How to decline a SA offer Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am in the lucky position to have multiple SA offers and need to decline a few. They are for most part rivals to the firm I will summer at. What kind of reason should I offer? My primary concern is that this is just SA and there is certainly possibility that I will want to join the ones I am declining today. So I cannot really say poor fit. Any suggestions?

[PeanutsNJam]

Don't give one. "I am very grateful and honored to be offered a position to work at X firm next summer, but I must regretfully turn down this opportunity because I have decided to accept an offer elsewhere (feel free to specify firm I don't think it matters)." If you genuinely want to go back, add a few sentences about why you really liked their firm and how this was a tough decision for you. Hard not to sound like a firm/law school rejection letter though.

My suspicion is larger firms will almost certainly forget you in 4-5 years when you're looking to lateral. They hire like 100 SAs, and probably offer 200 or something. Maybe more. They know they're competing with peers for the same students. They will only have your correspondence on record and the fact that you previously received an offer, which you turned down.

[frank617]

Don't overthink it. This is likely a bigger moment for you than it is for them, so a straightforward and professional email will ensure that they forget about you quickly. Try "I wanted to let you know that after giving the decision much thought I have decided to accept an offer to join the summer associate program at another firm. I also wanted to thank you again for all of your help throughout this process, and for the opportunity to join [X Firm's] 2017 program - I genuinely appreciate it."

That's what I did, and for the firms who followed-up to ask which firm, i just told them.

[Anonymous User]

Is email okay? I was under the impression you're supposed to call

[frank617]

Is email okay? I was under the impression you're supposed to call

I think an email to recruiting is fine. Beyond that you might want to reach out to particular people at the firm depending on your interactions with them. I think I sent a few emails to partners/associates that I met with, but I never felt like any of them had invested enough time in me to warrant more than a professional/quick email thanking them for their help and giving them an update.

[stoopkid13]

If firms were judging me by the voicemails I've left, they'd probably revoke my offers anyway. Most awkward thing ever.

[Anonymous User]

I am the OP. I'll do an email response without providing the reason. Yet I do feel the need to personally talk to the hiring partners, who were genuinely helpful, invested, and interested in me. It is to them, I struggle how to phrase my rejection.

[Bilb0Baggins]

How many offers does the average candidate have? Probably somewhere between 2 and 4? Assuming the average candidate receives at least 2 offers, then the average firm receives more rejections than acceptances. Probably significantly more (at my school the average offer -> acceptance rate hovers around 20%). Knowing that firms receive many more rejections than acceptances significantly eased my discomfort in sending rejection emails. Heck, if you're sending the email / making the call this late in the day, you likely aren't the first rejection they've received today!

The firm will be disappointed, but will understand. The whole interaction takes only a few minutes (even over email, for me they've responded quickly asking where I'm going instead and then ended the conversation). Assuming you genuinely liked the firm, I see the rejection as an opportunity to express your gratitude and appreciation for the firm's time and consideration; being gracious can only help--who knows, you may end up wanting to lateral to that firm in a few years.

[rpupkin]

I am the OP. I'll do an email response without providing the reason. Yet I do feel the need to personally talk to the hiring partners, who were genuinely helpful, invested, and interested in me. [/b]It is to them, I struggle how to phrase my rejection.

They were just doing their jobs. The majority of candidates to whom they extend offers will not accept. You're just another in a blur of hundreds of candidates over the years. I know the past few weeks were loaded with significance for you, but all of these folks--including the hiring partners--will barely remember you in a few weeks.

[star fox]

#pullingnails