Accepting and declining offers

Accept: confirm level, title, compensation, start date, remote/location and any contingencies in writing. Stop negotiating other companies promptly and withdraw cleanly. Resign professionally at your current job; do not brag about the new TC on the way out.

Decline: thank them, be brief, leave the door open. No need for a novel about their weaknesses.

"Thank you again for the offer and the time from the team. I've decided to accept another role that is a better fit for my goals right now. I have a lot of respect for the work you're doing and hope our paths cross again."

If you are declining to wait for another offer, only do so when you are truly willing to lose the first. Reneging after acceptance damages reputations in small industries — recruiters talk, especially within a metro or specialty.

After you accept, stop interviewing. Continuing loops "for practice" after a signed offer wastes others' time and risks burning the offer if discovered.

Negotiation does not end at signing. Understand refresh cycles, promotion timing and how performance reviews feed comp. Keep a light market pulse annually so you know whether you are drifting off-band — then decide whether to negotiate internally, interview externally or invest in scope growth. For choosing between company shapes, see career strategy.

Walking through a close

You pick company A at $270k after B came in at $275k. Same day:

1. Written accept to A with level, title, TC, start date, location.
2. Short decline to B (the template above).
3. Withdraw any still-live screens with a one-line thanks.
4. Resign at the current job without a TC victory lap.

That is a full close. Anything still in flight after that is how reputations get expensive.

Common mistakes

• Accepting verbally and letting the written package stay vague.
• Ghosting the companies you did not pick.
• Reneging after acceptance, or interviewing "for practice" after a signed offer.
• Bragging about TC on the way out of the current job.

Check yourself

You signed A and still have a B onsite next week "for practice." What do you do?

Cancel it. Continuing loops after a signed offer wastes time and can burn A's offer if discovered.

You want to wait for C and already have A's written offer. When is declining A allowed?

Only if you are truly willing to lose A. Do not renege after you have accepted.

Key takeaways

• Accept in writing: level, title, comp, start, location, contingencies.
• Decline briefly, with thanks, door open. Do not ghost.
• Do not renege. Do not keep interviewing after you sign.
• After signing, watch refreshers, reviews and whether you drift off-band.

Further learning

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Ex-FAANG recruiter tips on not naming a number early:

Josh Doody on common salary-negotiation mistakes: