Ask the Experts: Writing a Post-Interview Thank You Letter When You Do Not Intend to Accept the Position
Question:
I want to send a post-interview thank you letter. Although I do not intend to accept the position, I want to keep the door open should I change my mind. How should I write the letter?
First Answer:
Send a hand written thank you card. Leave out lots of details about how excited you were or how much you look forward to hearing from them. Thank them and leave it at that. Don’t give them false hopes and lead them on. If you want to leave the door open, a simple thank you will do.
— Troy Behrens, JOBGOD.NET
Second Answer:
You are right to send a thank you and keep the relationship a positive one.
In composing your letter, begin thanking them for their time, then go right
into your intentions. Simply tell them it is “not the right fit for you at
this point in your career,” or something along those lines.
For the next, and final paragraph, point out one to three things about their company that impressed you. Then simply state that you wish to keep the relatationship alive and hope your paths will cross again soon.
Even when you interview for jobs you have no interest in taking, a thank you note is a good move. People switch companies all the time. You may find those individuals at places you desire to pursue.
One last tip – hand write your thank you notes.
Best of luck to you.
— Holly Lentz, Lentz Productions.
Third Answer:
A thank you note after any interview is a positive action whether or not you want to accept the job. The trick to keeping the door open is to come up with an answer that says, “I love your company and would love to work with you, under the right circumstances but, it just isn’t right at this point.”
For example, the job offered may be too light or your company may
have just promoted you. In either case it’s understandable that you might decide to stay, but they might also come back after you with another offer. The trick is to show appreciation for their courtesies and the offer but not to make them think you wasted their time and were just shopping. Something has to have occured to change the situation. Even a comment that you would like to stay in touch may lead to a future contact.
Good luck in your search.
— David E. Gordon, Advertising/Promotions Internship Office, Columbia University in Chicago, Illinois.
Fourth Answer:
Only you know you are not going to accept the job if offered. Why not handle the letter as a thoughtful courteous normal thank you letter? Address some aspect of the interview experience that was particularly valued by you and let the matter be closed. If and when an offer is made is time enough to consider what to say in a letter of refusal. Do not presume or be premature in the hiring process. One step at a time.
— Robert C. Resch, Career Center, Triton College.
Fifth Answer:
I applaud you for seeing the value in maintaining a relationship with a
company even though you do not intend to accept the position. Many job
seekers don’t realize that while they may interview for a specific job, the
potential is there for evaluation of their skills and accomplishments for
other positions.
If the offer has not yet been tendered, it would be presumptuous to turn it
down, and I don’t believe (from the nature of your question) that this is
your intent. If you are simply writing a letter to follow up your interview, here’s what I would recommend:
- Thank the interviewer for his time. Express appreciation for the effort he made in acquainting you with the company and the position in question.
- Address key issues that were brought up during the interview, and remind the interviewer of the particular skills, past achievements, etc. that directly correlate.
- Cover points that may not have been fully discussed during the interview. For instance, you may have been given the opportunity to outline a particularly successful sales strategy, but in the middle of your conversation, your interviewer might have been interrupted by an urgent phone call or he could have moved the conversation in another direction. At any rate, if there was a point you wanted to make and didn’t have the opportunity to do so, use the follow-up letter to provide the additional details.
- Since you are intent on not taking the specific position, indicate interest in joining the company rather than in taking the position itself.
For instance, you could say, “After learning more about ABC Company, I am
more convinced than ever that my expertise and talents could be beneficial in its long-term growth and success.” This way, you leave the door open to be considered for other opportunities while not specifically stating that you are not interested in the job for which you were interviewed.
— Rene’ Hart, Resumes for Success!
Sixth Answer:
Strategically, you want to view an interview as an opportunity to become known inside an organization, not just a chance to be considered for, and assess your fit with, one specific job. So think of your post-interview letter as a step in the process of building a relationship.
You have two choices, neither of which is to announce your disinterest in the job you interviewed for. One is to write the thank you letter as the “second opportunity to sell” it should be, incorporating the knowledge you gained in the interview about the critical success factors for this hire and how you fit them. Then proceed as though you are interested in the job: you don’t have to turn down an offer you don’t yet have. If you are offered the job, and decline it, you have an answer to a future question, “why haven’t you found a job (or changed jobs if you are looking to make a change) yet?”-“I’ve had offers but not the right one yet.” Because job search involves more rejections than offers, it won’t hurt your ego any to receive offers you don’t accept. The last reason to pursue this offer is, even if you turn it down, the organization will remember you as someone it tried to hire and couldn’t for that particular job, but may reach out to for a future opportunity.
The other choice is to write a courteous thank you note that doesn’t sell you as hard as the “second sell” letter above, because most applicants don’t write any. Again, do not decline an offer you do not yet have.
Clearly, I recommend you write the “second sell” letter, to keep your options open should you change your mind and should the window of acceptance still be open later.
— Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City.
