isolatedgothic Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 I was offered a job on Monday afternoon around 2 weeks after the initial interview process. The offered salary was more than I expected, full benefits, and the hours are amazing. The one who offered the position told me to think about it and call her back. I agreed to think about it, but knew I would accept within 24 hours. The next morning while I was at work [and before I had given my 2 week notice] she called again, and left a message saying that someone had unexpectedly applied for the job that morning, and she would need to withdraw the offer and interview this other person. She said in her message that she would call me on Friday to let me know whether I still had the offer, or if the other person would get it. I am floored and destroyed inside. How can someone else just come along, after they made me the offer, and then they have to interview that person? I really wanted this job. It is more money than I have ever made in my life. Tomorrow is Friday, and my nerves are shot. I read online that it is legal to withdraw a job offer after giving it...but has anyone ever experienced this? How did it turn out, if you did experience it? Would you take a job offer, if this happened to you? I am nervous that they will hire the other person, and I am also nervous they will offer it to me again and I will spend my time feeling really uneasy in the position! For reference sake, this is a job in higher education.
stillafool Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 (edited) No that has never happened to me but if it was my dream job I would have taken it on the spot. You could have accepted it then and thought about it later. If you decided it wasn't really what you wanted then you could have called and declined your acceptance. Sorry this happened to you. Edited July 15, 2021 by stillafool 1
Wiseman2 Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 20 minutes ago, isolatedgothic said: I was offered a job on Monday afternoon. left a message saying that someone had unexpectedly applied for the job that morning, and she would need to withdraw the offer and interview this other person. Not a very good omen if this is how they operate. Perhaps you dodged a bullet. 2
spiritedaway2003 Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, stillafool said: No that has never happened to me but if it was my dream job I would have taken it on the spot. You could have accepted it then and thought about it later. If you decided it wasn't really what you wanted then you could have called and declined your acceptance. Sorry this happened to you. If it's a really good offer, I would also have taken it on the spot. Companies reneging on the job offer can happen. Rare, but it does happen. Hopefully, it works out for you. If it doesn't, thank your lucky stars that at least you haven't given notice at your current job. Keep searching. Another opportunity will come along. Good luck! Edited July 16, 2021 by spiritedaway2003
Johnjohnson2017 Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I'm guessing this new applicant is a friend/relative of another person inside the company. They wouldn't have reneged on their offer if it was someone totally unkown to them. 3
Blind-Sided Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 13 hours ago, Wiseman2 said: Not a very good omen if this is how they operate. Perhaps you dodged a bullet. I agree. But, if you like an offer... just take it. I know... as someone who has hired people... I would give an offer, and then a few days later, they would decline. In the meantime, I may have lost out on another good candidate. While it sucks... it is a 2 way street. 1
d0nnivain Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I have had an offer withdrawn but that was because I failed to meet a pre-requisite. As somebody else pointed out, this woman's behavior was highly unprofessional & you need to factor that into any decision about working for the company should the position be offered to you. It sounds dysfunctional & unstable. I'd have a LOT more Qs before saying yet. Start looking around for former employees to talk to. You need the real scope on this place. 1
Author isolatedgothic Posted July 16, 2021 Author Posted July 16, 2021 I am waiting today for the final call. The person who made the call stated she would call on Friday to let me know whether I have the job or not. My guess is, even if I had accepted on the spot, she would have called the next day. There have been no contracts signed - just a verbal offer. She greatly encouraged me to "think about it, pray about it, and let me know." There was absolutely no indication that this job was not fully mine. So, I'm sitting here waiting. Thank you to those who have taken the time to respond. I will keep you posted, but as one above said, I now have great reservations and really question the integrity of the company and my own job security if I accept. We will see what happens today! 1 1
Pumpernickel Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) 18 minutes ago, isolatedgothic said: think about it, pray about it, and let me know WTH. Weird. 18 minutes ago, isolatedgothic said: My guess is, even if I had accepted on the spot, she would have called the next day This. for sure ...... Accepting on he spot wouldn't have made a difference. And who does that anyway? My guess is that she might have made a mistake offering you the job/the specific salary/the specific conditions right away, and got called out on it by her manager/the GM (because she offered you the wrong package, and it wasn't approved by management), or like somebody else said that somebody she/they knew wanted the job (maybe somebody from within the company wanted to transfer). But either way: unprofessional AF. (If she really had another interviewee after she gave you her OK, she sounds highly unorganized. Did she forget she had another intervewiew scheduled?) Edited July 16, 2021 by Pumpernickel 2
Prudence V Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 18 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: left a message saying that someone had unexpectedly applied for the job that morning, When was the closing date? this all sounds highly irregular. If it was a startup, I’d shrug and say maybe, but 18 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: this is a job in higher education. I work in HE (have done, most of my life). This is not how things are done at all. Jobs are advertised with a complete job spec and person spec, with the name of the contact person, the closing date for applications, and date of interview we’ll set out. Shortlisting is done by a sub-committee of the selection committee, who interview all the shortlisted candidates on the advertised day. The selection committee then discusses the shortlisted candidates, agrees which are appointable and which are not, and then the HR person advises those deemed “not appointable” that they’ve been unsuccessful. The “appointable” candidates are then ranked in order of preference, and an offer made to the preferred candidate. If that candidate accepts the offer, the remaining candidates are advised they’ve been unsuccessful. If that candidate turns down the offer, the next preferred candidate is approached with an offer - until an appointable candidate accepts. If no appointable candidate accepts, no appointment is made, and the post is readvertised. That is standard procedure across HE. If there is any deviation from that, approach the HR department and challenge the process, as it’s clear due process wasn’t followed. I’m guessing the person who offered you the post liked you, but acted out of line by making an offer before due process had completed. This is completely unacceptable and worth challenging. 2
Bryanp Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I am in higher education and I have never heard of such a thing. Pray on it? 3
ShyViolet Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I'm gonna say that it sounds like maybe you dodged a bullet. The behavior of this hiring manager sounds very unprofessional. 2
glows Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 4 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: I am waiting today for the final call. The person who made the call stated she would call on Friday to let me know whether I have the job or not. My guess is, even if I had accepted on the spot, she would have called the next day. There have been no contracts signed - just a verbal offer. She greatly encouraged me to "think about it, pray about it, and let me know." There was absolutely no indication that this job was not fully mine. So, I'm sitting here waiting. Thank you to those who have taken the time to respond. I will keep you posted, but as one above said, I now have great reservations and really question the integrity of the company and my own job security if I accept. We will see what happens today! Trust your instincts. Sometimes you just have to use your sixth sense with these things and figure out whether the company is a good fit for you regardless of the pay or other perks. You still have your position now so you're not unemployed. The comment about praying seems well-intended but inappropriate as not everyone is religious. 1
Wiseman2 Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 5 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: She greatly encouraged me to "think about it, pray about it, and let me know." What nonsense. As if they had nothing to do with this retraction and some deity decided this? If they are this disorganized or flakey, it may be a good time to "pray" you don't get the job. 1
Author isolatedgothic Posted July 17, 2021 Author Posted July 17, 2021 Just to clarify, this is a religious college, so the "pray about it" I suppose was appropriate in that instance. Now for the scoop. I got a call back from the one who offered the position. She said this has never happened before but someone who was "highly qualified" and "has ties to the college" and is "very involved with the college" applied out of the blue after she made me the offer, and they just had to interview and offer that person the position they had previously offered me. However, she said they really like me, so they were willing to offer me a part time position for much less pay [20K less.] She stated that I could work this job and another part time job to make ends meet, because many of their part time employees do just that. I went ahead and graciously declined, and told them I am simply looking for full time work. I did not burn any bridges in my decline, but I can promise you, I will never try there again. Truthfully, I am already working 2 part time jobs, and I do want full time. This entire process has left me rather sad! However, I am sure I dodged a bullet, and I'll move forward in my job search. 6
jspice Posted July 17, 2021 Posted July 17, 2021 2 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: Just to clarify, this is a religious college, so the "pray about it" I suppose was appropriate in that instance. Now for the scoop. I got a call back from the one who offered the position. She said this has never happened before but someone who was "highly qualified" and "has ties to the college" and is "very involved with the college" applied out of the blue after she made me the offer, and they just had to interview and offer that person the position they had previously offered me. However, she said they really like me, so they were willing to offer me a part time position for much less pay [20K less.] She stated that I could work this job and another part time job to make ends meet, because many of their part time employees do just that. I went ahead and graciously declined, and told them I am simply looking for full time work. I did not burn any bridges in my decline, but I can promise you, I will never try there again. Truthfully, I am already working 2 part time jobs, and I do want full time. This entire process has left me rather sad! However, I am sure I dodged a bullet, and I'll move forward in my job search. Sounds like they’re running some kind of scam 3
Wiseman2 Posted July 17, 2021 Posted July 17, 2021 7 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: someone who was "highly qualified" and I am sure I dodged a bullet, and I'll move forward in my job search. Ok, "has ties to the college" and is "very involved with the college" means they or their family donate lots of money Yes you dodged a bullet. 3
Kai_Kai Posted July 17, 2021 Posted July 17, 2021 8 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: Just to clarify, this is a religious college, so the "pray about it" I suppose was appropriate in that instance. Now for the scoop. I got a call back from the one who offered the position. She said this has never happened before but someone who was "highly qualified" and "has ties to the college" and is "very involved with the college" applied out of the blue after she made me the offer, and they just had to interview and offer that person the position they had previously offered me. However, she said they really like me, so they were willing to offer me a part time position for much less pay [20K less.] She stated that I could work this job and another part time job to make ends meet, because many of their part time employees do just that. I went ahead and graciously declined, and told them I am simply looking for full time work. I did not burn any bridges in my decline, but I can promise you, I will never try there again. Truthfully, I am already working 2 part time jobs, and I do want full time. This entire process has left me rather sad! However, I am sure I dodged a bullet, and I'll move forward in my job search. That is truly disheartening. But in the government, it happens all the time. I have heard of jobs being offered and then redacted, but usually due to failing a background check/reference check. I would just view going forward every "offer" as tentative until you're sitting at your desk complaining about how bad the coffee is, until then keep your options open. You're doing good. At least you got this far! On to the next 3
glows Posted July 17, 2021 Posted July 17, 2021 9 hours ago, isolatedgothic said: Just to clarify, this is a religious college, so the "pray about it" I suppose was appropriate in that instance. Now for the scoop. I got a call back from the one who offered the position. She said this has never happened before but someone who was "highly qualified" and "has ties to the college" and is "very involved with the college" applied out of the blue after she made me the offer, and they just had to interview and offer that person the position they had previously offered me. However, she said they really like me, so they were willing to offer me a part time position for much less pay [20K less.] She stated that I could work this job and another part time job to make ends meet, because many of their part time employees do just that. I went ahead and graciously declined, and told them I am simply looking for full time work. I did not burn any bridges in my decline, but I can promise you, I will never try there again. Truthfully, I am already working 2 part time jobs, and I do want full time. This entire process has left me rather sad! However, I am sure I dodged a bullet, and I'll move forward in my job search. How disappointing and I’m sorry. Yes, hold out for the FT position that you are looking for. As disappointing as this is, it doesn’t sound surprising if the other candidate is better qualified or suited. Don’t take this personally and keep your options open. Good for you for not burning bridges. People talk! 1
Eternal Sunshine Posted July 23, 2021 Posted July 23, 2021 I have always found that when things were even a little bit dodgy in the hiring process, this points to some serious problems within the organisation. Especially if you are dealing with the hiring manager who will in the future be your manager. This is highly unprofessional. 4
Prudence V Posted July 27, 2021 Posted July 27, 2021 On 7/17/2021 at 1:56 PM, isolatedgothic said: someone who was "highly qualified" and "has ties to the college" and is "very involved with the college" applied out of the blue after she made me the offer, and they just had to interview and offer that person the position they had previously offered me. Very dodgy, legally. If they applied after the closing date, they “had to” do nothing of the sort - applications were closed, the position had been filled. This is dodgy in the extreme. I’d challenge it legally, not because I’d want to work in such an unprofessional and downright morally dubious set up, but because a financial payout would at least encourage them to think twice before breaking laws again. 1
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