How to Draft a Withdrawal Letter to an Employer

Have you decided against applying for jobs? It may have seemed unthinkable when you first started your job hunt that you’d ever willingly remove your application from a company.

When you apply for a new position, you often want to continue the process. Before getting a formal offer from the employing organization, job hopefuls may choose to withdraw their applications. If this occurs, you may still communicate your choice to the firm in a professional manner without damaging the rapport you developed with them during the recruiting process.

You might have begun looking for a job eagerly at first—any job—especially if you’re unemployed or if you’ve been anxious to alter your situation for a while. And now you find yourself attempting to determine how to end an interview with a potential employer before they have even made an offer.

You might be considering if quitting in the middle of the hiring process is impolite or whether leaving after the company has spent time interviewing you will damage your relationship with them. If so, knowing that you are not alone could be comforting.

However, withdrawing need not damage your rapport with your job or recruiting manager. If you handle things properly, you’ll be able to contact these people again in the future if your circumstances alter.

In this post, we define a withdrawal letter, discuss different scenarios in which you might send one to a prospective employer, go over the format, and offer a sample and template that you can use as a guide.

What is a withdrawal letter?

A withdrawal letter is what you would give to an employer if you were still in the recruiting process but had made the decision not to continue working for them for any number of reasons. You would submit a formal withdrawal letter to inform the recruiting manager or HR official at the company that you are unable to proceed in their process. This provides the company the option to look at other applicants and even post the job again to attract more applications.

The goal of the Withdrawal Letter

A withdrawal letter is written by a candidate to inform the institution, business, or organization that they wish to withdraw or discontinue their current application. Events in our lives are frequently unforeseen, and they frequently require us to reevaluate our judgments. With the aid of a withdrawal letter, we will be able to change our initial course of action and go in a different direction.

Generic withdrawal letter usage

It’s common to write a withdrawal letter in an academic or professional setting. It may be sent by a student who doesn’t want to enroll in a specific school or course, a customer, a client who wishes to cancel a business agreement, an employee who wishes to withdraw from a hiring process or another person.

As was previously indicated, if a pupil or parent feels they aren’t able to pursue a certain course, they may file a withdrawal letter from the school the university.

When it comes to job applications, if we’ve applied to several positions, we frequently have to choose between one position and another. In this instance, we send the corporation a withdrawal letter to request that they discontinue processing that application. A withdrawal letter is sent out to make it appear that the recipient is not interested in any open positions.

If a resignation is retracted, it may even have the reverse effect. If a person is forced to submit a resignation letter to their employer, but those situations change shortly after, the employee may send a voluntary withdrawal letter indicating a desire to stay on as an employee.

Companies and academic professionals may be quite grateful for an applicant’s withdrawal letter since it frees them to consider other qualified candidates.

Why you should send a withdrawal letter

Even if you’re thrilled about the prospect of working for the company you’ve been interviewing with, there may be situations when you should draft a withdrawal letter to remove yourself from consideration for the position. The following are some of the causal factors:

Another job offer

When searching for a new position, you’ll probably apply to many that catch your attention. You might even advance to the interview stage on a number of them, which could result in you receiving offers from various businesses. In the end, you can receive an offer of employment before another organization extends an offer to work for them. If you agree, you will have to end the recruiting process with all the companies you are in contact with.

Relocating

Your conditions could shift, and this could involve moving. Your spouse might accept a job outside of town, or you might decide to relocate so that your kids can attend a particular school. Moving can, in any case, make it challenging to report to work at a new company, and if you decide to move, you must resign from the job.

Improper hiring practices

Regrettably, it’s possible that a company’s hiring procedure won’t be perfect for you. When seeking employment, you would like to feel appreciated during the interview, get along well with the individuals you interact with, and believe that the job role aligns with what an HR person is telling you. If you encounter anything less, you might want to retract your application.

The new employment is not a good match.

Although the position description for this new employment certainly appealed to you since it matched your abilities and interests, you’ll learn a lot about the job during the interview session. You’ll better understand the corporate culture, corporate goals, team dynamics, prospects for promotion, and more by interacting with the prospective employer. You might conclude that your expectations for this new position weren’t met.

Personal problems

If there are personal matters that need to be addressed, you might need to file a withdrawal letter. Maybe a member of your family is unwell or you fall ill, and you realize that you aren’t fit for a new job right now. Some candidates decline an offer from a prospective employer when they are aware that they aren’t capable of handling the job at hand due to unanticipated circumstances.

Compensation

Employers frequently exclude the salary range from job descriptions. You may decide to withdraw your application if you discover during the recruiting process that the pay is below what you were hoping for. But, before you do so, be open and forthright with the company about your salary expectations to see whether they are amenable to it.

Application Withdrawal Procedure

Regardless of the cause, it is always professional to give the employer prior notice of your intent to leave.

Sometimes applicants are concerned that removing their application may damage their relationship with the business. Withdrawing your application would be in the employer’s best interests if you are confident the position is not a good fit for you.

They may focus on individuals who are still keen on the position while also saving time and effort. Employers would rather not extend unaccepted employment offers. Being courteous and timely with your withdrawal letter is essential to avoiding any damaged relationships.

What Should a Withdrawal Letter Contain?

You are not required to give a justification for withdrawing your application in your withdrawal letter. Simply state you no longer want to be taken into consideration for the post. If you do decide to give a reason, make sure it’s constructive. You can express that the position simply isn’t a great fit without making any unfavorable assumptions about the organization or its employees.

The best way to format a withdrawal letter or email

  • Employ the traditional structure for business letters. If you plan to mail your withdrawal letter, format it like any other formal business contact.
  • The date should come first, then your contact details, and then the company’s information. The greeting in your withdrawal letter ought to be formal, followed by an explanation of why you are writing.
  • Thank them for taking the time to think about you for the job.
  • Finish with a formal closing.

You don’t have to provide the company’s contact details when sending an email requesting withdrawal from employment. You should put your name and “Withdraw Application” in the title tag. Salutations and a paragraph (or three) explaining your desire to have your application removed from consideration should come first in the withdrawal letter.

Lastly, include your name and phone number.

How to draft a withdrawal letter

Once you decide you have to withdraw, take these actions to prepare a withdrawal letter:

1. Inform the employer as soon as possible.

An employer may be required to invest a lot more time in the recruiting process to locate someone who shares their passion for the business, particularly if you were a top candidate or on the verge of obtaining an offer. The sooner you can inform the employer that your application is being withdrawn, the better.

2. Be truthful and concise

Explain your decision to withdraw from the recruiting process to the company straightforwardly and honestly. They should be aware of the precise reasoning behind your choice, which will also support your decision to maintain a positive working relationship with the recruiting manager. But, if you are pulling out due to a company mismatch that you only learned about during the recruiting process, you may decide to omit those specifics and merely say that you’re no more interested in the job.

3. You should only briefly explain.

Be succinct and direct in your explanation. There is no need for excessive detail. It suffices to make a straightforward declaration like, “I’ve concluded this is not the proper employment for me.”

4. Be respectful and professional when giving your explanation.

Be kind and professional when giving your reasoning. Keep in mind that you are quitting your job because it is not the appropriate one for you, not because you dislike the business or the employees. Gratitude is due to the recruiting manager for their thoughtfulness and time.

5. Give the recruiting manager a clear justification.

Always be sure to justify your choice. Once more, you don’t have to go to great lengths, but a brief justification will help the recruiting manager comprehend your choice.

Say something like, “I’ve chosen to seek another opportunity that is a right match for my skills.”

6. Offer to suggest a replacement in your place.

Even if you want to leave the hiring process, there are still things you can offer your potential employer.

Offering to suggest another individual take over the position is a terrific approach to add some goodwill to your withdrawal email. To assist the business in selecting the ideal individual, try to use your contacts.

Perhaps you have a buddy who is actively seeking employment or you know a person who has the ideal qualifications but isn’t satisfied with their current position. If there is somebody you could suggest replacing you with, let the company know.

If you’re having trouble coming up with someone right now, tell them you’ll see if somebody in your network who fits a similar profile is open to changing jobs. Relationships are crucial. The corporate world is smaller than we think it is, and we may never know who we could cross paths with again—possibly at a pivotal moment in our careers.

It’s crucial to always make an effort to make a good impression.

7. Express gratitude to the employer for their time.

An employer may need to invest a significant amount of money and time to fill a position with a new employee. They might organize budgeting meetings with top leadership to discuss the possibility of hiring a new employee before they even post the job. Writing the listing, reviewing the applications, choosing the best applicants, and doing interviews all require time. An employer works very hard even before employing someone.

You should express your gratitude for their time and acknowledge the significance of the recruiting process for the organization.

8. Give your contact details.

Although it’s possible that an employer already has it from your application, include it in your withdrawal letter as well. If there is a procedure they need to follow after a withdrawal, they ought to have your most current contact information and many approaches to reach you. Additionally, if your situation changes and they decide they want to recruit you for a position you are qualified for, it will be simpler for them to get in touch with you in the future.

9. Physically deliver or email a withdrawal letter from a hiring process

You have the option of sending a withdrawal letter from a hiring process physically (via mail) or electronically (via email), depending on your choices or circumstances.

Yet since email is the fastest and most practical form of contact, I advise using it to convey this correspondence.

10. Be open to all possibilities

Tell them you’d think about reapplying to work for this company. At the very least, the prospective employer you got along so well with might become someone you keep in touch with and come to know professionally.

11. Make it happen without jeopardizing your working relationships with the organizations you withdrew from.

People choose to rescind their employment applications for several reasons. Often, job seekers would submit many applications simultaneously. They are recruited successfully during their multiple hiring procedures.

As a result, individuals are forced to pass up other employment options. The key is to succeed while maintaining positive commercial contacts with the organizations you left behind.

Even if you don’t currently wish to work there, networking is still useful for your future job. Inform HR or the employer as soon as possible if an interview is set.

Companies frequently have busy schedules during the recruiting season. It is preferable to let them know in advance rather than going through the interview process just to claim that you are no longer interested in the position. Let them offer your spot to other candidates.

Template for a letter of withdrawal

If you need to write a withdrawal letter and deliver it to your employer, use this sample as a guide:

[Your name in full]

Your home address]

[Your telephone number]

Email address]

[Date]

Re: [Your name] — Job Application Withdrawal

Dear [name of prospective employer],

I’d like to start by thanking you for your consideration of me for the [name of the position you’re looking for] at [name of company] and for the time you spent with me throughout the recruiting process. I must inform you, with regret, that I’ve chosen to withdraw my application. Though I didn’t choose this option lightly, I ultimately concluded that it was the best one for me because of [the causes for withdrawing].

I deeply regret any discomfort this may have caused. I’m confident you’ll discover the ideal applicant for the position, and I wish you luck in your search.

Again, many thanks.

Sincerely,

[Your name in full]

Samples of a Job Application Withdrawal Letter

If you need ideas for crafting your own, you might use these sample withdrawal letters:

Example 1:

Jennifer Williams

123 Central St., Dallas, Texas 12345

(111) 222-3344

jennifer.williams@email.com

February 15, 2021

Re: Job Application Withdrawal — Jennifer Williams

Dear Mr. Stewart,

I’m writing to inform you that I’ve decided not to pursue the marketing manager position at Xyz Creations. I genuinely appreciate the chance and your thought. I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me regarding the job because I am aware that recruiting a new employee may be a drawn-out process that necessitates much consideration.

I was eager to join the group, but as I had previously indicated in our conversation, I was also being considered by several other organizations. I couldn’t continue the process with Xyz Creations because I accepted a position elsewhere earlier after giving it some thought.

I want to thank you once again for your time and let you know that if my situation changes in the future, I would love to stay in touch to discuss opportunities. I hope you have the best of luck in your search for the ideal applicant.

Best wishes,

Jennifer Williams

Example 2

Re: Job Application Withdrawal — Jennifer Williams

Dear Mr. Evans,

I truly appreciate your thoughtful consideration of my application for the post of account executive at your company. I’m sorry to have to let you know that I have to rescind my employment application. We will be relocating at the end of the season due to my husband’s lucrative promotion, which will compel us to move to a different state.

I appreciate you taking the time to look through my credentials and have a meeting with me.

Best wishes,

Jennifer Williams

Example 3

Subject: Jennifer Williams — Job Application Withdrawal

Dear Ms. Cooper:

I appreciate you coming to see me this past week to talk about the function of the marketing division. We had a great talk, and I was quite interested in the Abc company’s current projects.

I received an offer for a career at another organization and I took the offer of employment, so I’m writing today to announce I’m withdrawing from candidacy for the job.

Once more, I appreciate your thought and time.

Best,

Jennifer Williams

What if you’ve already received an employment offer, though?

Use the same kind of email template as previously to reject a job offer that has been presented to you. If you’ll be working in the same field and think you could run into each other again in the future, you might also want to include a request to keep in touch.

Once you’ve already agreed to a job offer, you should make every effort to keep your end of the bargain, especially if doing otherwise would violate an employment agreement. Yet, you might need to reject your offer or resign from the position due to several factors (health issues, unforeseen personal events, etc.).

Conclusion

Ensure you conduct preliminary research and only submit applications to businesses you think would be a fantastic fit for you to lessen the probability that you will withdraw from a firm’s recruiting process. Go on a few informational interviews and start by reading company reviews. After that, objectively evaluate each position description to see if you can imagine yourself carrying out the responsibilities of that position daily.

Frequently Asked Questions about withdrawal letters

  • How can you politely withdraw from an offer of employment?

It’s preferable to explain your decision not to accept the position in person or over the phone if at all possible. Verify your withdrawal in writing and then follow up. Whatever the reason for your change of heart, be sure to thank the company and let them know how much you value the offer.

  • Can you reject a job offer before taking it?

An employer has the right to revoke an employment offer at any moment until it has been accepted. Nonetheless, a legally enforceable Employment Contract exists between the company and the candidate once the candidate accepts an unqualified job offer.

  • Can you withdraw a job offer that has been made in writing?

If a candidate has not yet accepted your unconditional job offer, you may withdraw it. It should be simple to withdraw the offer; just adhere to the procedures outlined above and give a written explanation of why you are doing so. It will be necessary to end the employment contract if the offer has been accepted.