Accept a job offer then decline

The other company obviously knew that you were looking for a new job. Presumably they put a bit of pressure on you to accept sooner rather than later. During that time you found an even better job, stuff happens. The worse that will happen to the other company is they have to start looking again, the best is they have a second candidate that they liked but not as well you.

The apology letter is a good idea. (Advice my mom always gave, but seldom followed :()
 
Feeling badly for declining job after I accepted

I was glad to read that one person declined a job the day before she was supposed to start because I had to do this also. However, the response I received was not the same. They got REALLY mad at me and were not supportive at all. The situation was I was moving across country from GA to CA. I was excited about the job, but was in the middle of renovating my condo to rent it out because I could not sell without losing money. They were only giving me $3000 relocation fees but wouldn't give me more time, so I was trying really hard to make it all work. Then, the week before I was supposed to go, the economy nose-dived, my renovators had to come back making me have to leave my cats alone with them for 2 weeks. I still feel guilty, even though I was disappointed at their reaction as well. I feel like if I was moving across country at partially my own expense, they should have been a little more supportive. What do you think.
 
confused123 said:
I feel guilty about leaving the current employer. In addition, I feel so unethical to have accepted a job offer but considering another offer. I know it's unacceptable to accept an offer and then decline it in favor of another one. Burning the bridge of an employer or a certain manager may have serious consequences. That is, you will never be hired by that company or that manager. Have anyone faced this situation before? What did you do?
Click to expand...
Almost...
in my early years, i was desperately looking for something entry-level in my field. however, it was the very early 80s and i took whatever i could get so i could eat. i accepted a non technical job, reported, and worked for 2 or 3 weeks. lo and behold, a job in my field came through. i was given a written offer by mail and signed it and delivered it in person on my lunch hour. 2nd company wanted me right away, but i said i should give at least 2 weeks notice. i went right to my current supervisor with offer letter in hand and gave my 2 week notice. the company HR person was really cool and said 1 week notice would be ok if i wanted to start the new job earlier. no, i stuck it out for 2 weeks until they could replace me. the 2nd company told me later that my handling of leaving the former job really impressed them.
it's all in the timing. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. such is life.
 
Job Offers

In response to Georgia8, we just went through a similar problem in November. My bf and I were both unemployed and living in TX. He received a very lucrative job offer in Salt Lake City, 1400 miles away. The only problem was trying to find housing (to accommodate our very large dog) and scraping up enough funds to move us there. They offered him the job with $2K relocation expenses on Monday (not in writing, mind you) and when he asked them to give him until Wednesday to decide, they said OK, but then when he told them he needed til Friday to find a house, they withdrew the offer on Wednesday!!! As luck would have it, we did find a rental home and I had 4 interviews lined up. So asking some companies for time can be a gamble. This software company wouldn't give us FIVE days.

We've since moved back to my old home in Florida, and now I'M in a pickle. I received one job offer and I'm waiting for the offer letter in the mail, but there's another job that I'm in the process of interviewing for. I want to weigh out my options before I accept either job, but the timing might be a little sticky...
 
I'm hiring at the moment. One of our top candidates will not be available for 3 weeks after the job is open. Having someone commit to a new job and then disappearing for a vacation makes me worry about second thoughts. If I wait too long for a decision, I risk losing another very attractive candidate to another opportunity. Sometimes you just have to give people a mutually acceptable deadline and hope for the best.
 
Spanky said:
It's true that we need to do what's best for us. However, it's still wrong (morally) to rescind. A company can also rescind an offer under certain circumstances (mostly financial). However, we are dealing with a person (not a company) who has trust in you. Thus, it is very, very difficult not to feel bad since you are letting that person down.
Click to expand...

You're right that it's an ethical decision but I believe you are confusing personal and business relationships. An employer may be counting on you but in that relationship your loyalty has to be to yourself and your family because your financial survival depends upon making the best decision, just as your employer's loyalty is to the company's survival in her decision to hire or lay off employees.

In this definition of the relationship, it is not immoral to rescind your acceptance of the job offer. It is moral to act in your own and your family's best interest, especially in the current economy.
 
The thread reminds of a megacorp story ... we hired a young kid just out of the navy. He was living in FL and agreed to move to MA at megacorps expense. Problem was the GF (with whom he had a child) was not keen on moving to the northeast ("it's too COLD up there!"). Takes a house hunting trip. Finds an apartment. Makes all necessary deposits and he packs up the clan and moves in over the weekend. Supposed to start working on Monday.

GF didn't last 2 days! She packs up the kid and takes a flight "home" to mommy and daddy. He's sitting in traffic triing to get to orientation at megacorp. Says "F-this" phones in his resignation before working a DAY and drives to FL! Much to his surprize, his expense reports for all moving costs, house hunting, hotel ... were denied by megacorp.
 
tryan said:
! Much to his surprize, his expense reports for all moving costs, house hunting, hotel ... were denied by megacorp.
Click to expand...

And appropriately so....... To avoid being stuck for expenses for last minute mind changers such as the case you describe, the MegaCorp I toiled for only gave cash advances for moving expenses on rare occasions and they had to be approved at a painfully high level. The general rule was the applicant covered the expenses and turned in expense reports during his/her first week on the job.
 
Mega corp has a written contract with the employee being relocated ... quit within a year and all moving expences are due back to megacorp. After a year, you're a freebird.
 
I was offered more money to stay. They were concerned about hiring someone who knew they were second choice. I took the other job. It may turn out positive for you!
 
A company would most likely not hestitate in the least to lay a person off, regardless of any financial hardships the person being laid-off may face. Do what's best for YOU. No company will.
Click to expand...

Exactly. There is no guarantee that if you stayed with the first job you accepted they wouldn't lay you off within a few months anyway. In today's business environment you have to do what you think is the best and most secure for your own career.

If a place really wants you they will counter offer. As an employer, I did that in the past many times to keep or hire top people.

My husband accepted a job once, then got a counter offer from his current employer to stay, then even got a counter, counter offer at the new employer. He ended up staying at the old job but with more vacation and higher pay.
 
Uh oh...this thread is back on its 2 1/2 year old topic again....just when I was going to post the larger picture....
 
Oops, didn't realize this thread was started years ago when I posted today.
 
Sometimes I don´t know what thread I´m reading......:confused: You should make allowances for this Spaniard. Starting with a job offer and ending with an as****e in tights...! This section of the Forum is going to the dogs:D
 
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