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Career skills

No longer interested in job email – four templates

How do you email a company to tell them you’re no longer interested in a job?

Early in the process, it’s fine to simply explain you’re no longer interested. Later, once the company has invested a lot of time interviewing you, it’s better to provide a specific, socially acceptable reason for withdrawing from the job application process.

Sample email when withdrawing from a job application process.
Sample email for withdrawing from a job application.

Checklist for how to say you’re no longer interested in a job

Here’s how to withdraw from an interview, or at any point in the hiring process:

  • Thank them. They invested time considering you for a job, so express your gratitude.
  • Keep it brief. Three paragraphs, max.
  • It’s OK to share why, but you don’t have to in most cases.
  • Provide an explanation if you’ve gone far into the process. If the company has invested a ton of time in hiring you, you should provide some explanation to make sure they don’t have a bad

Sample emails to withdraw from an interview

Here are several templates for how to email to say you’re no longer interested in a job, for the following reasons:

  1. No details – good for early in the process
  2. Compensation reasons
  3. Because you accepted another offer
  4. For “family reasons” – if you’re deep into a process, this could be a socially acceptable way of bowing out

Template no longer interested in job email #1: no details why

Hi Nathan,

I’m writing to let you know that I’d like to withdraw from the hiring process.

Thank you so much for considering me for the role. I really enjoyed meeting you and learning about the company – I’ve just realized this isn’t the best fit for me right now.

Regards,

Taylor

Template no longer interested in job email #2: for compensation reasons

Hi Nathan,

I’m writing to let you know that I’d like to withdraw from the hiring process.

Thank you so much for considering me for the role. I really enjoyed meeting you and learning about the company. After learning more about the compensation for the role, I think it’s just not a fit for me. I love what you’re doing and want to be respectful of your financial constraints, but this would involve too big a pay cut for me to make work.

Please keep me in mind if you’re ever hiring for a related role!

Regards,

Taylor

Template no longer interested in job email #3: accepted another offer

Hi Nathan,

I’m writing to let you know that I’d like to withdraw from the hiring process because I accepted another job offer.

Thank you so much for considering me for the role. I really enjoyed meeting you and learning about the company. I’m joining [COMPANY WHERE YOU ACCEPTED] as [YOUR NEW TITLE], but I’d love to stay in touch and will share the job posting in my network.

Regards,

Taylor

Template no longer interested in job email #4: for personal reasons

This can also service as a catch-all response if you decide you’re not going to move jobs right now:

Hi Nathan,

I’m writing to let you know that I’d like to withdraw from the hiring process.

Thank you so much for considering me for the role. I really enjoyed meeting you and learning about the company, but something’s come up in my family that I need to focus on right now. I’ve put my job search on hold as a result so will need to withdraw from your process.

I’m sorry to share this – I’ve really enjoyed our conversations, and your team seems amazing.

Regards,

Taylor

More resources

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By Taylor Thompson

Taylor is a co-founder at Purpose Built Ventures, where he helps launch mission-driven companies. Before Purpose Built, Taylor led growth at Almanac, strategy for Curious Learning, and product at PharmaSecure. His work helps 100,000s of people collaborate at work, 4 million children learn to read, and protects billions of medicines from counterfeiting. He has hired dozens of people, helped raise more than $50 million, and contributed to HBR.org as a researcher with Clay Christensen. Taylor is an Echoing Green Fellow, and he has degrees from Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School.

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