How do you turn down a job offer?

After a long search, you’ve finally got a  job offer. You then start agonising whether it’s the right one, just like you did while writing your resume or preparing for your interview. This is the time to carefully explore job content, salary, co-workers, location and your future boss.

Even if you have received a job offer, nothing is final until there is a written confirmation. That’s when you decide whether you can accept or reject it.

What happens if you want to reject the offer? How do you go about doing it, and what are the things you shouldn’t do?

Don’t dilly dally, but inform the employer either verbally or through a formal letter. It is professional etiquette to confirm your decision in writing. According to Sudhakar Balakrishnan, director and chief operating officer, Adecco India, a human resource solutions company, there is more demand than supply for people with nil to five years experience.

“In this rung, most of the employees compare notes with friends, peers and colleagues and if they do not like an offer, they do not even inform the prospective employer, but just disappear.”

When it comes to actually rejecting an offer, few people know how to do it gracefully. Says Girish Sharad Bhide, national director of training and recruitment with EVP, a New Zealand-based placement company with operations in India, “It is always better to be upfront and tell the prospective employer why you are rejecting the offer, since a good relation with the human resources head may be of help for future use.”

It is good to be positive about the company you have rejected and not burn your bridges behind you.

Many smart workers know it is a small world and they can bump into the same human resource head elsewhere, whose offer they have rejected.

Says Sasi Kanth, director of product engineering, Razorsight, a business intelligence and telecom auditing solutions outfit, “The HR community is very small and maintaining transparency is appreciated.” Kanth turned down an offer from a multinational information technology company by communicating over the phone. “It is always better to tell them the truth and the reason why you are not joining,” he adds.

Agrees Anuj Sharma, a public sector bank employee, who received an offer from a private-sector bank. Sharma wrote a letter to the HR head of the bank, rejecting the offer and citing job insecurity as a major hurdle. “I did not want the company to spend any more time on me,” he says.

Some candidates suggest references and recommendations. “References usually do not come in voluntarily, but good HR people do ask for recommendations,” says Balakrishnan.  But it is important to keep in mind that once you accept a job offer, even verbally, try not to renege or go to another employer. Your reputation could be at stake.  As we all know, it’s a small world.