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How to decline a job that I already accepted?

Is it okay to decline an accepted job offer?

  • I was interning at a company and they gave me a returning offer a week before I left. They gave me about 20 days. I really didn't have time to work out other options at that time because I had to come back to my university town and move to a new apartment. By the time I had settled down the deadline was only 7 days away. I called up the recruiting manager and asked for an extension. He said he cannot give me an extension. He told me though that I could decline the offer now and ask for reconsideration later. But he didn't guarantee me that I would get accepted later. And even though I would have been accepted, it might not be the same team or profile. The best thing about the offer was my role and my team – so I didn't want to let go of it and accepted the offer. In the next few days I declined interviews from other companies with similar roles who could have paid me much higher. Things I was not happy about though: my designation. I was given a designation of an entry level graduate while I had an experience of 4 years in SOMEWHAT similar roles earlier. As I am closing in on my graduation and having taken more courses I somehow now find myself more inclined to a role I had in my previous work experience. Plus it would give me a better designation to start off. Now the thing is, I would then have to decline the accepted offer. But I certainly don't want to take a career decision that will harm me in the future. Other important facts: 1. The offer is an at-will employment. 1 day notice to fire or leave. 2. It has visa requirements for which they have already started the process. 3. I still haven't interviewed for new companies. I am confident to get through. I need to convince myself before I invest time in interviewing and declining.

  • Answer:

    Assuming you actually get an offer you like better: 1. Do you ever want to work at that company again? If not, in terms of consequences it's okay to withdraw. 2. Otherwise, consider working at the company for as little as 2-3 months, and then leaving.

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In the end, honesty is the best policy.  Don't do things you wouldn't want done to you--the Golden Rule.But specifically, if you said yes, it is always deemed conditional.  If things changed... they changed.  Tell the party things changed, and why you are changing your mind.  Be honest.  Be open to counter-offers. Don't cheat or lie.  Just be yourself and try to solve the problem with everyone involved.  But you have a right to make your own best decision at any point.... unless you have a firm contractual commitment to do something else.  In that case, honor your contract!   If you must break a contract, find legal advice on costs/risks/obligations.   Many things can always be negotiated.

Ryan Lanham

It sounds like your heart isn't set on accepting the role, so I would say perhaps go with your gut and turn it down. It can be quite harmful to your own psyche to accept the role out of a sense of obligation, and then realise you've accepted something that's not truly what you want. As fun as it is to work within a good team, if the work you're doing is not what you want, it won't matter. It will show in the work you do, and you'll spend a lot of time playing the "what if" game at your desk. For the company's sake, it's absolutely best to politely turn down the offer as soon as possible. A good way to put it is that you must withdraw from the position in order to pursue a different career pathway. You are not obliged to stick with the role because they have started processing visa requirements etc., but they will need time to look for a new candidate.

Nadia Jones

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