Getting invited for an interview is an indication that you are qualified for the job. It means that the hiring company considers you a possible match for their job position. After the first interview, the company may outright offer you a job or invite you for a second and other subsequent interviews to further evaluate you.
However, you may feel that the company and/or job that you are offered is not right for you, a reason you should turn down the subsequent interviews and the job offer. In addition you should decline the offer if you have been offered another better deal, the job is not promising in future, it has a toxic environment, the terms of engagement change, location is not favorable or the job has a poor work-life balance.
Top Reasons to Turn Down a Job Interview/Offer
1. The Job is a Poor Match
You can only enjoy working in a job if you and the job/company are a fit. You know a job is not the right fit for you if the skills required, the scope of the work, and work demands among others do not fit what you can commit to in terms of skills, time, and commitment among others.
If you accept such a job, you may end up hating the job and working at a job you hate affects your productivity and mental health. Further, you can end up quitting too soon after being hired, which hurts your chances of being employed in the future as you come across as unreliable.
Read: Mom Friendly Jobs and Career
2. You Have Been Offered a Better Deal
It happens often that during job hunting you apply for multiple jobs all at once. Just by coincidence, it is possible to get multiple job offers around the same time. Sometimes you may get as many as four new invitations before you can make your decision on the first job offer.
If you realize others are offering you a better deal than what you are contemplating taking then you should decline the first offer, unless they are willing to match the deal. We work for the pay and hence you should take the best offer you can get.
Often what you are offered is a reflection of your position and role in the company as well as your worth. Consider all factors that you think are crucial and go with the best offer. Things to consider include pay, vacation days, health insurance, remote work arrangement, work hours, etc. Getting a better deal is one of the reason to decline a current job offer.
3. The Job Is Not Promising In Future
Working for a job in a long term is very important for your resume. It speaks about professionalism, reliability, and loyalty about you. As such working in a single company for the long term can make you get considered for permanent jobs in the future elsewhere.
Therefore if you think the job is not a promising long-term job, then you should not take it. It is especially so if you think you will hate the job so much that you won’t work there in the long run.
Always prevent the temptation of taking a job to stick on as you look for a better job as your permanent job. If you think that you will not be able to stay in a company in a long run, it is best not to take the offer. Instead, you should wait it out until you can get just the right fit of a job that is promising in the long run.
4. If The Company Has a Toxic Environment
Working in a healthy work environment is very important as it enhances your productivity and efficiency. But when the environment is toxic, you may end up hating your colleagues and the job, which can affect you mentally.
If you suspect that your hiring company has a toxic environment, you should decline the job offer and wait it out for something else better. Even if the job pays great and has inviting benefits, they are not worth the mental and emotional turmoil of working in a toxic work environment.
Even before taking the offer, you can tell a toxic environment during an interview from the attitude and how the interviewers, employees, and employers behave. A bad experience during the interview can be explained by several things but if you are sure it has something to do with the company culture. It would then be wise to trust your guts and decline the offer.
5. Decline the Job Offer if it is a Career Step-back
Your skills, qualifications, and experience set the job position and rank that you deserve. Sometimes you are lucky to get just this and sometimes just a little bit under. However, if the offer is just too lower than your expectation, it is not worth taking.
With your kind of skills, qualifications, and experience, you are worth better which will surely come your way than this job offer. You may not realize it but taking a career step back can affect your resume even if it has its benefits. It communicates a lack of confidence to future employers.
In addition, you may end up resenting the job after you take it so don’t just take any job for the sake of it. If you value yourself more than the offered position, consider politely declining it and continuing with your job hunt.
Read: Reasons to take a Career Step-back
6. Don’t Take a Job Offer When the Terms of Engagement Change
Employers are notorious for advertising for a well-packaged position only to change the terms during on-boarding. If any of the terms of engagement of your job offer has been changed, politely decline that offer.
It mostly happens whereby the employers change the pay, benefits, scope of the job among others on the contract than what was advertised or discussed during the interview after the candidates shows willingness into taking the job.
It speaks of the company’s dishonesty and manipulation. It shows how the company does not hold to any of its promises. Taking such an offer communicates that you are willing to be controlled and manipulated at work, which you will end up hating.
Read: How to Reject Extra Work Roles with no Pay Rise
7. Job Location Is too Far/Not Favorable
Many people are thrilled at moving around for work. But it is not ideal for a mom due to the parenting duties. If you realize that your new role will take you away from where you are currently based it is only right to decline the offer. It includes situations where;
- The office is way too far from your home and you cannot move closer to the job
- The job involves too work travel than affects your work-life balance
- The job requires you to relocate to another location
As a mom, you must love the stability that having roots in a certain location offers, so if the job is taking you away from that location, then you should reconsider.
8. Job Has a Poor Work-Life Balance
If you realize that the job will take your time and energy away from your family, your work-life balance will be greatly affected. For instance, many managerial roles in certain industries have crises requiring one to be urgently available at any time or day of the week.
Such jobs don’t allow you to leave work at work as you are constantly needed even during your personal time.As a working mom, you may not have the ability to meet the time and energy commitment that such jobs demand and it’s ok to say no and find something more balanced.
Having a work-life balance as a working mom is very crucial for you to live a healthy fulfilling life. If the nature of the job and the industry will deny you the time to spend with your kid and your spouse, it is best to let it pass.
Read: Setting Boundaries at Work
How to Avoid Applying for Poor-Match Jobs
You can minimize the chances of getting a job that ends up being a poor match by doing the following
- Avoid applying for jobs that you are poorly matched to. Only apply for a job when you are sure you will love the job and the company
- Do adequate research and diligence on the job and the company before applying. Research on things such as work culture, hours of work, pay and perks details, etc.
- Ensure that you have adequate time to wait for the right job opening. Sometimes being unemployed for a long time can make you apply for just any position. When you have adequate time, you have the patience of waiting it out until you find just the right opening for you.
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