Reneging on job offer - both ways

[Rex Harrison]

I took a job one day, then woke up the next day and thought 'Do I really want another low-paying paper job?' I called back to tell them I changed my mind, then left the business. It has not hindered my current profession or the ability to find stringer work.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

Reneged on a job when I was offered $15K back in 2001. Took the job because I had been out of work for two months after graduating college, turned it down two days later when I remembered that $15K wasn't a lot.

Had a quasi-offer pulled twice, sorta. That year I did an interview that went very well and it was heavily implied to me that I would probably get an offer soon. But their chain had a round of layoffs, so they gave the job to someone who worked at a bigger paper who had worked there first. Then I got a call a few weeks later in which it sounded like he wasn't working out, and to keep my eye out for another communication. Never came. Oh well.

 

[forever_town]

I haven't changed my mind after taking a job, though in retrospect, I wish I had.

The one time I had a job offer pulled out from under me was when a company began a hiring freeze after it brought in a bunch of people to take a copy editing test. It was hiring for freelance copy editors. I still remember the guy initially telling me I was "one of the top four." Later, he goes, "who am I kidding, you were the top one."

 

[John]

I accepted a job with the Bristol (Va.) paper a few years ago and changed my mind a few days later after I spent some more time in the area and got more depressed by the minute. The job would have been good for my career, but life outside of work sure looked like it would have been miserable, and I was already that after a year in Columbia, S.C.

I felt bad about backing out, but I figured better for all parties involved if I did it then rather than quitting after a couple of months.

 

[HejiraHenry]

Left an interview in 19-- with a handshake agreement on an SE's job at a newspaper you'd all recognize the name of. The offer was rescinded in the face of some, um, negative efforts on the parts of one or more people who were familiar (but, fair to say, not fans of) with my work.

The next phase of the situation, I can't discuss, other than to note, in a generic way, that there is something called "tortuous inteference with contract" and that it can be your friend, or your worst enemy, depending on which side of the street you're on.

Those boring employment law briefings they make managers sit through? It's better to pay close attention to what they say. There could be a test later.

 

[Sunshine Scooter]

Back when I was an SE, I once had two people renege on job offers for the same open position. The first changed his mind the day after because it would have been a rough commute. The second had accepted, then got in a car crash while moving down and had no insurance. He was OK but was up ship creek in medical bills and had to back out.

The kicker is applicant No. 1 calls about a month later when the job gets reposted and asks if he can interview again.

Umm . . . no.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

We had someone accept a job primarily to be with her fiance, because he works in this town. The day before she was set to move halfway across the country the fiance called to tell her he was seeing someone else. She backed out of the job offer.

A bit awkward in my shop, as management had already told three people they were effectively being demoted to give the new hire a better shift.

 

[butch]

This is one where I would love to name names because I still get Pished when I think about it. A few years out of college, I was ready to leave the little 20K paper at which I had worked for a year (with low pay, long hours, no overtime, etc.). Simultaneously, a similar position at my hometown, slightly larger paper came open. I had done good work and had always really wanted to work for the hometown paper for a number of reasons, including that it also would have been a step up for my career.
I breezed through the process, and my phone interview with the SE went really well, to the point that he unofficially told me I had the job. We even decided on pay. We set a date for an in-person interview in the office the next week (as a formality, I was told), but on the day of the interview, literally as I was about to walk out the door, the SE calls me and says don't bother. They just decided to go with someone else, so "yeah, don't worry about coming in." I had the sense they found someone who would take $18K/year.
It worked out though, because I ended up landing a much better position at a much larger paper in the same chain as his. So I was like, 'Yeah, suck it.'

 

[mdpoppy]

A lot of stories out there. I know it's usually not good to change your mind once you accept, but I think the ethics in that type of situation are always a bit unfair.

Companies, not necessarily media ones, have been known to rescind offers because of sudden cutbacks. But those type of situations are always blown off if challenged on ethical grounds.

The offer of acceptance sheet my job hands out has a line on it saying something along the lines of either you or the company has the right to reneg the offer in X amount of days.

I've never done it, but there was a new guy once who just bailed after his lunch break on the first day.

 

[YankeessSuck]

A few years ago at my previous paper, we had a guy leave for another occupation. About two months later, the SE makes an offer to a guy, who accepts. Two hours later, I'm not kidding, the guy who left calls the SE and wants to come back because his other occupation isn't working out so well. SE mulls it over and decides it would be best to have old employee back because he wouldn't need to be trained with the system, etc.
So the guy was offered the job, and two hours later it was reneged.

Poor guy was so excited too.

 

[lapdog]

JRC papers do this all the time.

In part because of their stampede-like turnover of SE, several times job candidates have been told by Outgoing SE that they have the job, see you in 3 weeks, in the interim Outgoing SE gets shitcanned, on the agreed-on day, Candidate Boy shows up at work to find Temporary SE, installed from above in the JRC hierarchy.

Candidate Boy: "Hi, I'm reporting to work."

Temporary SE: "Don't know what you're talking about. My budget doesn't call for any new hires."

Candidate Boy: "But Outgoing SE said I had the job. I have a letter from him."

Temporary SE: "Outgoing SE is no longer with us. All new hires are at-will."

Candidate Boy: "Let's go talk to the ME and Publisher."

ME and Publisher: "We stand behind our SE."

Candidate Boy: "What do I do now? I quit my old job, moved 500 miles to get here, and signed a lease."

Temporary SE: "I hear Wal-Mart is hiring. Here's a copy of our want ads. Compliments of Bob Jelenic."

 

[Tom Petty]

A few years ago at my previous paper, we had a guy leave for another occupation. About two months later, the SE makes an offer to a guy, who accepts. Two hours later, I'm not kidding, the guy who left calls the SE and wants to come back because his other occupation isn't working out so well. SE mulls it over and decides it would be best to have old employee back because he wouldn't need to be trained with the system, etc.
So the guy was offered the job, and two hours later it was reneged.

Poor guy was so excited too.

i have nothing to add, but i love your handle.