Is it bad to rescind an acceptance for a job?

Parents Forum
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<p>Well, I was most certainly being honest when I told them I would work there, and I had every intention to do so at the time. A change of circumstance doesn’t make a previous statement dishonest.</p>

<p>@fendergirl
I pretty much know what I would be doing at the insurance company, but I’m currently working on getting more info from the Silicon Valley (my title is a rather vague “Technical Undergraduate Intern”). Also, I didn’t mean to infer that the insurance internship would be less “techy.” But is definitely good to hear thoughts from someone who works in an insurance IT department!</p>

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Good point. I never thought of that. The insurance company does have a good presence at our school (hosts programming competitions, etc.) so that is definitely something to think about.</p>

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<p>I agree that It’s not dishonest to change your mind, nor do you have an ethical obligation to sacrifice your own career development so as not to disappoint a corporation. It’s not the same thing as canceling a social engagement because a better one came along. I agree that if the corporation’s needs changed, they wouldn’t hesitate to cancel your internship at any time.</p>

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<p>I know some employers have rescinded their offers, but when I asked our HR if we could rescind our offers if our circumstance should change, I was told that they would advise against it.</p>

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<p>I’m with dadinator but fear that’s a too out-of-date mindset. It’s kind of nice to hear that you can do what’s best for you and no parties involved mind much nowadays. It’s comforting to hear oldford say that schools have policies in place to guide students, as I don’t want my kids in the OP’s situation.</p>

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<p>Unethical, for a person to accept a later and better job offer? Are you serious? Anyone who has spent more than a week in a corporate environment knows it is no such thing. It’s called business. I would laugh if it weren’t for a young person receiving such poor advice.</p>

<p>If OP had a summer job at McDonalds lined up, then got a better offer for his future career, would people tell him no, you have to work at the restaurant, otherwise you weren’t being honest?</p>

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<p>^^^I think most of us are seasoned professionals. As you can see, it is not so cut and dry.</p>

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<p>Do this. This is your best advice. They will be able to advise you on the best way to communicate with both potential employers so as not to burn any contacts up for yourself or them. </p>

<p>Good luck to you.</p>

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<p>Absolutely, positively, talk to the career center - my guess is that this is not the first time this has occurred, especially if they habitually hire so early. </p>

<p>I would be careful, however, not to be seduced by the “sexiness” of Silicon Valley. If you were my DD, I would advise you to first talk to the career center (preferably a long term, experienced person in the department) and also continue to ferret out your job description at the other company. I would be honest with them, saying what you said to us and adding something like “I have another offer, and I need to consider which one would best fit my 5 and 10 year career goals. I consider this internship to be an important stepping stone in my professional life, and also want to make sure that my educational background and current skill level would benefit the company that I am serving.” My tip as someone who hires a lot: it is extremely off-putting if I think that a potential employee is only comparing salary, benefits, and what I can do for them without considering that perhaps they might not be the best choice for my company. I have talked to people who I view as “screening me” before even stooping to an interview. Be careful not to come across as cocky, no matter what you decide.</p>

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<p>First off never burn bridges in business. </p>

<p>Backing out of an offer isnt burning a bridge, but your approach to it could be. People understand that circumstances change. There are other offers out there. And you are giving the company plenty of time to get a replacement organized- you arent leaving them in the lurch. </p>

<p>The most important thing here is that you handle yourself professionally. You are not some college kid who flaked, because that reputation could follow you and you do tend to meet people again and again in IT. </p>

<p>Be upfront and specific with the insurance company on your reasons. Ideally you give them two specific things that clearly differentiate the new employer from them- for instance maybe they are high stakes high energy startup or maybe there is a industry known person you will get to be the assistant to. They cant match that. Dont mention the money because it invites a counter-offer. If you then turn down the counter offer it makes you look like you were jerking them around. And your contact at the Insurance company who went to bat with their boss to get you more money to sweaten the offer is now hung out to dry. </p>

<p>You also want to close out with what you liked about company A and that you hope that you will work with them some day. There has to be a story here that makes sense so it doesnt look like you just sucked up to them until something better came along and now you are dropping them. “You told us you wanted to devote your life to heap sorting insurance cards for us now you want to go work or a bitcoin app startup with free foot massages on Fridays. Ok, we see how it is.”</p>

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<p>Can you give us a better list of reasons why you think the Silicon Valley job is a better fit? Maybe seeing the reasons side by side will help you make your decision. I have to agree that there is something sexy about “Silicon Valley” for tech people, however, that doesn’t always mean they have the best jobs. I know this is an intern position but look to job prospects too. What kind of advancement potential is available in both jobs (I KNOW the insurance industry has huge advancement potential), what are the benefits? What kind of hours do they work at both companies? Did the Silicon Valley job “wine and dine” you? There is a LOT to be said for a company that does that for interns. What is the atmosphere like in both jobs? Were you able to meet co-workers for either company? How happy are they with their workloads/working conditions? “More money” is not a good reason to move jobs if that is the only, or one of the few reasons, to move.</p>

<p>I had friends in college that were enticed by “big” paychecks on the east coast. Sure, they sounded big to someone used to making minimum wage at summer jobs but once they figured out that the cost of living was astronomical and they would need 4 roommates to afford living there, the jobs were not as attractive. Rent aside, car insurance, gas, groceries, etc. are ALL more expensive in CA then they are in the midwest.</p>

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<p>1) I think it is fine to change internships this early if you think it is a better fit. My D switched from an unpaid internship once to a paid one, and the woman she was going to work for said it happens all the time, not to worry. She did get a permanent job offer very early in senior year, with not much time to decide. Once she took it, she stopped interviewing with other companies.</p>

<p>2) Several posters have made good points about the industry. There was an article in a local paper recently about a good friend’s son, who is a VP for technology at a hospital and was changing their systems to save a lot of money. He advanced very rapidly in his career there.</p>

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<p>Addressing only the “honesty” issue:
I suppose, at least in theory, the Op could go to the first job, work one day and then quit. This would satisfy those here that feel to not go to work for them would be dishonest. The Op does not tell us of any promise about length of time there, so one day would suffice- to be honest. The Op could proudly proclaim to that employer- I guess we’re all happy! I worked here one day! I was honest!
Personally, I do not agree with that reasoning. To say you will do something when you know you can’t, or have reason to believe you can’t is dishonest. But that isn’t what OP has explained to us.
I might agree it was poor business judgment, but I cannot agree that changing one’s mind after-the-fact makes a previous statement dishonest. If this prospective intern does decide not to accept this job, the right course of action is to give the employer as much notice as possible.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice, especially about speaking to my school’s Career Center. I definitely plan to do that.</p>

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None really, besides the fact that I feel as if future employers would see it as a “better” experience than having the insurance company on my resume. Of course, I could be completely wrong. While both are household names, the Silicon Valley company is more… “tech famous”, you know? As far as “after graduation” goes, I just don’t see myself living where the insurance company is located (not Chicago, but a pretty big midwest city).</p>

<p>Like I mentioned, the Silicon Valley company’s job description was rather vague, and honestly, the recruiting process was a little subpar. I had a next-day interview after the Career fair (at my school), one phone interview, and then nearly 4 weeks later, an unexpected email asking me to fill out a background check for an impending offer. I have never been to their campus, nor met with any other employees besides the manager who interviewed me. </p>

<p>The insurance company did indeed “wine and dine” the intern prospects, including flying us out to their headquarters, dinner, and meeting with managers, former interns, including their CIO. The day from the Career Fair to the day they gave me an offer was less than two weeks apart, so it was very efficient and they kept us notified the entire way. Not to mention that they provide housing during the internship, so I would not have to worry about finding an apartment for three months. I do have to admit the insurance company’s process impressed me much more, and as this was my first interview experience, I have judged others against this benchmark.</p>

<p>My reasons for thinking the Silicon Valley would be a better fit is, admittedly, based purely off of their reputation (no, not Google/Facebook level) as one of the largest employers in Silicon Valley. And now, after writing this, I think I am leaning back towards the insurance company…</p>

<p>Thanks so much everyone for all the input, it really has helped me.</p>

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Thinking about it, there was no phone interview. Just an interview at my school, (which, admittedly, went really well and ended with us exchanging contact information) and then the email over four weeks later. So, a total of ** one ** interview. Odd, isn’t it?</p>

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<p>One very important thing to consider is what’s your prospect in getting an offer at the end of internship. Many employers do not recruit as aggressively senior year because they tend to make permanent offers to summer interns. They tend to think seniors without job offers are “left overs.” When D1 had few offers, I asked her to do that due diligence. I also told her to find out which firms would require her to leave after 2 years (to get a MBA). You are in a good position, so you have the luxury of picking a job that’s right for you, not for the masses. D1 chose a firm which wasn’t the ONE that everyone wanted to work for. A year later, she is happier than most of her friends.</p>

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<p>OP, is the SV company an established firm with funding? Have you done any research on them online?</p>

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<p>I’m not in CS but here is my take on the situation, you have no job description, no contact with anyone from the company, have never been on campus yet you think it’s a better opportunity because of the company name. What if you get there and it’s a help line job? Is that really a better opportunity for you? In talking with the other interns at the insurance company, did you find out what they did? Did they get valuable experience from that? Which one is really the better opportunity. I would call the hiring manager at the SV job and get more details about how many interns they typically have, what specific job duties do the interns have, etc.? You want more information on this before you turn down the other job. As for living where the insurance company is, maybe you will, maybe you won’t but there are a lot of insurance companies all over the country. </p>

<p>My son’s girlfriend is doing an internship right now. From day one she was HIGHLY involved in the day to day operations (business field). She has been given a LOT of responsibility and from that given great experience. A couple friends from school are doing internships as well (same field). They are glorified paper pushers. They do some filing, answer phones, etc. while my son’s girlfriend is drafting proposals, presenting to clients, conducting interviews with clients and potential employees, etc., etc., etc. Her friends are in more “prestigious” companies but who is really getting better experience?</p>

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<p>You obviously weren’t because somehow you are still considering this other internship even after you accepted the first. I’m not criticizing you, I’m just trying to explain why this seems unethical to some, because no one else has (which is surprising because if someone got accepted to a college Early Decision, but then applied to better schools regular, there would be a huge backlash here…).</p>

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<p>Different than some here, I strongly believe in the ed committment, and don’t like it when some come here to say if a family isn’t happy with schools’ offer, then renege on the agreement using the “money won’t work” excuse. But I see that as different than the circumstance here. An ed decision is a student’s promise to stop looking at other schools, stop applying at other schools, and will attend a U if accepted. That agreement does permit the student a release if his $ situation changes significantly.
No where does this OP tell us s/he made such limiting promises to this potential employer. And, this Op’s $ situation has changed. Maybe that is why no one has brought up the comparison until post 38.<br>
Op says s/he intended to go, but later changed his mind. That’s a poor decision, but not a lie.</p>

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<p>Changing one’s mind about a job because a better opportunity unexpectedly comes along is not a “poor decision”. It’s a smart one. The only ethical consideration here would be if OP were leaving the insurance company high and dry, but given the timing, they will simply move on to the next person on their list. And this is merely an internship, hardly the sort of position that will make or break the company even if it goes unfilled. It’s a no harm, no foul, situation, and one that happens all the time in the “real” world. I once turned down a job two weeks before my planned start date because a far better opportunity fell in my lap. It would have been sheer insanity to stick to my original decision, and no employer would have expected me to do so or considered my action to be dishonest or unethical.</p>