Declining a Job Offer -- Email

TeKniques

Hi all,

I was wondering what the consensus feeling is of declining a job offer through email? I've been talking to a company about an opportunity and finally received a job offer which was unfortunately below what I was expecting. I countered of course with an offer of my own which was rejected. So, I was wondering if email was an appropriate way to decline or if I should personally call?

As always, your opinions are appreciated.

Thanks.

cyberguypr

If they already established contact via email, I don't see why not. If all contact has been through phone/ftf, then I would call.

networker050184

I'd just call them and let them know.

pert

Honestly, who cares? You need to let them know promptly, besides that it really doesn't matter at all.

TeKniques

pert wrote: »

Honestly, who cares? You need to let them know promptly, besides that it really doesn't matter at all.

Normally, I would agree. I just didn't want to be unprofessional in the event another opportunity presented itself that was more inline with what I was asking for.

networker050184

Which is why I'd give them a call and explain it. Let them know that you would be interested in future oppourtunities. End it on a good note.

UniqueAgEnT

Phone or email work. I have declined via email and the same company has reached out to me regarding other opportunities. As long as you use the correct verbage in the email and thank them for the opportunity, then you can still end on a good note.

TeKniques

Thank you all for the replies. I went ahead and contacted them via email, because I reached the person's voicemail and didn't want to delay on it. Funny enough, I got a reply email shortly thereafter and now they want to negotiate with me.

UniqueAgEnT

Haha thats awesome man! I had a similar experience where a company contacted me 3 months after I declined and wanted to negotiate a higher salary.

Rosco2382

Did you get what you wanted?

NetworkVeteran

Funny enough, I got a reply email shortly thereafter and now they want to negotiate with me.

Quite common. You're negotiating from a position of strength (you would not accept the deal with the current teams) as opposed to a position of weakness (you would like additional monies but would accept it as-is). I would factor into your considerations that, if the company is willing to offer much more now, they were not offering you before what they thought your fair market value was, and that is likely to be a continuing trend when it comes to raises/promotions. I've had companies double their offers.

TeKniques

Rosco2382 wrote: »

Did you get what you wanted?

Not exactly, I'm about 95% sure I'm going to reject this offer too.

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Quite common. You're negotiating from a position of strength (you would not accept the deal with the current teams) as opposed to a position of weakness (you would like additional monies but would accept it as-is). I would factor into your considerations that, if the company is willing to offer much more now, they were not offering you before what they thought your fair market value was, and that is likely to be a continuing trend when it comes to raises/promotions. I've had companies double their offers.

Yes, this is pretty much spot on with my situation. Unfortunately, I live in a part of the country where IT jobs in general are pretty low waged. So, perhaps I could solicit some feedback on my current situation and about the offer I received.

---

Current Job: IT Manager
Current Salary: $60,000 -- no bonuses
Company Type: Software Development -- roughly 70 employees not including contractors/consultants (about 20 active currently).
Pluses: Flexible schedule, good benefits, and a good mentor in my boss. My *newer* responsibilities are starting to align with my career goals which is more focused on compliance, governance, auditing, vendor management, policy/process management, etc.
Cons: low pay, still have to deal with help desk issues most of the time -- biggest challenge is feeling 'stuck' in a service/support management role which is NOT what I want to do. Small IT staff and difficult to get approved budgeting for additional resources.

Overall, I actually do like my current job. However, the cons that I listed have taken a toll and I kind of feel 'burnt out' about the situation. Additionally, I feel like I'm quite underpaid (honestly, who doesn't? I would just like to be close to the area average which is about $80,000 annually).

Here is the information about the offer I have received which I have not responded to yet:

Job Title: Network Engineer
Company type: Managed Service Provider
Starting Salary: $60,000
90 day merit increase and passing CCNA exam: $65,000
Additional merit increase after passing CISA exam: $70,000

I was also told that the role would evolve into a Project Manager/Coordinator role with a focus on IT audit and security assessments (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, etc.) while leading a project team. The original offer was $60,000 annual salary with a bump to $65,000 after 90 days and a positive review. I declined this offer and this was the counter-offer.

My gut reaction is to decline this offer as well for several reasons. First, I feel that I'm worth a lot more than this and don't see why I need to earn additional certifications which amounts to a $10,000 salary increase from what I have now (neither certification is a walk in the park either). Secondly, the role just doesn't align with my career goals (Network Engineer?) -- I do want to focus on IT audit and security, but this is not a guarantee. When I asked about this I was told that during the initial 90-days employees have a 'generic' job title before moving into a permanent role ... WHAT?? That just didn't make much sense to me. So really what this offer adds up to for me is: "Do I want to leave my current job for $10,000 more a year?"

I'm taking some vacation time to make a decision. However, I am in the process of writing my current boss a proposal to increase my salary by the way of my accomplishments, successes, and what I feel is my overall value to the company. I know if I moved I would make a lot more money and I am considering it.

Anyways, input and opinions are welcomed. Thanks to those of you who replied earlier.

networker050184

Sounds like you pretty much have your mind made up, and I agree with your assesment. Not a fan of the 'pass this cert and we will give you more money' approach. It should be about what you can do, but I assume with it being an MSP they need the certified personell numbers. On top of that it's below what you want to make and doesn't align with your career goals. Three strikes and you're out kind of thing.

As always a lot can be said about liking your job. I wouldn't leave a job for that I liked for $10k more. Especially if the new job didn't line up with my career goals.

Good luck!