Negotiating job offers
How to politely and firmly decline a job offer over email
by Josh Doody
Here’s an email template you can use to politely decline a job offer and let them know you have accepted another offer.
Here’s an email template that you may not have considered: declining a job offer. Once you know have negotiated the best possible version of your salary, you’ll need to decide whether to decline or accept the job offer and while this isn’t traditional negotiation, it’s more of a long-term salary negotiation. You want to make sure that, even though you have negotiated this job offer aggressively and are not deciding not to join the company, you part ways on good terms so that the door remains open to future opportunities.
This salary negotiation email example will enable you to let them down easy if you have decided to go with another company.
To: [Recruiter]
Subject: [Your name] - My thoughts on [Company name]'s job offer
Hi [Recruiter name]
Thank you so much for your job offer. This was a difficult decision, but I’ve accepted an offer from another company.
I appreciate all the time and effort you have invested throughout this process. And I will be sure to let others know about this great opportunity.
Thanks again for your offer.
All the best
[Your name]
This email template is similar to the one above, except instead of going with another opportunity, you’re simply declining this opportunity outright. This can be uncomfortable, and you don’t want to belabor the point: just tell them you have decided that this job is a good fit for you.
Your recruiter will probably be frustrated, but this salary negotiation email template will help you communicate your decision directly while hopefully maintaining a positive working relationship with them in case you encounter them again in the future.
To: [Recruiter]
Subject: [Your name] - My thoughts on [Company name]'s job offer
Hi [Recruiter name]
Thank you so much for your job offer. After careful consideration, I’ve decided this opportunity is not the best fit for me.
I will be sure to let others know about this great opportunity.
Thanks again for your offer, and for all your time and effort throughout this process.
All the best
[Your name]
I'm Josh Doody, a professional salary negotiation coach who helps High Earners negotiate their job offers. On average, High Earners improve their first-year compensation by $47,273 with my help.
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