When a recruiter emails and invites you to interview for a job, your split-second reaction can range from âYESSSSSâ to âugh.â The âYESSSSSâ next steps are pretty straightforward: You respond, schedule it, prepare for it, and shine bright like a diamond. The âughâ route is murkier. Because, honestly, the interview could be great practice. If youâre hesitant because you think youâre underqualified, or overqualified, or not that into it, or that the pay may not be quite rightâwhy not Shonda Rhimes it, i.e. just say yes, and consider it prep for the âYESSSSSâ interviews?
Time. Time is often the reason. Youâre busy, we get it. But what do you say? Is there, possibly, a way to say not now...but leave the door open? Yes, reader, there is. And itâs pretty simple.
Here, weâll unpack why itâs OK to decline an interview and not feel an ounce of guilt over it. Then weâll help you pen your response email (with templates). Exhale. Letâs go:
When should you decline a job interview?
Answer: When you sense, deep in your gut, that itâs not the way. But if you want help putting words to your instinctsâor calming yourself with a few additional reasons itâs really allowedâtry these:
Youâve accepted another job offer.
Yep, youâre a hot commodity and hiring managers know it. Someone else got to you first, with a sweet offer you gladly accepted. But you havenât shared some personal news on social yet, so other companies may still trickle into your inbox. Below, weâll share a template that conveys your current status in a respectful way.
Youâve turned up too many deal breakers.
Could be that the recruiter goes months between emailing you, or you learn that employees are working around the clock. âIf you've come across [multiple] red flags in the application or initial interview process, trust your gut and decline,â says Muse career coach Heather Yurovsky, founder of Shatter & Shine, whose coaching focuses on resumes and interview prep.
The org doesnât align with your vision.
Muse career coach Yolanda Owens often has clients who hear back about a job they applied to months agoâwhen they were âapplying to anything and everythingââbut whoâve since started weeding out lower-priority opps. Perhaps youâve realized youâre competitive for more senior-level roles, or youâve otherwise pivoted your search, says Owens, founder of CareerSensei and a former recruiter. It may make sense to have a conversation to keep the door open, but if youâre gaining traction elsewhere, keep moving forward.
Your plans have changed.
Life happens, including in the time between submitting an application and hearing about an interview. Maybe you need to scale back to part-time work while caring for a sick parent or your partner got a new role and youâre suddenly moving across the country. If youâre excited about the position, you can move forward and see if thereâs any flexibility to accommodate these circumstances, but otherwise itâs completely fair to opt out.
Your work situation has changed.
Work happens, too, and an unexpected promotion or other organizational shift can change how eager you are to find a new job. If youâre beyond thrilled with the new path and can no longer imagine leavingâor want to focus all your energy on your new roleâby all means, turn down that interview.
You canât (or donât want to) put in the time to prepare.
If youâre not actively looking or you're considering an interview for a position you feel lukewarm about at best, itâs OK to say no, especially if âyou feel you donât have the bandwidth to prepare because youâre overextended at the moment,â says Muse career coach Emily Liou, founder of Cultivitae and a former recruiter with experience hiring at Fortune 500 companies and startups.
How should you decline a job interview?
Hereâs your checklist:
Make sure youâre sure. You definitely donât want this to be a practice round, right?
Aim to respond within a few days, so it looks like youâve given this careful thought and consideration (even if you instantly thought, âHell noâ).
Start with gratitude. Thank them for thinking of you, etc.âyou know what to do.
Keep your reasoning vague. âYouâre happy in your current role,â kinda thing. Hey, if you end up furloughed tomorrow, you may want to circle back.
Suggest someone else. Itâs a class act, and will certainly leave themâand the person you referâwith a positive impression of you. (P.S., It's not a bad idea to give that person a heads up.)
4 best templates for declining a job interview
Letâs get to the good stuff. Use these templatesâwhich weâve created with our coachesâ inputâas a jumping-off point. Feel free to mix and match!
Youâre declining because...you donât want to do the interview.
Hi [Name],
Thank you so much for taking the time to review my application and inviting me to interview for the [position] role at [Organization]. However, I regretfully need to withdraw my application from this process at the moment.
Thank you again for your time and consideration and I hope we can stay connected.
All best,
[Your Name]
Youâre declining because...youâve accepted another job offer.
Hi [Name],
Thank you so much for reaching out! Iâm grateful for the time and consideration youâve given my application for the [position] role. However, I recently accepted an offer from another organization.
I wish you the best of luck filling this role and hope we can keep in touch. If anything changes in the future, Iâll certainly reach out in case the timing is right on both sides.
All best,
[Your Name]
Youâre declining because...your situation has changed.
Hi [Name],
Thanks so much for reaching out with this kind invitation to interview for the [position] role at [Organization]. However, my circumstances have changed since I submitted my application and unfortunately, I need to respectfully decline this opportunity.
I would love to stay in touch and hope weâll have another chance to work together down the line.
Thank you again for your time and consideration.
All best,
[Your Name]
Youâre declining but...you want to refer someone else.
Hi [Name],
Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview for the [position] role at [Organization]. While [Organization] intrigues me because [a compelling reason based on their mission, product, or service], Iâm not looking to make any career moves at this time.
However, my colleague [Colleagueâs Name with link to LinkedIn profile] might be of interest. I highly recommend them from my previous experience and think they could be a great addition to the [Organization] team.
Best of luckâand I hope this isnât the last time our paths will cross!
Thanks,
[Your Name]
You can also swap out that second paragraph with a couple of other options. For example, if youâd like to buy some time so you can give your colleague a heads up and/or see if the recruiter or hiring manager wants to take you up on a referral, you might say:
However, Iâd be more than happy to recommend a colleague if youâre open to referrals.
Or if youâd rather leave it to your colleague to decide if theyâre interested and want to reach out, you could say:
However, I may know somebody who is looking. Let me reach out and forward your email and theyâll get in touch if theyâre interested.
You never know when you might be able to turn your no into someone elseâs yes.