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I got an offer from a company but I don't want to accept it because the compensation won't be as good as this other opportunity I have overseas. However the overseas work will dry up in about 4 months so I still want to be able to reapply after I come back without being unprofessional or burning any bridges. My plan is to contact them directly if I am still interested in the company or the SW jobs they have there. Does the following rejection letter describe my intentions and as well is tactful enough to have them reconsider me when I come back? I also want to avoid being too wordy as I tend to do that. The company is big so I'm sure they will need me to fill a position and I don't see why they wouldn't overlook my rejection months later and with proper explanation.

Thank you very much for the time you and the team at Prospective Company have taken with me. I enjoyed meeting with [person one] and [person two] and discussing the opportunity. After learning more about the job and its responsibilities, I have decided that this is not the time for me to leave my current position. Perhaps when I am at a different place in my life I would like to reconsider my application to work at Prospective Company as I would love to work for the company. As a result, I would like to withdraw my candidacy in order for you to move forward with someone who would be a better fit. Thank you again and good luck with filling the position.

Update: Some people have suggested why not tell them you'd love to take the job but only let them know that I can start after my overseas opportunity is over...so I have this letter to address that. What do you guys think?

Thank you very much for the time you and the team at Prospective Company have taken with me. I enjoyed meeting with [person one] and [person two] and discussing the opportunity. I would like to work for Prospective Company however I have decided that this is not the time for me to leave my current position because I have an opportunity that I cannot pass up. Perhaps when that opportunity is over in about four to five months, I can reconsider my application to work at Prospective Company as I would love to work for the company. As a result, I would like to withdraw my candidacy in order for you to move forward with someone who would be a better fit. Thank you again and good luck with filling the position.

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I got an offer from a company but I don't want to accept it because the compensation won't be as good as this other opportunity I have overseas. However the overseas work will dry up in about 4 months so I still want to be able to reapply after I come back without being unprofessional or burning any bridges.

If the only issue is pay, then why don't you give a counter offer that will match the pay of your overseas offer?

I am very interested in accepting this position, however I am currently considering other offers at the moment. I wanted to ask if a counteroffer of $X would be within the salary budget for this position. If so, I would see no point in considering other offers and I will readily accept this position.

Be firm in what you want and be prepared to move on in case they decline. At the end of the day, sometimes there is value (in the form of $) in job security. Each day you are unemployed is a opportunity cost and money lost.

But since you asked,

"Thank you for your response. I greatly appreciate it. At the moment, I have decided to go with another offer for the time being. It is my hope that we can come to an equitable agreement with one another in the future if there is a position open again."

Done, move on.

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  • If you read the first part of the question and also the linked questions, it clearly states that it went unsuccessfully. In fact, I'll do you one better, here is the exact message I got: Thank you for your note. I did share it with the hiring team. After another careful review and due to the internal peers’ equity, we would not be able to increase the offer. However, I hope that you will take into consideration all that the offer entails: {list of benefits}.
    – LeanMan
    Commented Nov 23, 2017 at 6:16
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    If the offer is still on the table then consider what I said "At the end of the day, sometimes there is value (in the form of $) in job security. Each day you are unemployed is a opportunity cost and money lost." This isn't a place for people to draft letters for you. There are a number of reasonable answers to your questions already. Not everyone has the time to read through three chain-linked questions.
    – Bluebird
    Commented Nov 23, 2017 at 6:20
  • But since you asked, "thank you for your response. I greatly appreciate it. At the moment, I have decided to go with another offer for the time being. It is my hope that we can come to an equitable agreement with one another in the future if there is a position open again." Done, move on.
    – Bluebird
    Commented Nov 23, 2017 at 6:21
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    @LeanMan While you can easily avoid burning bridges when declining a job offer with a reasonable answer (with regard to most people), note that you cannot assume that the same opening at the company will still be open in a couple of months. They might have well closed it till then and a similar opening might not come up there for quite some time. If it does, well positive surprise, but be prepared to start anew with your job search when you're back in any case.
    – Frank Hopkins
    Commented Nov 23, 2017 at 10:58

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