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Poll: Do you include apologies in your response when you can't accept a job request?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:36
German to English
Thanks only Jan 12

If the inquiry is addressed to me personally, I thank the correspondent for considering me and indicate potential availability in the future. No need to be sorry about anything.

Alex Lichanow
Lingua 5B
Daryo
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
OK, but... Jan 12

Kevin Fulton wrote:

If the inquiry is addressed to me personally, I thank the correspondent for considering me and indicate potential availability in the future. No need to be sorry about anything.


How do you say "I can't do this" without prefacing it with "sorry", "unfortunately" or "I'm afraid", and not sound blunt/hostile/robotic? What is wrong with saying "Sorry I can't do this"?

Angie Garbarino
Baran Keki
IrinaN
 
Daryo
Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:36
Serbian to English
+ ...
Exactly Jan 12

Christopher Schröder wrote:

Lingua 5B wrote:
You are not an employee, and such not obliged to even reply or justify anything.



Exactly that - there is no obligation to reply or justify anything.

But there is also your common sense / own judgement to decide when and to who it's worth replying.

Unless you made some mistake you're sorry about, "sorry" means little - just a canned reply that can easily sound passive-aggressive.

Being an independent professional you have no obligation to accept just any offer, so why would you be a priori "sorry" for not doing something you have no obligation to do in the first place? You could be genuinely sorry because you like the offered job but you're too busy to take it, but that's a different situation.

As for "how wars happen" you might want to take a look at the writings of a certain Carl von Clausewitz - a bit more relevant than worrying about saying or not "sorry".
 
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Poll: Do you include apologies in your response when you can't accept a job request?






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