Declining a Job Offer Difference (employer, company, hiring, recruiter)

[svendrell]

Tonight, I wrote a letter declining a job offer. I received the offer verbally, with an offer letter later. So when the verbal offer was made, I said that I'd be happy to look over any written offer they'd be willing to provide. So I didn't turn down the job when it was verbally offered. It was more that I can't answer until I see something in writing.

So, to get some inspiration and guidance, I googled turning down a job offer. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Not only is it expected that you should write a letter, but also that you should decline the offer verbally with a phone call.

Has anybody here called an employer and declined a job offer after seeing the offer letter? How did it go?

* For me, the difference is that employers aren't expected to call job candidates and verbally tell them that they're out of luck. Yet, job candidates should call?

[fishbrains]

There is weird advice out there on the Internet. I would never go to the effort of writing a formal letter declining an offer. The common practice is a verbal offer to reach agreement before providing a formal, written offer. Typically if you cannot reach a mutual agreement during the verbal stage, you would simply say "no, thanks" and the whole thing is done. The company says "ok", you both hang up the phone, and it is over. Nobody writes anything.

[Bolo99]

Simple, all you do is email back saying you decline the offer. Done.

[Grizzly Addams]

I was doing the exact same thing yesterday and saw the same advice. I was borderline pissed off by what people were recommending.

I received the offer by email so I decided that I would also decline it by email.

Actually technically I did both. The hiring manager called me yesterday, as I was contemplating two different offers, and I told him over the phone that I was going to be declining their offer. However, all of my communication with the recruiter was through email so I decided to email him that I'd be declining the offer.

Either way, if the hiring manager had not called me, I probably would have declined it by email only.

[Serious Conversation]

I would contact the point of contact either by phone or email declining it. I wouldn't see a need to send a physical letter as well.

[Mr_Geek]

Either a call or email is fine. A letter is overkill.

[svendrell]

Thanks everybody. Yeah, the advice floating around out there of having to do both a phone call and a written letter did seem excessive.