Is it OK to accept a job opportunity while planning on not taking it?

Question

I am currently a student in computer engineering looking for an internship or a job, which is mandatory to validate my year (both internship and regular employment for my school). I'm aware that enterprise tend to prefer choosing internship over a real employment, since it cost less.

I recently got approached in my research by some recruiter who is interested in some of my skills, but it's not really in the sector I plan to branch into. I'm planning to accept the best offer he can give me, to be sure that I got an offer when my school ask me to start working.

But even though I accepted the offer I would still try to apply to either a job that doesn't interest me much more, but which would at least pay me well or, regardless of the pay something that interests me more in the sector I am currently reaching out for. And if I get something that ticks any of those boxes I'll just call the company to tell them I found a better position elsewhere, even if I did start or signed a work-contract.

I won't start to work for two months anyway, so I would not resign, but just call them to let them know I won't take the position, even though I just accepted it.

The tricky thing is that if I have nothing before the start of my year, I get heavily penalized by my school for not having a job, so the number one priority is to get employed.

But should I stay with whatever answered first, or is it risk free if I just tell them I finally won't come to work?

Edit: For those who say that working in an unknown sector to learn a new thing while in school is good, I agree, but I already did an internship in this sector. They want to recruit me for the skill I already have, but I already find my first internship quite boring and that's why I don't really want to work there.

Answer 1

I'm not sure I understood well so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

• You have an offer of internship from Company A
• You don't really want to work in this sector but any offer is better than no offer
• If you can land an other offer in a different sector you're likely to accept it.

If I'm correct you're describing a common state of looking for a job when jobless. And it's totally ok.

What you could do if you're actively looking for other offer is telling company A that you would like to accept their offer but need a bit more time (say 1~2 week see what's acceptable with them). This way you're not committing to anything in case you get an other offer.

Now even if you accept offer from A, if you get another offer before starting working for A you should still be able to cancel with A, just be sure to look into any contract of offer letter you'd sign if there are penalty.

Answer 2

This is a great way to burn bridges

Simply put; don't accept an offer if you do not honestly intend to do the job.

Especially when leaving school, your reputation is lacking and any bump against you can make life significantly harder.

When you accept a job offer, that company will often stop recruitment and inform the other candidates that they weren't successful. If you then go back on the accepted offer, you've left them in a sore spot and proven yourself to be highly unreliable.

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I'd recommend looking for the job you actually want - or one that is valuable enough to you that you'll stick with it, and avoid selling yourself short so early on.

It's worth remembering while you're in school though - that often the day-to-day management makes the biggest difference in your job satisfaction and accepting a job in a slightly different field can give you valuable experience and an equally satisfying career.

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(This following section does not apply to OP's situation in France.) Note that some countries laws may also make you liable for any damage the company suffers from you breaking the employment contract. Please always read up on such laws for your country, or visit Law.SE for specific advice.

Answer 3

What if a company you were interested in offered you a job but then rescinded it after finding a candidate they like more?

Don't do it.

Answer 4

"I have a developer that's asking for a job opening I've got, but they want $5k more per year than I want to spend. Is it okay to hire them, and then replace them with a lower paid substitute a few months after they start the job?"

If that sounds obnoxious, it's because it is.

And you're doing the same thing from the other side of the fence. Knock it off.

Answer 5

There's a saying "you always meet twice", meaning in five years you could be applying for a job at your favorite company and the hiring manager you are fooling now will be responsible for hiring you then. Really.

Answer 6

The exact details of what accepting an offer obligates you to vary from location to location - in some (such as the UK) it technically enters you in to a contract of employment! So it's not something to do lightly, that said if you are planning that any change takes place before you actually start with the employer in question then it's unlikely to have much effect. Not many employers will want you to start when you are already leaving!

But that's not the same as it being "risk free" - at the very least I'd expect this to burn some bridges, if you aren't planning on working in that sector at any point then it's probably no big deal, especially since this is so early on in your career and we are talking about a job that is part of your education rather than a full-on career. But do your best to be as respectful of this employer as you can and give them as much notice as you can - and remember to check what the rules are in your location regarding what obligations you might be incurring by accepting the offer - even if they are minimal.

Answer 7

I had a friend who did just what you describe (and for similar reasons). Of course, they didn't get sued for breach of contract (there's no point in suing a poor student anyway), and nobody wanted them to work for a few weeks then resign (which would have been perfectly legal).

Just understand that your actions have consequences: you're closing yourself a door to the company in question for as long as the memory of their HR staff goes, which may be many years; and it's possible (though unlikely) that your reputation will precede your CV in some other companies as well.

Answer 8

The general answer would be "don't accept if you plan on reneging", but your case seems different.

First, recruiters don't give you offers, hiring managers do. Being approached by a recruiter is a long way away from having an offer. As it stands, a recruiter's interest has probably a 5% chance of leading to an offer. Maybe a bit more for an internship, since as a college student your skills are more commoditized. You're closer to a job than sending a random resume, but this still only a free pass through the initial resume screen.

Second, as an intern, your position would be inherently temporary, and you'd probably be one of many interns. This makes you more replaceable than a permanent employee, and less of a concern for the hiring manager.

As such, to the best of my understanding of your circumstances, the best thing for you at this point would probably be to go forward with the internship-hiring process. Learn more about the company, experience some interviews. Maybe you'll like them, maybe not. As long as you're willing to honestly work there unless you find something better, you're not in all that unusual a position. You're not committed until you have signed the paperwork.

However, when it comes to signing a contract - if your position has one - that's where you should stop and think. First, read that contract. Second, decide on whether you're willing to commit at that point. If you're not in the middle of another hiring process by then, it's probably not practical to just wait doing nothing.

Answer 9

You should never accept an offer unless you fully intend to go through with it.

I have a bit of a story from a similar situation I was in, but I did not do what you're implying.

I was in a somewhat similar position back when I was applying to internships in college. I applied to Job A, which I was really interested in, and then I applied to Job B, which I wasn't terribly interested in but would accept if Job A turned me down. Job B got back to me first, and told me that they wanted me to come work for them. I was given about a week to decide. I had already interviewed with Job A, so I decided to take a gamble: I already had an offer on the table, so I pushed my luck and essentially put that pressure on Company A.

I called them the next day and told them that I had an offer from another company but I really wanted to work for them, so if they wanted me, they'd have to decide soon so I can send Company B a response. Company A called me back the following day and offered me a job.

Now, granted, this does not always work out so well. However, the reason this was better was because a) I did not accept any offers, b) I used the offer I had to negotiate a better one elsewhere, and I did so within the deadline of the offer, and c) I was honest with the employers. I didn't lie to either one, I made it clear I was in talks with two different companies, and I told Company B that an offer that I was more interested in pursuing came up and I decided to take it. I didn't just say "No thanks, not interested" as that would make them feel like I wasted their time just for the heck of it. Most companies tend to understand that when you're actively job hunting, you tend to apply to a couple of different places, instead of betting on one application at a time, especially when you're a student applying to internships.

If Company A had not gotten back in time, I likely would have accepted the B offer otherwise, because I'm not in the business of jerking people around. Company A got back to me so fast that I actually only had been waiting two days out of the 7-day timeline I had been given.

So, in case this wasn't clear, don't accept an offer you don't want.

A couple of other people also mentioned something important: not only is that just a bad move and a great way to burn bridges, it's illegal in some countries as it's a violation of contract.

Instead, if you really are pushing for some other offer, at least try to use it as leverage for the offer you want. That being said, don't leave the other people hanging. At some point, you have to choose whether to accept or reject the offer and accept the consequences associated with that decision. You can't forget that it's their time that's being spent on this as well.

Answer 10

You (predictably) got a lot of push-back based on the notion that you would accept the offer disingenuously but I am not sure this the best way to frame this. You do in fact intend to take the job if you cannot find a better one. That's also the way you should present your decision if you are ever asked about it.

The question therefore becomes “Is it acceptable to keep looking for jobs or take a better one after accepting an offer/starting a job?” and it's difficult to argue you would owe your employer any commitment beyond what's in your contract. The situation is not that different from, say, Leaving employer in the middle of a "big project", offering to help part time.

Note that it doesn't exactly apply to internships but most “real” work contracts in France would have a 2-to-4-month trial period during both the employer and the employee can terminate the contract with minimum notice and a 1-to-3-month notice period after that. So assuming the planned starting date is in a few months, I see absolutely no problem in changing your mind and declining to take the job after initially accepting it.

And even right after starting, leaving with 24 hours is typically perfectly legal (again for an open-ended contract with a trial period). Anybody arguing otherwise need to provide a good rationale for the appropriate length of work you supposedly owe your new employer (Is it 6 months? 12? More?) and why it would be so when the employer has absolutely no corresponding obligation and you're objectively creating less difficulties than a long-time employee leaving (even after their notice period).

In my view, the most problematic aspect of all this is that accepting this internship could deprive a fellow student (possibly someone who really wants to work in this industry) from this opportunity.

Answer 11

Morally you should not do this. It is unfair and not considerate to the company's situation. Legally I can't say I am not sure and maybe it is based on where you live. I would come straight and look for another job you would like to do for experience and getting to know yourself better.

Answer 12

Be completely honest and more forthcoming than anyone they've hired before. Tell the recruiter the exact truth, that the offer is not really for the direction you anticipate going in your career, and that you would prefer to stick closer to your field, but that you would like to be assured a job for the school requirement. Then ask if they would allow you some time to explore other possibilities, without withdrawing their offer, and possibly a period of trial during which you can accept work from someone else with a short notice period.

Be not only not dishonest, but super honest, and see where that gets you.