Turning a job offer down

Imagine that you have seen what looks like your perfect job advertised, you obtained the information pack and decided that you would invest the time and effort putting together the application. You spent hours writing and re-writing your answers to the selection criteria. You made sure your CV was up to date and your covering letter succinctly explained why they should invite you for an interview. You are confident in your abilities and this is rewarded with a phone call from the organisation that asks you to 'come for an interview'.

The day of the interview dawns and you are nervous, but quietly confident. You have gone over all the material and your answers, you've even searched the internet for relevant company information. As you meet the people doing the interview you know you are the perfect candidate for the job, and answer their questions with ease. You are quietly confident that you are going to be offered the job.

But something just doesn't feel right. You leave the organisation with a nagging feeling that there was something that just didn't add up, and you begin to worry. What happens if they offer you the job? Do you really want to take something that on the outside looks fantastic, they're even willing to pay you the money that you want, but for all of that, you just don't feel like you would 'fit in'? Should you take the job as an interim step to something else, after all the experience would be valuable? The money would certainly be useful, and you would be able to use the skills and knowledge that you have gained in a new environment. But even after checking off all the positives, you are still not convinced that you would be doing the right thing.

What do you do?

Do you turn the job offer down and then worry whether you are doing the right thing or not? After all the job looked great on paper, the money is fabulous. OK so your new boss couldn't look you in the eye, maybe he was just shy. So what if they were evasive about what projects you would be working on, and what the rate of staff turnover was. You are not sure what to do and your internal voice is very insistent - that by turning the job down you are going to be making the worst mistake of your entire life.

Do you take the job even though you know you will be looking for something else the day after tomorrow? Will you feel guilty because of the time, effort and money that has already been spent interviewing you, and what about all the on-the job training that you are going to need?

If you are ever faced with this situation, then it is important that you weigh up the positives and negatives. Ask yourself some questions, and be honest with your answers.

What are the benefits of taking the position? Is it for the prestige, better money, closer to home, new challenges, better hours, any job is better than no job at all.
What are the benefits of staying where you are? It's comfortable - you know the people, you know the job, there is a possibility you can take on other duties or take on project work, you are close to retirement and don't want the hassle of learning something totally new if you are going to be leaving the work force in a few years.
Do you have any other job prospects that would suit you better than the one on offer?
Have you spoken to your network? What are their opinions about the organisation and/or the people? Be careful with this one though as you will get opinion, bias and hearsay.
Have you spoken to the organisation? Can you arrange to meet your new colleagues, or your new boss to discuss the role in detail? Whilst you should have taken the opportunity to contact the organisation for more information before attending the interview, and asked some pointed questions during the interview process, post interview gathering of information can be a valuable tool to help you make up your mind.
Do you worry about what people will think?
Are you afraid to say 'NO' this job isn't for me after all.
Will this new position take you further down your chosen career path, or will it take you away from where you want to ultimately end up? Of course if you don't know where you want to end up at the end of your career, bear in mind that any road will get you there.

If after you have weighed up all the possibilities, options and information, you are still not sure, remember that there are no right or wrong answers to this dilemma. Whichever decision you take will simply give you a different set of experiences to take with you as you move through your professional life. It's how you handle the experiences that really matter.

Lorraine Bradshaw is the marketing and training coordinator for Information Enterprises Australia (IEA), a specialist library and records management recruitment agency, consultants and trainers in Western Australia. For permanent staff placements and short-term labour hire solutions.

Lorraine is also the current editor of the Australian record retention manual and is the author of IEA's free monthly e-zine Information overload.

This article first appeared as part of a larger series in the IEA e-zine, Information overload. It is reprinted here with the kind permission of the author. For more information about making the most of your career, read the April issue of Information overload, available at http://www.iea.com.au/E-Zine_Archives.htm - Ed.

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