How to renege implicit verbal acceptance of a job offer

Question

_{Side-note: This is subtly different from other similar questions already on the site, so please read before marking as duplicate.}

I applied for 2 jobs at the same time -- let's call them Initech and ACME for the purposes of this question.

Initech moved very fast through the interview/offer process, making me an offer on Tuesday of this week. When they made me an offer, I didn't say anything like "I accept the offer" on the phone, instead saying "Great" (which one could read as an implicit acceptance of the offer if one chose to).

(This was probably my first mistake -- I probably should have said that I currently had a few offers on the table, and I would review their contract and let me know when I have made a decision.)

Meanwhile, I had already had 1 interview and online test with ACME, and had decided I would prefer to work for there. After the online test, the recruitment department had moved a lot slower at ACME.

After getting the verbal/email offer from Initech on Tuesday, I contacted ACME and asked them to accelerate their process as I have a contract "on the table" but I would prefer to work at ACME. They scheduled a 2nd (and final) interview with me on Wednesday, which I had.

Shortly after the interview with ACME, the recruiter from Initech called me to ask me when I was coming in to sign the contract. I tried to stall it until Monday, but they were very keen to finalise everything (understandably, considering I did have this mistress job off to the side). I managed to defer the signing of the contract until Friday afternoon.

Just now (Thursday afternoon) I spoke to the recruiter from ACME and they have given me a verbal offer.

I'm now in a position where I need to get back to Initech and turn down their offer which I implicitly (to them, atleast) accepted. I wanted to know about the best way to do this -- I was definitely planning on doing it on the phone (after all, that's how the original offer was presented to me) as this is more professional and email seems like taking the easy way out.

I feel really bad that I wasn't up-front about the multiple offers from the start, but I made my decision at the time not to mention this and now I have to live with it.

What's the best way to renege my implicit verbal offer with Initech without burning any bridges and leaving a sour taste in their mouths?

Answer 1

If you've been ambiguous in your responses to the more aggressive company to the point where they think you're ready to come on board, you may not be able to salvage their impression of you when declining. If you've said you're prepared to come in to sign the paperwork, that's quite a mixed message from what you're about to do.

Under normal circumstances, I always let people know when I am interviewing with multiple firms and I let them know I'd like to complete the process (assuming one party doesn't just drag things on and on for weeks on end) before committing to them, because I want to give them all a fair shot and come to my own conclusion about which firm is the best opportunity for me from both a financial and professional growth perspective. Some firms will react by giving you the time you ask for, and some just get more aggressive on the offer because they want to win; most of them will pressure you to answer you within X days since they want their position filled as quickly as possible.

But in your case, the best you can do is this: Say that you've unexpectedly been presented with an offer that you didn't think would come through before you needed to make a decision, and you're just waiting for the final paperwork to come through.

If you want to just focus on the preferred offer, let them know that you appreciate the offer and it's very attractive, but you think your professional interests are more closely aligned with the position at the other firm. They will be disappointed to lose out to the other firm, but most companies understand this is just how things sometimes work out.

On the other hand, if you are inclined to use the alternate offer as a negotiating lever (which may be harder if they had already been convinced they had you), you can say that you think the ACME offer is very competitive in terms of compensation and in terms of your role, and see if they open the door to further negotiation by asking you what it would take to get you to take the role.

I've been in both positions, both as an interviewer and as a candidate. It's not very surprising to me when we lose candidates to competitive offers, because the market for competent talent is fairly heated in my industry. As a candidate, I try to be as straightforward as possible without revealing my complete hand, so I wouldn't have gone the route you did. I'd decide what the minimum threshold for acceptance of either offer is, what the risks and benefits of each are, and make a gut-level decision that's based on known things, like compensation and role and apparent fit, and unknown things, like long term growth potential, apparent stability, and so on.

Answer 2

Just now (Thursday afternoon) I spoke to the recruiter from ACME and they have given me a verbal offer.

NEVER. DO NOT IN A MILLION YEARS take a verbal offer over a concrete offer. I was in a situation exactly the same as yours barely 2 months ago. See here.

Bird in hand, sir. I implore you to hang on to that offer as long as you can until you have a signed piece of paper from ACME. There's no such thing as a company that's too big to fail or disappoint, as I've learnt. They will do it with a straight face and move on. Like you've admitted, their process is slow, and they technically don't owe you anything until they've signed something with you.

If and when the offer from ACME does come in, you're just going to have to decline Initech in the nicest terms possible. The recruiter is there to make the kill and if it isn't you, he'll get another person. I'm sure you're not the first person to decline an offer, it's not a covenant or anything

Answer 3

I've been a recruiter, and I have also been on the job hunting side, If ACME comes back with a better offer, and you really want to work there, take it.

As kolossus said, you aren't the only fish in the pond, that being said, a verbal agreement doesn't hold up anywhere, especially in court. Unless you signed paperwork, you don't owe anyone anything.

Headhunters try to put you in a job in where their profit is over what you make by a specific percentage, in most cases they are looking for their next bonus. Don't let them say otherwise.

With that, it's in up to you, this is your life, we can offer a suggestion, but in reality you are asking, so I will say, take ACME and say sorry to the other company, they will not loose any sleep over you saying thanks but no thanks.