Craft your refusal letter with care

Dr MARIE WILSON is associate professor of management at the University of Auckland, research director of the ICEHOUSE business accelerator and a veteran of 20 years in corporate management and small business.

I'm in a bit of a quandary - I need to write a letter to a company that has offered me a job that I have decided not to take. I've never had to do this before and wondered if there was a protocol for doing a "thanks, but no thanks" letter.

Writing a well-crafted letter in this situation is very important in maintaining your professional reputation.

You need to convey three things: genuine regret at not being able to accept the offer; regard for the offer and the company, usually by indicating that you have really considered it (that you weren't just fishing and you haven't wasted their time); and finally making it clear that you have truly decided "no" and are not looking for the company to improve its offer.

The letter doesn't have to be long, but it should be written as soon as possible; the company might have a second candidate who it can contact if you let it know quickly.

If there were things that you appreciated or enjoyed about the process or the offer, let the company know and also let it know if you would like to be considered for any future opportunities in the organisation.

I was intrigued by your recent story (Weekend Herald, March 16) on CV lies. I found the stories reporting on people lying about the degrees they had rather ironic. This is especially so since I, who have three degrees from Fiji, France and England, am forced to lie that I do not have these degrees when applying for jobs.

I have been in the country for two months and have found that whenever I state my real work and educational qualifications, I get an immediate negative response.

This is the same response I used to get in Fiji but I couldn't do anything about it since there are no options open to us for complaints.

I came to this country to get away from this type of discrimination. Over there, I was constantly told that I had too many sins which made me unattractive to hire - too qualified, ambitious, competent, confident and Indian.

I have found the same applies here, except that I should add I do not have New Zealand experience, the worst sin of all.

So what am I to do but lie?

Recent reports from the New Zealand Government, which have retitled the "brain drain" as a "brain exchange", have acknowledged that many talented migrants enter the country every year.

They have also acknowledged that talented migrants also find it much more difficult to enter the labour force than their New Zealand counterparts.

This difficulty exists despite strong international evidence that competitiveness requires the ability to attract and retain the best talent available from all members of the society.

No business, or country, can hope to succeed if a large group of talented people are left out of the competitive effort.

In that context, you probably are not helping your job search by omitting your degrees.

Qualifications are normally the first criteria for many professional posts; omitting them will get you a quick rejection.

And what if you are going for an entry-level job that doesn't require such qualifications; will you be able to advance after you are hired by unveiling that you are qualified for much more? Probably not.

Two months is not long to be in the market for even an entry-level professional position, and many job applicants play the numbers, knowing that persistence pays off.

Assuming that your CV highlights your qualifications and your sins, you may need to do more to break in to the local labour market.

Consider working for temporary agencies, who make their reputations on the skills and qualifications of their staff, and also introduce you to a wide range of New Zealand businesses.

Join a local service club or a business association, and network through your parents and others who have been in the country longer.

I stand by the article that there is little to be gained in lying on your CV, and much to be gained in using your qualifications to secure a good job.

Send your questions to: julie_middleton@nzherald.co.nz