How to Decline a Job Offer

When you’re searching for a new sales job and interviewing with different companies, the ultimate goal is to get the job offer.

Normally, during this process you are connecting with potential co-workers and are delivering the consistent message of being interested in the sales job. You take the time to move through the interview process. The hiring manager is not only qualifying you to see if you’re a fit for the company, but you are also qualifying the company to see if they are a fit for you. 

{Related Article: How to Prepare For a Sales Interview}

However, sometimes during this process, you realize that the job, company and culture are not the right fit for you at this time in your career. So what do you do if you received a job offer that you cannot accept?

This is never a comfortable situation, but at the end of the day you’re the only one who can decide what the right opportunity is for you. What would really be uncomfortable is if you accept the job half heartedly and then quit before or shortly after you start. Now you’ve just burnt a whole lot of bridges which is never a good idea.

Once you’ve made your final decision that you are declining the offer:

• Be Prompt. Call your contact right away. It’s human nature to put off a difficult conversation. Be respectful of the time that they have invested in interviewing you and whatever you do don’t take the easy way out by sending an email. It will convey weakness in your ability to communicate and ultimately they may be relieved that you have declined.
• Be well prepared for the call. Be able to articulate why you have decided to decline their offer. You don’t need to go into detail, but you can let them know if you accepted another position or if you received a promotion and are staying at your current role.
• Be courteous. Thank them for all their time and keep the door open for potential conversations. Always show appreciation. You never know when your paths will cross.

So yes, the goal of interviewing is to get the job offer. Companies know that not all their offers will be accepted, but knowing how to respectfully decline an offer will leave both parties ready to move on.

{Related Article: Turn Down Job Offers Not Job Interviews}