Purely hypothetical right now, but maybe coming down the pike for me. Let’s say I have interviews with firms A and B. I like both of them, but B is my frontrunner without a doubt. B, however, is not making a hiring decision until early August even if candidates have other offers. A is deciding within a week. A and B are not located in the same city or even the same state. If I accepted an offer with A and then B later makes an offer, how bad is it to renege on acceptance of the offer with A to accept B’s offer?
I know this is unethical and it’s not normally how I behave. But I really want the job with B and B is not in the same city as A (therefore no harm to reputation). Also, I feel like employers get to do this with employees all the time.
Thoughts? Feel free to be critical here. I really want to think this through completely if I did it.
I did this. It was hard and I regretted the situation. But I think my life and career were improved by the move and I think the life and career of my wife and kid were also improved. I liked the firm I backed out on, but family comes first. It might come back to haunt me if I ever want to move to the other city, but I think these firms have more to worry about than ruining the life of some former recruit.
I don’t think this is unethical. Just do what you need to do to make sure you have a job. Turning down A on the hope you will get B would be stupid. Sticking with job A when you want to work in job B would be equally stupid.
I can tell you what I have done in situations like this (in non law jobs) and seems to be a fairly standard approach. Tell the first firm you need some time to consider the offer. One or two weeks is not that out of the ordinary to ask for. I would then call the second firm, inform them that you are really interested in working for them but, you have another offer and need to make a decision quickly. Ask them if there is any way they make a decision on your candidacy, and get back to you shortly. Most people will understand this situation, and do their best to get back to you in a reasonable amount of time. The added benefit of doing this is that you have showed firm B that you are really interested in them, and it makes you look desirable. Both are beneficial.
If this doesn’t work, reneging is a tough call, and certainly has its drawbacks so, I really can’t say.
So say B’s decision makers are going to be out of the office on vacation for the next few weeks. If I contacted them by e-mail to let them know I have an offer from A, would they actually consider my candidacy on vacation or just tell me to take A and forget about me? I wouldn’t want to lose B by being upfront.
I haven’t been part of hiring, so someone else might have a better answer for you. I have done this in the past, and it has resulted in me getting offers every time. Additionally, I have been told by recruiters that this is a highly effective strategy. As far as your situation goes, I can’t imagine they would tell you not to worry about them if they are unable to accomodate a quicker response. I mean that seems like a bizarre reaction to me, and I have not heard of this happening before. I would think they would just tell you that they can’t let you know until x time (I have heard of this before). It seems to defy reason that they would reject someone they want because he has a time sensitive offer. But, maybe someone who has done hiring could tell me I’m wrong on this count.
[/quote] I haven’t been part of hiring, so someone else might have a better answer for you. I have done this in the past, and it has resulted in me getting offers every time. Additionally, I have been told by recruiters that this is a highly effective strategy. As far as your situation goes, I can’t imagine they would tell you not to worry about them if they are unable to accomodate a quicker response. I mean that seems like a bizarre reaction to me, and I have not heard of this happening before. I would think they would just tell you that they can’t let you know until x time (I have heard of this before). It seems to defy reason that they would reject someone they want because he has a time sensitive offer. But, maybe someone who has done hiring could tell me I’m wrong on this count.[/quote]
This is what I’d like to do ideally. If anyone has any experience with just being dismissed as a candidate at this point, please share.
I wouldn’t go quite this far (you do owe some general decency and decorum) but I agree with the sentiment. These firms wouldn’t hesitate to drop your ass if things hit the fan for them, and you gotta look out for #1 in these situations.
Thanks for all the comments. I hope that it will not come to reneging, but if it does, then I will handle it with as much respect and professionalism as is possible given the situation.