How to Say No

By Julia Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong

Question: I've been lucky on the job market this year, and would like to remove my name from the search process at one institution. How should I write a "withdrawal from consideration" letter to the search committee?

Julie: After accepting an offer, you are right to contact other institutions to which you have applied and ask to be removed from consideration.

Jenny: Whether you're declining an offer or removing yourself from consideration before one is made, your first priority is to be as professional as possible, regardless of what you thought of the department and its faculty.

Sure, the primary goal of any job search is to find a job. But your secondary goal is to make connections in your field, share your research, and demonstrate your teaching skills, such that search committees remember you in a positive light, whether or not you are each other's first choice. Keeping that secondary goal in mind can help to further your career in the long term in ways you may not have imagined, as pointed out in this recent First Person column. This is also the goal you should keep in mind when saying "no" to institutions that have shown interest in you.

Julie: A second factor to consider is, How far along are you in the process at this particular institution? Have you had a telephone or conference interview? If so, you should contact the head of the search committee, say you enjoyed meeting with members of the department but have accepted an offer elsewhere and would like to take yourself out of consideration. (If you don't have an offer from anywhere else but have decided, after the preliminary interview, that nothing could induce you to work there, let the head of the search committee know you enjoyed meeting with faculty members but that, after some reflection, you've decided that the institution is not the right fit for you, and withdraw.) Then follow up with an e-mail.

Jenny: If you were invited for a campus interview, and especially if you went, a phone call is definitely the appropriate first step. Again, say something positive about the institution and the department. Your message will not seem disingenuous if you mention a specific part of the visit -- an enjoyable meeting with a group of students or a lively discussion after your seminar. If it was a tough decision to withdraw, say so. And if you, like our lucky questioner, have accepted an offer elsewhere, indicate where and wish the search committee well.

Julie: You might find that some search committees are resentful of your decision to withdraw; they may pressure you to reconsider. Remain calm but insistent. Don't let others' disappointment cause you to second-guess your own sense of what's best for you. And congratulations.

Question: I received two offers within a few days. I had terrific interviews at both institutions and felt that I really connected with each department. Of course, I had to choose one offer, which I have accepted. I keep starting to write an e-mail to the other institution and I just don't know what to say. It's almost like having to choose between two potentially perfect mates! Please help.

Jenny: Few people take pleasure in a conversation in which the message you have to deliver will disappoint the listener. However, the best thing you can do is stop delaying the inevitable. Take a few minutes to compose your thoughts, pick up the phone, and call the head of the search committee. The earlier you notify the department in question, the more likely it will be able to make a successful offer to its second choice. Your turning down the job will make someone else out there very happy.

Julie: If one of the reasons that you accepted the offer has nothing to do with the department or the institution, say so. Many people make career choices based on a partner's job search or family needs. Perhaps you grew up in the Midwest and have always planned to return there. Perhaps you are an experienced hiker and the institution whose offer you've accepted is near mountains. Those are perfectly credible reasons on which to base a decision, and committee members will understand and sympathize.

Jenny: You don't want to end things with a department on a bad note. You don't know how you will interact in the future with its faculty members. You will have a long career and they may be the source of future professional opportunities -- assuming you leave them with a favorable impression.

Question: I have received a faculty job offer at an institution I really like,but I also have the chance to do a one-year postdoc at a research center that will make a huge difference in the direction of my research. I want to accept both opportunities and defer starting the faculty position for a year, but I'm worried I'll disappoint them and they'll retract the offer.

Julie: Once the offer is made, it stands. Negotiate a new start date by emphasizing that you want the position and want to do whatever it takes to be successful down the road when you come up for tenure. Give credible reasons why a year in the postdoc will enhance your research -- techniques you might learn, collaborations you might form, work that might be published.

Jenny: It's important to speak directly or by telephone with the head of the search committee. When you mention the postdoc, gauge the reaction. Are you asked for more information? Are you told, "I'll need to talk to the dean and get back to you"? Or do you hear a categorical no? It's important for you to hear the chair's tone, especially when the response is ambiguous. That is why the telephone tends to be a better negotiating tool than e-mail. Anything you decide during the call can be confirmed in an e-mail message.

Julie: Some job candidates are able to defer starting a faculty position, but keep in mind that some institutions will have an immediate need to be filled. Ask for what you need, but be respectful of their concerns as well.

Question: I'm in English, and those in my field often do a series of one-year positions before finding a tenure-track job (if they find one). That is not an option for me, however, as my partner and I are committed to staying put until I find a permanent position. How do I say no to well-meaning faculty advisers, who constantly pressure me to take one-year jobs with the goal of building my CV?

Jenny: I think how you react to this situation depends on how much pressure you're truly receiving. It may feel like pressure when faculty members e-mail to you a list of one-year openings. However, it may be that they're forwarding that list to many young scholars, without targeting you in particular. If you're being singled out, it may be that faculty members are hoping you'll give a particular position a second thought. You might be able to simply ignore the e-mails.

Julie: On the other hand, if you're really being bombarded with questions about why you're not applying for these positions, you might want to have a talk with your advisers. Start by acknowledging their interest in your career; at least one of the reasons for their behavior is that they want you to succeed. Thank them for that. Second, address their worries. Say that you know it's a tough market, but you're hoping that the research you're working on, or the adjunct work you're doing, will help you to build your CV in the same way that a one-year position might.

Question: For several years now, I've smiled and nodded each time my adviser mentions doing a postdoc, as I have no plans to go into academe after finishing my Ph.D. After a long nonacademic job search that was preceded by self-assessment and many appointments with a university career adviser -- I've recently accepted a job at a well-known management-consulting firm. How can I break the news to my adviser? What if she won't let me graduate?

Jenny: Your new consulting job (congratulations, by the way) most likely has a start date, so you want to be finished with your doctoral work at least a couple of weeks before then.

Julie: We know how difficult it can be to conduct a nonacademic search when everyone around you expects you to pursue an academic career. We have seen situations in which advisers lost interest in their students or postdocs once they announced they were leaving academe.

Jenny: If you are pretty close to being done, you might want to come up with a date and discuss with your adviser completing your work by then. If you haven't been talking regularly with your adviser, this may be an uncomfortable conversation. Before your adviser can press you for your plans, you might want to break the news. Frame it around how much you have learned and how much you have enjoyed working with him or her. Pledge to finish all of your remaining work. And, at some point, be sure to make the point that it's important to have Ph.D.'s working outside of academe.

Julie: Saying no in any of those situations means using your communication skills. It means sticking to your guns, while acknowledging and addressing other people's concerns. Learning to say no firmly, respectfully, and professionally is a skill that will serve you well throughout your career.

PREVIOUS ADVICE COLUMNS