With unemployment at long-term highs, it may seen insane to go through a job application process, “win” the job, then decide not to take it. But in some circumstances it can be the smart decision.
Before going any further, it’s important to note that if you are receiving Jobseekers Allowance and related benefits, you have far fewer options: turning down an offer could affect your eligibility for benefits and you should think very carefully before doing so. This isn’t always the case: when looking at offers of jobs, London relocation being a must might be accepted as a reasonable cause to say no if you have a family.
That aside, there are cases where saying no is the right thing to do. The main one is if the offer turns out to be much less generous than you were expecting, for example if the basic salary is at the bottom end of an advertised scale, or if it turns out you’ll be working on commission. Turning down a job in this situation is effectively saying you are worthy of getting a better deal elsewhere and confident of doing so, but if this is the case, don’t be afraid.
Of course, sometimes you’ll conclude it’s better to take what you can get, and as long as you think you can do the job without hassles, there’s nothing wrong with this approach. That said, if you feel a company has been deliberately misleading before making the low offer, you may want to think about walking away rather than acting out of desperation.
It can also be valid to turn down a job if you conclude that you don’t have the skills to do it, if you don’t like the people you’d be working with, or you simply decide working at the firm would make you miserable. In all of these cases, however, you need to turn the offer down with grace, dignity and professionalism so there’s no risk of the hirers bad-mouthing you to other companies.