Receiving an internship offer is an exciting prospect, especially when you’re new to the world of work.
However, if you’ve applied for an internship that you no longer feel is right for you, you might be wondering how to reject an internship offer. In this article, I will cover how to reject an internship offer, as well as some tips to consider when the time comes.
Keep reading to find out more.
Rejecting an internship offer can be nerve wracking, especially if you have limited experience. However, it’s better to respectfully decline an internship offer than to take on something that you know isn’t right for you.
So, how do you decline an internship offer? Below is a general guide to provide you with a better understanding of the next steps you need to take.
Table of Contents
How To Reject An Internship Offer
Plan A Professional Email To Decline The Offer
After you have carefully considered the internship and have decided that it’s no longer the right fit for you, you will need to write a plan to express this in an email.
When you’re drafting your email, you will need to firstly address it to the appropriate person. Make sure that you are using a professional tone, and make sure that you frame your declination from a place of gratitude to avoid any negativity.
Express Your Gratitude For Receiving The Internship Offer
It’s a good idea to start off your email by expressing your gratitude for receiving the internship offer. While it’s not necessary to go into great detail here, this is good manners and helps you to maintain a good relationship with the company regardless of your rejection.
Although you’re not accepting the offer and won’t be working for the company in question, this is a good opportunity to communicate that you’re grateful for their time and interest in you as a candidate.
Provide A Reason For Declining The Internship Offer If Appropriate
Once you have expressed and made your gratitude for the offer clear, you should decline the internship offer clearly and concisely.
If you deem it appropriate, you can provide a reason for declining the offer, such as your inability to make the work schedule.
Although you’re not necessarily required to provide a reason and it’s not always essential, it’s good practice to be transparent and will provide the company with some context on why you’re not taking them up on their offer.
Finish The Email On A Personal Note
When it comes to finishing your email, you will want to sign off on a friendly and personal note. This can range from offering your well wishes to the recipient and their future endeavours, or offering to stay in touch with them.
Although you don’t need to go into too much detail, closing your email with a personal touch is just as important as expressing your gratitude in the beginning of the email, as it helps you to maintain a positive working relationship with the recipient.
Review And Proofread The Email
Once you have finished writing the email, it is crucial that you review and proofread the email thoroughly before you send it. You will need to make sure that you check for grammatical and syntax errors as well as spelling mistakes.
In addition to this, you should read the email aloud to make sure that it flows and sounds natural. Quite often we can write blocks of text that sound good on paper, but when you read them aloud they don’t sound quite right, so this is an important step.
Send The Email
Once you have combed through your email and made sure that it is free of grammatical and syntax errors, it’s time to send it to the recipient.
This could be the hiring manager or another employee, just make sure that it’s the same person that you’ve been corresponding with about the offer.
Tips To Keep In Mind
When it comes to declining an internship, there are a few tips that you can keep in mind that will make the process significantly less stressful.
These include but are not limited to:
Think Carefully Before Making A Decision
You want to make sure that whatever decision you make, that you have allowed yourself enough time to reflect on the decision that you’re making.
Make sure that you consider whether the internship you’re being offered is a good fit for you, and whether it will meet your needs as a new or young professional.
Always Use A Professional Tone
Whenever you are corresponding with an employee from a company, whether that’s a hiring manager or another employee, it’s good practice to use a professional tone.
In addition to this, you will need to make sure that you are communicating through clear and concise language so that any misunderstandings are kept to a minimum.
Express Your Appreciation And Gratitude
When you are declining an internship offer, it’s essential that you express your appreciation and gratitude for the company’s time and effort in considering you as a potential candidate.
This will help you to keep things positive and to maintain a good relationship with the company despite the fact you are rejecting their internship offer.
Always Remain Prompt
When it comes to communicating with a potential employer about an internship offer, you need to make sure that you are as timely as possible in declining the offer.
This is good practice in terms of professionalism anyway, but allows the company to gauge whether you’re interested sooner rather than later.
This is helpful to the company, because if you decide that the role isn’t the right fit for you, then they can find another candidate in good time.
The same principle applies to accepting an internship offer, as ensuring that you are prompt in your responses will show the company that you are professional, organized, and are the right fit for the role.
In Summary
Rejecting an internship offer can be a nerve wracking process, but learning how to decline offers that aren’t quite right for you is all part of the process.
Hopefully after reading this article you have a better idea of how to reject an internship offer. Just remember that the more experience you gain, the less nerve wracking the process becomes.
Good luck rejecting an internship offer and in whatever you decide to do next!
