When You Accept a New Job Offer

When you accept a new job offer, you have set several events in motion. Other candidates for whom this job could have been a positive career step are released from consideration. The new employer will have set up and equipped an office, in coordination with facilities and technical staff from the company. The hiring manager's boss has approved the hire and announced it to the company. The offer typically required approvals through the highest levels of a company, and HR has prepared new hire orientation classes, set up payroll for you and begun the process of setting up benefits. Often, training classes are scheduled. Hiring, when done properly, requires extensive coordination by a company that may not immediately be seen from the outside. Most of all, the hiring manager has put his or her internal credibility on the line for making the hiring choice to choose you. Should you change your decision and elect not to start the job you've accepted, there is considerable collateral damage done to the company who has chosen to extend you a career offer, beyond them just "moving on to the next candidate". A way to gain perspective would be to consider a scenario where a company makes you an offer, you accept and set a start date, and then immediately before your start date they call you to say, "We've continued to interview on this position, have now determined to hire another candidate, and your offer is rescinded." A company would not do this to you because it would be wrong, unethical, and possibly a breach of contract. How is this any different than a candidate accepting a job, and then backing out after their acceptance for a different job, or to stay with their current employer? If you are not ready to actually go to work for a new organization for whatever reason, ask for more time, or simply turn that offer down. When you accept an offer, however, honoring that commitment is simply the right thing to do. We hope this helps your perspective in considering an offer at this time.