How to turn down a job offer or resign politely

By Aily Foo – Manager, Temporary and Contract Recruitment, Links International Hong Kong

Under the temporary and contract job culture in Asia, we understand that candidates might resign before the contract completion. This is alright and we do understand that this sometimes happens. However, as a temporary and contract recruitment consultant, I have also had bad experiences with candidates who handle this issue very badly. So how should you turn down an offer or resign from your job in a better way? Here are some tips:

Show appreciation and respect

Thumbs Up

Appreciation is the most important factor of the job interview process until you get to the offer stage. Hiring managers, HR professionals and interviewers spend time putting your profile through to the next level and people make an effort to attract you to join the company. Eventually, therefore, if you decide to turn down a job offer or resign from your job, leaving a good impression and respecting the hiring managers will never harm your career in the future. You never know, you might interview with them once again in the coming future at a different company.

Once you have made a decision to turn down an offer, do it as soon as you can, be timely in your response

During the interview process, you might not be the only shortlisted candidate for the position. Having said that, you are the best one among your competitors. So, if you have made up your mind not to take the offer, you should inform the client immediately so that they can locate another candidate before it’s too late. Holding an offer and not taking it won’t come across very well to the client.

On the other hand, if you decide to resign, you should inform your manager in advance so that they can allocate your work to other team members to follow up. Showing your willingness to help during the transition period can make both your life and their life easier at work.

Refer a candidate

It would be a great help to us as temporary and contract recruitment consultants if you are able to refer a candidate to fill your position. It can reduce time for us to locate another candidate and speed up the recruitment process.

We understand that turning down a job offer or resigning from your job has never been easy to handle. However, it’s an inevitable part of starting a new dream job for yourself!

Links specialises in recruitment across a broad range of industries in Asia. Let us help take your career to the next level – please do not hesitate to contact us.