ASK HR: Unresponsiveness may be construed as lack of basic courtesy

If you get a job offer, but you don’t want to take it up, do you communicate this to the organisation? PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • As for the response you should give, it could be a declining thank you letter or call to acknowledge that the organisation has taken the time to review your profile and offered you an opportunity.
  • Most employers would consider it ungracious of you not to respond at all, and could for that reason not offer you greater opportunities that may arise in future.

Q. If you get a job offer, but you don’t want to take it up, do you communicate this to the organisation? If so, what is the importance of this? I got an offer for internship but I do not plan to take it up because I have found internship elsewhere.

 

A job offer is a signal that an employer has considered your profile and found it suitable for a particular role. Whether you actively applied for the said internship or simply dropped your CV with a recruiter who in turn shared it with an employer, it is important to respond to the offer.

Unresponsiveness may be construed to represent disdain and lack of basic courtesy.

Also, before letting the internship go, take the time to find out what the offer is about, aware that there are internships that provide more raw material for growth than some jobs. For the sake of your career progress, weigh both opportunities, focusing not only on what you will earn, but also what you might learn.

As for the response you should give, it could be a declining thank you letter or call to acknowledge that the organisation has taken the time to review your profile and offered you an opportunity.

Most employers would consider it ungracious of you not to respond at all, and could for that reason not offer you greater opportunities that may arise in future.

Your response also allows the organisation to proceed and make an offer to another candidate, thereby freeing up time they would otherwise spend expecting your feedback.

It is not unlike the expectation that you would naturally have while awaiting response from an employer to whom you have applied for a position.   

Responsiveness will prove to be an asset throughout your career. It does not mean saying yes to every offer, opportunity or request. It means prompt acknowledgment of communication from others, which makes way for early decisions that redeem time and other resources.

It will also bestow upon you the image of a courteous and professional individual, aspects that should form part of your career treasury.