Last week in my Leadership Meeting, we touched on a hot subject. The subject was when should you turn down a job interview? This topic came up and it took over the meeting. Here is a few parts of the topic I thought might help others. Below are some ideas and tips to help you.

When should you decline a job interview?

Answer: When you sense, deep in your gut, that it’s not the way. But if you want help putting words to your instincts—or calming yourself with a few additional reasons it’s really allowed—try these:

You’ve accepted another job offer.

Yep, you’re a hot commodity and hiring managers know it. Someone else got to you first, with a sweet offer you gladly accepted. But you haven’t shared some personal news on social yet, so other companies may still trickle into your inbox. Below, I shared a template that conveys your current status in a respectful way.

You’ve turned up too many deal breakers.

Could be that the recruiter or the company goes months between emailing you, or you learn that employees are working around the clock. “If you've come across [multiple] red flags in the application or initial interview process, trust your gut and decline,” says most hiring managers.

The org or company doesn’t align with your vision.

Have you heard back about a job you applied to months ago—when you were “applying to anything and everything”—but who’ve since started weeding out lower-priority opps. Perhaps you’ve realized you’re competitive for more senior-level roles, or you’ve otherwise pivoted your search, says most hiring staff . It may make sense to have a conversation to keep the door open, but if you’re gaining traction elsewhere, keep moving forward.

Your plans have changed.

Life happens, including in the time between submitting an application and hearing about an interview. Maybe you need to scale back to part-time work while caring for a sick parent or your partner got a new role and you’re suddenly moving across the country. If you’re excited about the position, you can move forward and see if there’s any flexibility to accommodate these circumstances, but otherwise it’s completely fair to opt out.

Your work situation has changed.

Work happens, too, and an unexpected promotion or other organizational shift can change how eager you are to find a new job. If you’re beyond thrilled with the new path and can no longer imagine leaving—or want to focus all your energy on your new role—by all means, turn down that interview.

You can’t (or don’t want to) put in the time to prepare.

If you’re not actively looking or you're considering an interview for a position you feel lukewarm about at best, it’s OK to say no, especially if “you feel you don’t have the bandwidth to prepare because you’re overextended at the moment,” says mst hiring managers.

How should you decline a job interview?

Here’s your checklist:

Make sure you’re sure. You definitely don’t want this to be a practice round, right? Aim to respond within a few days, so it looks like you’ve given this careful thought and consideration (even if you instantly thought, “Hell no”). Start with gratitude. Thank them for thinking of you, etc.—you know what to do. Keep your reasoning vague. “You’re happy in your current role,” kinda thing. Hey, if you end up furloughed tomorrow, you may want to circle back. Suggest someone else. It’s a class act, and will certainly leave them—and the person you refer—with a positive impression of you. (P.S., It's not a bad idea to give that person a heads up.) 4 best templates for declining a job interview

Let’s get to the good stuff. Use these templates—which we’ve created with our teams to address it. ’input—as a jumping-off point. Feel free to mix and match!

You’re declining because...you don’t want to do the interview.

Hi [Name],

Thank you so much for taking the time to review my application and inviting me to interview for the [position] role at [Organization]. However, I regretfully need to withdraw my application from this process at the moment.

Thank you again for your time and consideration and I hope we can stay connected.

All best,

[Your Name]

You’re declining because...you’ve accepted another job offer.

Hi [Name],

Thank you so much for reaching out! I’m grateful for the time and consideration you’ve given my application for the [position] role. However, I recently accepted an offer from another organization.

I wish you the best of luck filling this role and hope we can keep in touch. If anything changes in the future, I’ll certainly reach out in case the timing is right on both sides.

All best,

[Your Name]

You’re declining because...your situation has changed.

Hi [Name],

Thanks so much for reaching out with this kind invitation to interview for the [position] role at [Organization]. However, my circumstances have changed since I submitted my application and unfortunately, I need to respectfully decline this opportunity.

I would love to stay in touch and hope we’ll have another chance to work together down the line.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

All best,

[Your Name]

You’re declining but...you want to refer someone else.

Hi [Name],

Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview for the [position] role at [Organization]. While [Organization] intrigues me because [a compelling reason based on their mission, product, or service], I’m not looking to make any career moves at this time.

However, my colleague [Colleague’s Name with link to LinkedIn profile] might be of interest. I highly recommend them from my previous experience and think they could be a great addition to the [Organization] team.

Best of luck—and I hope this isn’t the last time our paths will cross!

Thanks,

[Your Name]

You can also swap out that second paragraph with a couple of other options. For example, if you’d like to buy some time so you can give your colleague a heads up and/or see if the recruiter or hiring manager wants to take you up on a referral, you might say:

However, I’d be more than happy to recommend a colleague if you’re open to referrals.

Or if you’d rather leave it to your colleague to decide if they’re interested and want to reach out, you could say:

However, I may know somebody who is looking. Let me reach out and forward your email and they’ll get in touch if they’re interested.

You never know when you might be able to turn your no into someone else’s yes. #interview #jobadvice

Unless you are one of the lucky few who works in a high-demand career, finding a new job can be a challenging and frustrating experience.

You can make the job search a bit easier on yourself if you use proactive strategies for finding a new job – and the tips for finding a new job included in this article are applicable to all job seekers, from those just starting out to experienced candidates who need a quick refresher.

10 Tips for Using LinkedIn to Find a Job

5 Resume Tips to Land More Job Interviews

9 Essential Items to Bring to a Job Interview Here are some of my best tips for finding a new job at any career level.

1. Get clear on what you want

Before starting your job search, take the time to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and the type of work you enjoy doing. The better you know yourself, the more likely you'll find a new job that provides you with greater satisfaction. What do you want in a job? What's most important, title, money, promotion, the work itself, location, or company culture?

2. Research your target companies

Once you know what you want, it's time to find out what the companies you're applying for want. A great tip for finding a new job is to investigate a company's Glassdoor page. It will help you get a feel for their company culture, figure out what questions they commonly ask in interviews, and even discover what salary you're likely to be paid.

Your resume is still one of the most critical tools of a job search. One of my best tips for finding a new job is to have an achievement-oriented resume that includes quantifiable achievements that are relevant to the job you're applying for.

3. Tailor your resume to each job

Your resume is still one of the most critical tools of a job search. A lot of resumes I see are full of responsibilities (instead of tangible achievements) and jobseekers send the same resume to various openings. One of my best tips for finding a new job is to have an achievement-oriented resume that includes quantifiable achievements that are relevant to the job you're applying for.

Make yourself an obvious fit. Study the words and phrases that are used in the job description? Make sure you include them in your resume (provided you have that experience, of course). Tailor your resume to each job – the recruiter should know within a few seconds of looking at your resume that you have the skills they are looking for.

Editor's note: You can tailor your resume, or build a new one from scratch, using Jobcase free resume builder.

4. Create your online career brand

Building your brand simply means showcasing your expertise and passion online where employers searching the Web can find it. Most recruiters, including myself, use LinkedIn as their primary search tool and if you're a professional, you need to be using LinkedIn to your full advantage. It's a great resource for finding people working at companies that interest you and also for positioning yourself to be found by recruiters and hiring managers with relevant openings.

5. Get organized

Before you start applying for jobs or interviewing with employers, take a moment to develop a system that works for you in organizing your job search. A simple spreadsheet works best for many to keep a track of the jobs you've applied for, where you have been invited to interview, etc. #jobadvice

I am a 15 year old going on 16 in November, im wanting a job however Im clueless of where to start. Im willing to try anything so long as it doesn't interfere with my anxiety disorder, but I do have a nack for art. It would be very helpful if I could get some advice. Thank you.
#Jobadvice #firstjob

I am 21 years old and dropped out of college last November. Due to a lack of finances, problems at home, and realizing the degree I was pursuing was impractical (think of it as the perfect degree for an sjw), I decided to dropout and move back in with my mother in order to find work, save money, hopefully rent a small studio apartment, and then focus on earning a worthwhile degree. Of course, life isn't that simple and the biggest issue I am having is finding a job.

I have a year of experience working as a Custodian and 2 years working in data entry. Both were part-time, on-campus jobs. Since I want to pursue work in data entry and other office related work, my resume only has data entry for my previous work experience. In addition to my experience, I have experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. I can only type around 50 words per minute but I know HTML, CSS, Python, and am currently learning Java. I have no formal education in these programming/markup languages and instead used various free online resources (Youtube, Codeacademy, etc.) (This paragraph is not for bragging but to give more information on what I have to offer as a potential employee).

Anyway, I have been looking for work since November. I have applied to hundreds of positions and created profile accounts on LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. So far, I have had several interviews (phone and face-to-face), but I never hear from them again. I have spoken with recruiters who would claim to "help me" find work but have never contacted me about any jobs. Not only that, but I have had companies that claim to be in the city when they are actually in the surrounding suburbs.

Although I am frustrated about not being able to find a job and having to go through multiple hoops for a low-paying job that is just enough to live on my own, this post isn't for me to rant, claim ageism or discrimination of any kind, etc. but to get some advice: how do I get job offers, especially for office jobs? Should I look for other positions, such as retail, custodial, etc.? My mother is telling me to go back to college, but I have learned more information in the past few months than I have in college (which is sad but true). Besides, my family members who have degrees (including my mother) are drowning in debt with low-paying retail jobs and I do NOT want that to happen to me.

Other than being 100% sure I should not go back to college until I have enough money, I do not know what to do: its like I am trapped and employees look over me for other candidates.

#jobsearch #JobAdvice #JobSeeker #Unemployed

Do you bring problems to your boss? Solutions? or problems with suggested solutions?

Usually problem brew up to the person you report to. If everything is going fine, and if you know your authority well, then no need to bug anyone else - right? But when things go wrong, usually you need to check in with a Boss to either let them know, or to double-check your authority in addressing the problem.

Here's my 2 cents of advice - try to bring solutions when you surface an issue or problem. Even if its a suggestion. You will be seen in a constructive light, grease the wheels on promotions and goodies (titles, $$, benefits, etc.) and prob have more productive relationship. This isn't always possible, but whenever it is, pause and put a solution to the situation!

#workplace #gettingahead #promotion #relationship #boss

You will learn many types of work if u will employed by that company,,

everything

So you’ve landed the job, congratulations! Now that you’re there, how do you stand out from your colleagues and ensure that not only do you stay, but you are viewed as someone that can potentially moved up? Here are a few things that make employees really shine, or that make them (dare I say it) Rock Stars! And if you’re already doing some or all of these, well done! And if you’re not that’s ok too, now is a great time to start!

1. Be POSITIVE, coming in with a negative attitude can affect everyone’s mood and their day.
2. Make sure to check in with your manager before leaving for the day to see if there is anything else that they need help with.
3. Stay out of and away from any form of gossip. I know how easy it may be to sometimes be drawn into it, but avoid it like the chicken pox! Nothing ever ends well when it comes to gossip.
4. Never forget the art of saying “please” and “thank you” when it comes to both your team members and your manager, even for small things
5. When in a customer facing role never let the customer see that you’re having a bad day. And regardless of the role you’re in try to not let your manager see it as well.
6. Bring new ideas to the table when given the opportunity. But keep in mind that there is a difference in making suggestions when there is an open forum vs. being too vocal and soliciting unwanted advice.
7. RESPECT your team members and your manager. They are going to be the people you spend most of your time with and even if they drive you a little crazy, you need to be able to work with them day in and day out. We’re all different!
8. Take initiative! If you see something not being done and you can do so without stepping on someone’s toes, go ahead and do it! Managers view employees very highly that are willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in!

#recruitersadvice