The Top 5 Reasons Job Seekers Are Likely To Decline A Job Offer
Posted 24th February 2026 • Written by Chris Westfall on forbes.com • • • • • •
A new survey has identified five “red flags” that cause interviewees to reject a job offer. During the interview process, when one (or more) of these scenarios shows up, employers are placing themselves at risk - revealing reason(s) for candidates to bounce out of the interview process.
What Causes A Job Seeker to Reject a Job Offer?
The number one reason job seekers reject a job offer is when salary is not disclosed. That shows up in 38% of the responses, and it makes total sense. After all, how can you say “yes” to something.
Other red flags that cause job seekers to reject offers include:
Continual interview rescheduling - is that part of the process, or a reason to move on to another opportunity? But 25% of respondents found that rescheduling was a reason to remove themselves from the interview process.
Disrespecting colleagues in front of the interviewee - if you say you’ve got a culture of caring and inclusion, but colleagues are dismissed or treated poorly, the interviewee sees beyond the hype.
When the Role is Different than Originally Advertised - Consistency is what employers look for on your résumé, and it’s also what interviewees look for in the job search process.
Inconsistent Answers - when questions receive different answers in the job interview, it creates mistrust and concern for 18% of interviewees. Again, consistency of messaging is key to keeping candidates in the conversation.
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