Is it ok to officially accept a job offer (not just verbal) and then decline it later?

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Reneging is reneging. It’s unprofessional and will burn bridges. It also might be the right decision for you

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Legal? Yes. Poor etiquette that may burn bridges in a small industry? Also yes.

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I reneged on a previous offer- wasn’t expecting McK to come through. Totally legal, was a bad look at the other company. Was absolutely the right call for me

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IBM2, thanks for your response. that really helps. i am just over thinking lol

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It’s frowned upon and might burn bridges but you can do whatever you want. Gotta look out for #1

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You wouldn’t want them to do the same to you, so I would avoid it unless something extraordinary comes later

I’m worried about 2 things. 1) if i accept and decide to decline later, how bad it would be. 2) If i accept and put in my 2 weeks with IBM, and then for whatever reason the other company decides to rescind their offer. I’d be screwed

OP - I don’t understand the second concern. If they have given you an offer, why will they take it back? Unless of course, the background test doesn’t check out or something. And pretty much everybody that accepts an offer with a firm, and then puts in their 2 weeks notice - runs that risk. I don’t think you should be concerned with point # 2.

Point # 1 - There could be a million reasons you could accept an offer and then decline later, to be honest. If it is imperative that you accept this one right now, then I would say just do it. But if you think there may be a chance that you could get something better, and accepting this one right away is not absolutely essential, then don’t. With limited info, this is the advice I can give you.

I know of a few people who have done this and it’s not a big deal if you handle it right and have a good reason for reneging. You do run the risk of burning bridges - yes. But then if that’s what is best for you, then you gotta do what you gotta do. Make sure it is worth it. If not, don’t do it obviously.

Op, why is #2 a reason to decline the offer? Are you worried about the financial well being and future of the firm that gave you the offer? If not, while will this be any different from any other future employer?

You do what’s best for you.

Also, the start date on the offer letter is outdated. Should i call them and wait until they send a new official start date before accepting? Or should i just go ahead and accept?

It happens all the time, especially when people give notice and get a lucrative counter offer

OP - Anytime! Trust me - I’ve been there.
Don’t worry - it will be ok.
And if the start date is outdated, I personally would ask them for a new offer letter with the accurate start date, before signing. And doing this does not mean you will lose the offer so don’t worry about that at all. It’s important to have accurate info reflecting in the offer letter.

But that’s just me - even if the start date is not accurate and the understanding between you and the team is good, in terms of the true start date, then you should be good. So it’s totally up to you.

Wait untilthey send a new one if it’s incorrect. Buys you more time, no?

Yes true, but I think i’ve decided on accepting now so I kinda want them to hurry up so I can put in my 2 weeks and not put them in a tough position bc my start date is planned for Aug 6th

OP - Then go ahead and send the recruiter an email summarizing that offer letter states Dàté 1 but as discussed you will be joining on Dàté 2 and that she is aware and has no issues with it. Also state that recruiter is aware of the difference in start date and that since it doesn’t matter, you are going to go ahead and accept the offer - even though start date is wrong.
Once you have that in writing, I guess it’s not a problem if you accept the offer letter as is.

Yea that’s what i’m waiting for but they take forever to respond. it’s kinda aggravating.

@OP, in that case maybe a phone call to confirm? On the phone state that you’ll send a follow-up email to confirm ask to them to let you know when they get it. IMO looks professional and on top of your game, and a quick call is reasonable with such a short timeline to starting.

Ive tried calling them multiple times today but got no response. Hopefully they respond tomorrow because it’s messing up my two week notice lol

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