I interviewed for a job and it worked out well but at the time I was given the offer, I decided to turn down the offer.
However now I am interested in the position. What is the best way to touch base with the recruiter and see if the offer is still available? Or is this not possible at all?
EDIT: Also to clarify the focus of this question is not whether or not to take the job. Sorry if that was unclear before. The focus is you had an offer that you declined and are now interested in pursuing.
Would it be better to be vocal and ask for more time to think about the offer when I have been given it? What happens if it isn't in the foreseeable future that I would be able to accept the offer? (i.e. months)
While anything is possible, as a hiring manager I can't think of a time when I would have held a candidate's position for a period of months. That's particularly true if the reason for the delay was "too many things going on in my life and thinking about relocating". Those are likely both red flags for hiring managers.
Let's say I did end up rejecting the offer and I wanted back in. Would I reach out to my recruiter and/or the manager?
When it happened with me, I called the hiring manager.
Overall what exactly is the process for hiring someone who previously turned down an offer? Are they even considered?
Every company is different.
Usually, if the position is still open, you could indeed be considered. But sometimes managers feel that they were rejected, and thus wouldn't re-consider. Other managers wouldn't trust you, feeling that you changed your mind once and might change your mind again, and thus wouldn't reconsider.
To be re-considered, you would want to have a great reason for declining originally, and good explanation why things are very different now.
In my case, I declined an offer (because I felt that the position wasn't quite the fit that I was looking for). I got laid off two weeks later, and called up the hiring manager to ask if I could be re-considered. I was, and I got hired. I planned to give it my best try to make it work. But my intuition about the company proved correct, and I ended up leaving within 2 years. For me, it wasn't a career highlight.
The job is probably no longer open; they have almost certainly hired the next qualified candidate from their list, unless this is something that requires exceptionally rare skills. Forget it and proceed with other applications. This may include applying for other positions at the same company.
Would it be better to be vocal and ask for more time to think about the offer when I have been given it? What happens if it isn't in the foreseeable future that I would be able to accept the offer? (i.e. months)
You can certainly ask for months to consider the offer, however most employers would scoff at that sort of thing. In my experience, managers want an answer as soon as possible so they can start planning your onboarding. What is more common is accepting the offer with a start date that is a while away (this is especially common for students about to graduate). This would, technically, buy you a few months' time and give you the ability to change your mind (or not!) about accepting the offer. Keep in mind that if you accept an offer and then renege, you may end up burning bridges.
In my opinion, politely turning down the offer and explaining why you're turning it down is the best bet. This will let the boss know that you did go in with the intent of accepting, and therefore weren't wasting their time. This also opens up the possibility of the boss saying "Well, if your circumstances change, let us know. We'd love to have you on board."
Let's say I did end up rejecting the offer and I wanted back in. Would I reach out to my recruiter and/or the manager?
I feel like a lot of managers might be upset if you bypass all of the hiring procedures to contact them directly; the procedures are in place for a reason, after all. If there's any doubt about whether the position is still open, I'd go through your recruiter. If the position is closed, you've wasted their time by making them read an email about a position that is already filled; if the position is still open, you might have saved the manager time/effort by contacting them directly (they may not want to interview you again, and they can stop interviewing other candidates.) I would go through the recruiter, but I tend to play it safe.
