How to decline an interview

How to decline an interview

Are you worried on How to decline an interview? How to run down an interview? This article will help you to get clarity on how to proceed

We are all eager to look for a new job that can fit us perfectly, a job that suits our interests and at the same time gives us enough experience in our line of expertise. But during our job hunts, it is unavoidable that there are some offers that we wish to turn down for various reasons. When that time comes, we often find ourselves wondering what we should do when rejecting those kind of offers. Read on to know the proper way of rejecting an invite without being rude to the employer!

Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Turn down A Job Interview

Just because you’re not interested in a job, doesn’t mean that you have to immediately reject their interview invitation. There are a lot of benefits when it comes to accepting those interviews even if you don’t plan to take the offer. Check out some of these possible reasons! 

Practice

Interviews can be a good practice for your communication skills. Talking to different kinds of people will help you enhance your skills of answering professionally, and it can also be a training for your critical thinking since you need to answer different questions within a short amount of time. You can read something in a book or article, but there is no better way to learn than experiencing it firsthand. 

This can also help you when it comes to taking down pointers on what employers usually ask about. This can be a stepping stone for you to prepare yourself for your next job interview in a company that you are really interested in. 

Good impression

Leaving a good impression doesn’t stop in a company that you like to be a part of. You also need to make yourself look good in front of other employers so that they can still consider you when a time comes that you would like to apply for a job opening in their company. You can’t be too careless in disregarding their first impression of you, since there is a possibility that a company you like is connected with them and you just made a bad feedback in their file.  

Good impressions will make you look professional in their eyes and it can also help you greatly since you will not have to worry about getting reported because of a bad attitude. 

Better comparison

When it comes to job hunting, we usually do things like comparing one company to another just to make sure which one is a better fit for us. We do this so that we can choose the one that matches all of those things that we’re looking for in a company, and a job that we’re most compatible with. We wouldn’t want to just apply for a single company and wait till forever for them to respond in our application, and end up getting disappointed because the company doesn’t make us feel like we want to be a part of it. 

Comparison is a great strategy to make us see if we want to just settle for a certain company when there is a much better offer in another one that matches all of the criteria we listed. 

Opportunity inside the company

There are times when we are applying for a job, and we notice that a company has that specific position that we are looking for. There are times when that job will not be open until further notice, so we decide to wait for it to be available. What some of us do during those times is we apply for a job related to it, but is also within the company so that we can be first to apply when the job we like opens. 

There are also those times where you apply for a job, and the employer offers a better position after you display a splendid performance in their company, and that is an opportunity that can’t be missed. 

Reasons Why You Should Decline an Interview

There are a lot of moments when you know in yourself that you don’t want to continue pursuing your application in a certain company. You feel like it no longer makes sense to even accept their interview invite. Here are some of the possible reasons you can have when it comes to rejecting an invite.

Compatibility

Some of us will apply for various jobs that are really not in our line of expertise, but because of the long wait for the companies we applied for, we suddenly get anxious and impatient, which results in us applying to jobs that we know in ourselves that we are not compatible with. Most of the times, the company that we’re not really interested in will contact us first, then suddenly a job interview from the company that we like will pop up, and it’s obvious what we will pick from the two of them. 

We often use this reason to reject an offer, because how can we enjoy a job when we are not even passionate about doing it in the first place. 

Employer

There are times when we use the employer as a reason for rejecting the invite. It’s either they are too strict or scary to talk with, and some of us will chicken out in front of those kinds of employers. 

There are those who want to take on a challenge and face it head on, so that they can grow more in their profession. But a lot of us are looking for a friendly environment and a boss that is not too intimidating for us, so that we won’t feel too pressured in our work. How employers approach us can also be a deciding factor when it comes to withdrawing applications. 

Someone you don’t like

How can you function properly in a place where you have to work with someone you don’t even like? It can be understood if you had a fight when you were already in the company, but it becomes a different matter when you’re still in the application process. 

If you find out that a person you hate was in a company that you applied for, that is a huge decrease of interest in trying to get a job inside that company. Most of us will back out when we come across that kind of situation since we usually try to avoid a person we don’t like rather than stay with them for a long period of time. 

Company rating

A company’s rating is not really a huge factor when it comes to applying for a job, since there can be those certain companies that are really good even when they have a low rating from the internet. We can also say that a lot of competitors will try to sabotage those ratings. But that doesn’t mean that we can completely disregard it, especially when there are a lot of bad comments attached to it. 

We all know that other people’s reviews can greatly affect the view of the public. When we see that there are bad comments about a certain company, we will think deeply about pursuing our application. Also, a feedback from someone we know can change our decision completely. 

Location

Location is a huge factor when it comes to job hunting. We don’t really apply when the company is too far away from us because it will be a huge disadvantage. It will consume our time in travelling, which can also make us exhausted as we start our day. It will also be expensive because of the travel fees. 

But there are circumstances where we applied for a place close to us, but they will suddenly appoint us to a different location which is too far. That makes it change everything, and ends with us withdrawing our application from them. 

Salary

Some companies display their estimated salary offer on job sites so that the applicants can have a better idea of what they’re getting into. But some of them will not post the salary offer and will just inform you when they are already offering you a job. 

Salary is a huge factor when it comes to accepting a job offer since it will be used to pay all of the bills and also to satisfy your desires. When the salary they offer is so small that it will only cover up a few of your bills, then it is not encouraging to pursue the application any longer. 

Another offer

It is not surprising to have different offers from different companies when you applied to a lot of them. It is also a time when you compare all of them so that you can eliminate those offers that are not within your standards until you end up with that one that matches your list. 

This is also one of the reasons to reject an offer. When a better offer comes to you, then there will already be a decision made with no questions asked. 

Too many invitations

When a company invites you to another interview for the third time or more, then that is certainly tiring. Too many interview invitations can be mentally tiring since you have to talk to a lot of people and you will still get invites for another set of interviews. 

Interviews are a good practice for anyone when it comes to job hunting, but more than three times of interview invites is a discouragement to a lot of people since it will feel like you’re wasting your time when you should already have a job from all of those interviews they’ve been sending to you. 

Tips On How to decline an interview

A lot of us wonder about what we should do or what we should say when it comes to turning down interview invitations. We think of various ways in doing it and still feel like what we are doing is not appropriate and not polite enough when it comes to rejecting them. Check out these tips on how to politely turn down those invitations! 

Know more about the company

Before you turn them down, you need to know more about their company first. You should check if the company is not really to your liking or if it doesn’t really match up to the standards you are looking for. 

Some people will immediately reject a company without knowing more about them because they found a job where the descriptions match what they’re searching for. But there are times when the company you reject might be a better fit for you and they might have better opportunities in store than the one you chose. You should first put effort on your research so that you can be sure that there is nothing to regret before rushing to turn them down. 

Do not ignore the invitation

Ignoring an invite definitely means rejection for anything or anyone. It is what we usually use when someone we don’t like suddenly speaks to us out of the blue. Being silent is interpreted as a sign of refusal and it is the simplest way to say that you don’t want to continue anymore. 

But when it comes to these job interviews, you must never do that. First, it is a sign of unprofessionalism since you just ignored them without even informing them about your refusal. Yes, the HR will notice that you are no longer interested in pursuing your career with them and they might proceed without saying anything. But you certainly left a bad impression to them since you made them wait for your reply and wasted their time. 

Second, some companies will list you as someone with a bad attitude because of what you did. You left a bad impression so you will have that guilt feeling when you find a job opening in their company and you will think twice in applying while wondering if they still remember you. 

Third, it’s common courtesy to reply. You might think that they will treat it as nothing but as a professional, it is a must to reply so that you will not waste anyone’s time and at the same time, you can have a clear conscience. 

Email them immediately

Replying immediately to their invitation is very important so that they can proceed with their process without thinking about your application. But when emailing someone, you must not casually place words together just to form some sort of letter. You must be professional when composing your email since you are talking to professional people and not just some stranger you talked with. Check out this short guide to give you an idea of what your email should look like! 

  • Be friendly

You are turning them down, but it does not mean that you have to do it in a blunt way just to get it over with. The tone of your email is very important to know which mood you want to give, and a light mood is most definitely the right way to do things. 

You should talk to them in a friendly and professional way. I’m talking about communicating with them in a professional way but in a friendly tone so that you won’t come across as someone rude. 

  • Be thankful

You must thank them for giving you the opportunity to talk to them and offering you a job in their company. You must also thank them for taking their time to reach out to you. 

Being thankful is definitely a good way to start your email since you are basically telling the HR that you appreciate them as they took the time to even reach out to you and consider you for that open position. This will make it easier for you to reject them since you started it light. 

  • Be respectful

Replying to their email is a way of showing respect to them. You are showing them that you took the time to inform them immediately so that they will not waste their time in waiting for you to accept their invite. 

You must also show that respect in the email you create by writing to them in a polite way. 

  • State your reason

You must state your reason on why you are rejecting them. You do not need to elaborate your reason or say anything specific to them, you can keep it vague. 

They won’t read your email thoroughly so you do not have to make it hard for yourself by explaining. You can just say that you have certain circumstances or you had another job offer or any other vague reasons. You just have to state a reason on why you did it so that they are informed. 

  • Keep it short and simple

As I said, they will not read your email thoroughly so you don’t have to take time to write a very long one to inform them. They also won’t have enough time to read it if it’s that long, they will only read the part of your rejection then immediately close the email so you don’t have to make so much effort. 

You must remember that they are also very busy doing their jobs so making it short and simple will be a great help to them and make them appreciate it more. 

  • Send it to the right person

Before sending it, you must double-check everything like the way you created it and most importantly, you must check who you’re sending it to. There are a lot of times when we send emails to a wrong person because we were in a rush to get it over with, so we have to send it again to the right one and apologize to the one we sent it first to. 

To avoid all this trouble, you only have to spare a small amount of time to check everything if they are in the right place before sending it out. 

Carefully create an outline before writing your own email. A properly curated outline can help to make it easier for you to think of what you want to write. These tips can be of help as you think of what to say and what excuses to make. 

Examples of Emails on how to turn down an interview

Here are some examples you can look at as a reference when you’re creating an email to how to decline an interview

Example 1 email template on how to decline and interview: Another offer

Subject: Job Interview Invitation

Hi there, 

I hope this email finds you well.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to consider me as a (the position you applied for). I’m truly thankful for this opportunity of being considered to be a part of your fantastic team. However, I received another offer which is a perfect match for me. After careful consideration, I decided that I will no longer pursue my application with you. 

I hope that you find the perfect candidate for this position. 

Sincerely,

(Your name)

Example 2 email template on how to decline an interview: Too many invitations

Subject: Fourth Interview Invitation – (Your name)

Hi there, 

I hope this email finds you well.

I would like to thank you for your ongoing interest in my application. I appreciate that you’re taking the time to interview me for the (position title) position. However, after careful consideration, I decided that I would like to turn down your invitation for a fourth interview and officially withdraw my application. 

I enjoyed meeting you and I hope that you can find the perfect fit for your open position. 

Sincerely, 

(Your Name)

Key Takeaways on how to turn down an interview

When it comes to rejecting job interview invitations, you have to consider a lot of factors before rushing to a decision of turning them down. Make sure that you have a proper reason for rejecting them and be sure to compare the companies properly so that you can be confident of the decision you came up with. 

When emailing the employer, you must consider how they would feel when they read your email so that you can create a good one for them. Curate a good outline while considering how you can convey what you want to say. Use this article as a reference on how to properly turn down a job interview invitation. 

Also read How to write a Thank You Email After an Interview?

How to decline an interview

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