The Risks of Reneging on a Job Offer

Receiving a job offer is exciting, but the real stress comes when deciding whether or not to accept it. Since most employers give a short time frame to negotiate and accept, many people figure that going through with the acceptance is the best option. Their strategy is to land the job, but some may continue their job search to look for something better. They may be on the hunt for a better company, higher salary, or a better location. If the student happens to find a better option and withdraws their acceptance, it is called reneging. When taking this route, students fail to recognize the bigger picture. It’s important to consider these three points before reneging.

1. When you accept your offer, companies are no longer looking for a candidate. Imagine this: Your dream company, who you’ve just accepted an offer with, calls you to say, “We want to rescind our offer because we found someone who is even more qualified.” Wouldn’t you be heart-broken, frustrated, or infuriated? With this in mind, accepting offers is a two way street. Companies expect you to follow the same rule.
2. There have been companies who have not come back to recruit from Purdue. Especially when it comes to on-campus recruiting and interviewing, companies are paying large sums of money to participate. When they dedicate time and money to recruit a student they really like and that student reneges on their offer, companies get frustrated. This creates a bad reputation for Purdue and ultimately takes away future opportunities from Purdue students.
3. Recruiters are well connected. For all you know, the recruiter of the company you just reneged on could be a close friend of the recruiter of the new company whose offer you’ve just accepted. There have been instances where the new company retracts their offer after hearing that you reneged on the first company.

When thinking about reneging, please remember that this situation is much larger than you. Many implications can come from reneging, however, the decision ultimately comes down to what you think is best. Keep this in mind for any internship or job offers that come your way. Good luck!