the wrong time. That is why, before dialing the number of the failed boss, be sure to check with the personnel service at what time he will be able to talk to you, or at least ask if it is convenient for him to talk now.

When registering a refusal from a job offer, several rules apply, compiled by psychologists and staff of personnel services.

1. Polite and tactful refusal does not allow ingratiating intonations and making excuses. Your main goal is to inform about the decision made in the most correct way, without unnecessary emotions.
2. Be concise remember that brevity is the sister of talent. You should not indulge in florid praise and spacious explanations of your decision - respect your own and other people's time.
3. Maintain a neutral conversation style, one apology for the current situation will be quite enough, there is no need to demonstrate a sense of guilt and ask for forgiveness from the employer.
4. Be mentally prepared for reproaches and annoyances from company representatives. Especially often this situation arises if there was an agreement to go to work "tomorrow". Try to understand the failed leader - he will have to reopen the vacancy, look for candidates, invite them for an interview - this will inevitably affect the work process. However, hold back the reactions, just listen to what they tell you, say goodbye politely and leave. If the employer starts to insult you, don't get into a fight - just turn around and leave.
5. Try to stick to a general rejection pattern, adopted in accordance with the requirements of business etiquette:

• say hello by contacting the failed leader by name and patronymic;
• briefly prepare him for unpleasant news: thank him for his attention and interest in your person, do not forget to say a couple of compliments to the company itself;
• formulate your refusal as delicately as possible: use such phrases as “I'm sorry”, “this decision was not easy for me, but ...”;
• inform the reason for the refusal and if it is somehow connected with the working conditions, then be prepared that this will be followed by a long discussion - the employer will surely touch upon this fact, and he will try to find out all the nuances of your changed decision;
• thank you for your tolerance (of course, only if your refusal was received with dignity);
• wish the firm continued success and say goodbye politely.

There are situations when the applicant must necessarily hide the real reason for his rejection of the service offer and come up with any other:

• if at a new job he is asked to perform duties that are contrary to his ethical principles (for example, to deceive his clients, keep false documents);
• if the company is going through hard times and it faces a financial crisis.

Do not tell the employer what may affect him personally in one way or another, for example, someone could get nasty in the office, or you were impressed by the style of communication between the boss and his subordinates. It is possible that the atmosphere in the team itself will not seem comfortable to you - no need to discuss this openly, probably, this is nothing more than your individual perception. When justifying the refusal, it is better to indicate any other neutral reason.

If you are simply not satisfied with some of the points of the job description, then it is necessary to culturally tell the recruiter about this, it is possible that on these points it is possible to achieve a revision of the provisions. Surely the employer can meet you halfway by changing some agreements as far as possible, or even excluding them.