How to reject a company you are practicing with?
I took the tech interview course and found it very helpful. Especially the part where we should create a company list, rank them, and then start applying based on tier. It turns job-hunting into a probability and numbers game and it removes a lot of stress
However, what do you do when you get an offer from a company that isn't high on your list, so you can't accept the offer because you still want to apply to companies higher on the list?
Throughout the interview you have tried to convince them that you are excited for the position, so now how do you tell them you can't take the offer, without burning the bridge or getting blacklisted?
How do you also not feel guilty rejecting the offer when you know you are not as serious about the position as the hiring end?
![Senior Software Engineer [E5] at Meta company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fmeta.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Da7a5bcc0-e178-4b5b-b71e-09bf6c6aefae&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
![Entry-Level Software Engineer [L3] at Google company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fgoogle.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D780356ef-3efc-4728-9eb4-d909b75bb4a6&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Discussion
(3 comments)- 16 days agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
The key principles to keep in mind when you reject a company:
- You're not saying "no", you're saying "not right now"
- Be vague yet firm -- don't over-share
Some sample language:
I did some reflection about my career goals and at this point I'm unable to join at this time. I really enjoyed meeting the team but there are some other pending opportunities that I would like to explore.
As for the reason you're turning them down, you should reference something unchangeable about the company while also being genuine. Good candidates are:
- product domain
- company maturity (or lack thereof)
- growth opportunities at the company
Finally, you can always present new information that can shape your decision. For example, it's not uncommon for a company to offer an engineer an exciting new project, or more money, when they discover a competing offer. You could mention some version of that:
There are some changes happening in my current job that I feel really excited about and I'd like to stick around for at least a few more months.
Other new information could be that you finally got in touch with a new company or hiring manager that you've been really excited about, and therefore you can't commit to the existing company.
Relatedly, there is good discussion about interview strategy here: Interview preparation - What's a good strategy for it?
- 0
5 days agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroSo glad you found the course to be helpful! First step with a sub-par offer is to negotiate it. It's not a huge loss if your offer gets rescinded somehow (which it shouldn't be if you're polite and negotiating properly), so there's nothing but upside. What I will say is that it's very possible to be pleasantly surprised by a company not high on your tier list - A friend of mine got 2 offers from not very prestigious companies, and he was able to put them in a bidding war, increasing the TC by 35%+. He ended up taking one of those offers.
Anyways, take the negotiation course if you haven't already. You have a lot of leverage as you're okay walking away: The Insider's Guide To Negotiating Your Tech Salary And Compensation
- 05 days agoEng @ Taro
How do you also not feel guilty rejecting the offer when you know you are not as serious about the position as the hiring end?
I would keep an open mind and think of it as an exploratory phase to find out what the engineering culture is like at different companies and whether they are working on something that might surprise you.
