How to Write a Refusal Letter

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A refusal letter is a negative response to either an invitation or a job offer. Its objective is to notify the reader of a decision to decline. The letter should be kept fairly short. Its scope need only include information that relates to the reasons for not accepting the offer.

If you have been offered a job that you do not intend to accept, write your letter immediately. Remember, you are not the only person that was interviewed. The offer indicates that you are the employer's "first choice." Your prospective employer deserves to be informed of your decision without delay so that an offer can be made to his or her second choice.

In the sample refusal letter the writer declines a job offer and provides a courteous and perfectly acceptable explanation for his action.