Talk to other people. Describe the responsibilities you would have and the compensation you'd receive, and get honest feedback from friends and family members. If possible, speak to someone who works for the company.
Weigh the pros and cons. Take into consideration the commute, pay, benefits and the chances for advancement. Is the offered salary enough to offset any potential costs you will incur as a result of the job?
Be prompt with your response. Take time to consider a job but don't take too long. It is recommended that you respond to a job offer within 2 to 3 days.
Compose a Response to Decline or Accept a Job Offer
Thank the employer. Be sure to convey the fact that you are appreciative of the opportunity. If you are turning down the job, provide the company with a legitimate reason for your choice. You don't want to alienate anyone who could become a future networking contact.
Stay positive throughout a negotiation letter or phone call. Ask whether the pay, benefits or title are open to negotiations and suggest a time to further discuss it.
Restate the hours, pay and benefits to reinforce the job offer as you understand it. Ask about job details that might not have been mentioned in previous communication, such as paid time off or work-from-home privileges.
Be professional in your tone and presentation. Being offered the job doesn't mean that you should stop trying to impress them. Use proper business letter format and always check for spelling and grammar.
Sometimes you get the job you have been hoping for. In such cases, the appropriate acceptance is something like "Thank you! This sounds like a fantastic opportunity, and I look forward to working with you and the rest of the team." Negotiate a start date (which can often be immediately if you do not have to give notice at another job, but may be two or three weeks if you do, or even months for upper level management jobs requiring relocation).
A formal acceptance letter is usually not necessary, but may be so for out-of-town jobs or contract offers. If you do need to write a letter accepting the job offer, make it brief:
Sometimes you know you will be declining a job offer. Maybe the pay is unacceptable, or once you found out more information you realized you were not really interested in the job. No matter what your reason for rejecting a job offer, make it polite. You never know if a more suitable job will come open; employers will often contact people directly in these types of situations. Even if you know you will never, ever work for that organization for whatever reason, you still need to be polite. You never know if your interviewer will turn out to be cousins of the executive director of an organization you truly would love to work with.
When declining a job offer, say something like "Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I regret I must decline." If you can't think of anything nice to say, just stop there. However, it can often be helpful to organizations if you can provide a brief explanation. "I just accepted another job offer two days ago," or "Unfortunately, the pay scale is not sufficient," or "The work schedule is just not going to work with my other obligations."
There is hardly ever any reason to decline a job offer in writing. If so (for instance, a mutual acquaintance suggested you apply, and you don't want to make him/her look bad), just send a brief note:
