Decline Letters - To Send Or Not?

TearTaylor

KEY SITE PAGES►	Decline Letters: To Send Or Not?
Career Corner's Home Site's Home Page Terms of Services Give Feedback Link To Us CAREER ARTICLES► Resumes Resume Builder 101 Creating Word Resumes Resumes & Word Tables Scannable Resumes 101 Functional Resumes Can Power Verbs Really Improve A Resume? A Volunteer Job Does A Resume Good 10 Resume Don'ts Guide "Resume," Just Easier To Work With Tricks To Help Extend Short Resumes Analyzing Bad Resumes Resumes: Bad To Good Objective Statements Job Letters Easy Cover Letters Thank You Letters Acceptance Letters Resignation Letters Decline Letters A Cover Letter Must Informational-Interview Request Letter _____________________ _____________________ Interviewing Winning Interview Tips Pre-Interview Etiquette Interview Do's & Don'ts Behavioral Interviews Landing Job Interviews Requesting Feedback After A Failed Interview Good Behavior Rewards Fail-Proof Guide To Successful Interviewing Acing Job Interviews Pre-Interview Jitters What Employers Are Really Looking For Other Job Stuff Rejection Letters Revealing Names Keeping The Job Not A Single Reply Behind The Handshake? Entrepreneurial Energy Finding Jobs: Try It All CAREER TOOLS► Jobs Resources Center Employment Agencies Links to Job Sites Scholarship Resources		Written by: Tracy P. Miller Editor, Publisher TearTaylor's Career Corner
	The same way you took time out of your busy schedule to create a cover letter and thank you letter you should also set time aside to create a decline letter, that's if the need for one arises. Many new hires who aren't interested in accepting certain job offers ignore this task because they're not on the pursuing end of the incoming employment chain anymore. To put it another way, these new hires overlook this task because they've already landed prized employers in their back pockets. Another reason the task is overlooked is because jobseekers simply don't know it's expected of them. While many college placement offices and career sites put considerable emphasis on developing cover letters and thank you letters, there's usually no mention about drafting decline letters for occasions when jobseekers need to turn down job offers. If you need to decline an offer, you should always put it in writing. Always make sure to thank the employer for extending the opportunity to you. Make sure to clearly state you are not accepting the offer. If you like, you can explain why you are turning the offer down but it's not required of you. Many recruiters believe it's important to mention why an expected new hire is not accepting an offer. In the event the decline is because of money, recruiters believe employers will up salaries slightly to win over their hot targets. The tone of your letter should always be positive and polite. Just imagine if something goes wrong at your new job, let's just say a year later you're extremely unhappy and you want to reopen communication with the other company that extended you an offer. Well, if your decline letter was a polite and professional one, you'll have a better shot of reestablishing a positive dialogue with them. Below are several sample decline letters. Please feel free to refer to either to help you in wording your own. Again, you'll only need to create a letter if you find yourself in a situation that requires one. Dear Mr. Johnson: Thank you for your letter dated June 10, 2003, which offered me a position as an Assistant Account Executive with Buford Medley. After careful consideration of my job offers, I have decided to accept an offer from another company. It was a pleasure having met you and the other fine employees of your company. Your organization has a very strong reputation in the retail industry. Again, thank you for your kind consideration. Sincerely, Seneca Langford ------------------------------------------------- Dear Mr. Jacobs: Thank you for the job offer of account manager in your client service department. Unfortunately, I must decline your offer. I have carefully reviewed your offer and have determined that a yearly salary of $24,000 will not help me in meeting my financial obligations right away towards paying off student loans and other debts incurred while in college. Because of my great interest in the position and knowledge of your company's rich history, this was a very difficult decision for me. Thank you for your time. I wish you much success and I hope we have an opportunity to meet again. Sincerely, Seneca Langford ________________________________________________ This article is © 2003-2004 by Tracy Miller and may not be reposted without written permission from the author and may not be reprinted for profit.