Recently, I was with a client who after endless interviews and psychometric tests got a great job offer but then decided to decline the position. What do I tell them she asked, they’ll think I’m a time waster!
With the job market thriving it’s highly likely you will be offered more than one job. It goes without saying that as a candidate you have a duty to yourself, to look after yourself.
After careful consideration, if you decide not to proceed then you are perfectly entitled to say no thanks. It’s all part of the recruitment process. Remember the company will have also said no thanks to lots and lots of applicants as well.
That being the case then you should withdraw gracefully and in the most professional way possible.
This may all sound irrelevant, but that is not the case. The ‘candidate’ arena, especially for senior roles or for people with in-demand skills is relatively small. Recruitment Agencies and HR Managers are knowledgeable in respect of who’s who ‘around town’ and within the marketplace.
If they don’t know you or know of you, after a couple of quick phone calls, they will have a good perspective on you and your suitability as a candidate. This is where you do not want any third party giving you a bad reference no matter how casual it may be.
Also, bear in mind that HR and Hiring Manager do move about themselves and you may end up sitting in front of them again in the future.
The point here is hiring managers, move from one employer to another, from personnel manager to executive search consultants and will remember candidates from the past and especially ones that acted unprofessionally.
So no matter how much you might look forward to telling your potential employer that ‘you got a better offer elsewhere’ resist the temptation.
Gracefully thank them for their kind offer and tell them that having given careful consideration to the job, the company and the likely career prospects you have decided to decline their offer. It’s unlikely that they will question you further on your decision.
Respectfully withdrawing your candidacy will leave the door open as you never know when you will encounter or need them again in the future.
The very best of luck.
Colm Cavey has over 24 years’ experience in helping people change careers and find the kind of job they want. Colm can review your CV, help you organise your job hunt and provide one to one interview and presentation coaching or all of those elements together in a full Career Change programme. To find out more about Colm you can contact him directly on 086-3017207 or via his company Professional Career Consulting