I had my first candidate rescind their acceptance of an employment offer. The candidate received an offer of employment, considered the offer, accepted the offer, and almost four weeks later called to tell me that they had changed their mind and was taking back their acceptance.
Rescinding your acceptance is an act that is difficult for a recruiter to forgive. In fact it’s very likely that because of this action, “we are never, ever, ever getting back together.”
It’s a question of integrity.
Yes, I have reached out to offer a candidate a position, and found out during the conversation that they had already accepted another offer. When in this situation, I’m most impressed by the candidate who is gracious, quick to inform me they have accepted another offer, and stops me before I go into the details of my offer because they’ve already committed themselves to another organization. It’s truly about your professional integrity and staying true to your word.
Know when your search is over.
Rescinding an offer is the result of not knowing when your search is over. After you accept an offer, it’s time for you to get out of the game! I know that it’s a difficult balance. You’re perhaps interviewing with multiple companies, and they’re coming back with offers at different times, but ultimately if you adequately researched prospective companies during the interview process, asked valuable questions, and assessed your true interest in each organization, you should be able to accept an offer with confidence. Once that offer is accepted, it’s truly about demonstrating loyalty to your new organization and respecting the relationship and trust you’ve built with your recruiter.
It predicts future behavior
There are studies that focus on the belief that past behavior is a predictor of future behavior. A recruiter may be able to forgive the candidate who rescinded their acceptance, but it’s unlikely that they’ll forget and again consider that candidate for an opportunity at a later time. This is because if a candidate makes a commitment, and then goes back on their word, it’s probably likely that if given another chance and actually joining the organization, they will leave for what they “perceive” to be a better opportunity. A recruiter doesn’t want to take that risk, which is why it’s likely that “we are never, ever, ever getting back together.”
