{"id":"rec-offer-declined-gracious-reply","audience":"recruiting","category":"people-work","track":"people","level":"intermediate","technique":"tone","title":"Reply when a candidate declines the offer","free":false,"task":"Reply to Julian's decline in plain text, under 100 words. First line exactly: Subject: Re: Your decision. Thank him warmly, accept the decision without asking him to reconsider, and leave the door open with the exact line before the sign-off: Please apply again if a role interests you. Do not make a counteroffer, mention the other candidate or the salary he turned down, and do not ask where he is going or why. Last line exactly: Take care, Marguerite. HR reviews before sending.","materialLabel":"His email and the recruiter's notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Email from Julian Brandt (Nov 8): \"Hi Marguerite, thank you again for the offer and all the time the team spent with me. After a lot of thought, I've decided to stay in my current role. I really appreciated the process, and I'm sorry for the trouble. Julian\"\n\nRecruiter notes (Marguerite Duval)\n- Offer was $104,000 for Senior Planner; approved range up to $108,000, but nothing beyond the offer is approved today.\n- The second-choice candidate, Anneke Voss, is still in the process.\n- Julian was a strong candidate and the team enjoyed meeting him. The panel specifically liked his case presentation.\n- HR rule: do not push back on a decline, do not ask why, and do not share the process details of others. Invite him to apply to future roles if he wants.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":90},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Counteroffer","why":"The AI hints at more money.","fix":"Say: \"Do not make a counteroffer or mention salary.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Asking why","why":"The AI asks what would change his mind.","fix":"Say: \"Accept the decision; do not ask why.\"","checks":["r1","r2"]},{"title":"Generic tone","why":"The AI writes boilerplate.","fix":"Say: \"Warm, with one specific positive from the notes.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Exact lines","why":"The AI writes its own subject and sign-off.","fix":"Say: \"First and last lines exactly as given.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 15 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI bolds words or adds headings.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Exact lines","patterns":["subject: re: your decision","take care, marguerite"]},{"label":"Warm and accepts","patterns":["warm","accept"]},{"label":"No counteroffer","patterns":["counteroffer","salary"]},{"label":"No asking why","patterns":["where he is going","why"]},{"label":"Word cap","patterns":["under \\d+ words"]}],"hint":"Give the exact lines and list what must not be said or asked.","mission":"Thank Julian graciously for declining and keep the door open.","musts":["No asking to reconsider","No counteroffer","Don't ask where or why"],"rubricLabels":["The first line is exactly \"Subject: Re: Your decision\" and the last line is exactly \"Take care, Marguerite\"","Thanks him warmly, accepts the decision without asking him to reconsider, mentions one specific positive (the team enjoyed meeting him or liked his case presentation) and leaves the door open to future roles; the line before the sign-off is exactly \"Please apply again if a role interests you.\"","Makes no counteroffer, does not mention the $104,000 or $108,000, Anneke or other candidates, and does not ask where he is going or why"]}