What happens if I get a better job offer after I've accepted with one company?
This occurs with greater regularity than you'd think. People accept job offers with one company. Then, if they get a better opportunity with another, they renege on the first. The decision as to whether you renege on a job offer that you've accepted must be yours. It's hardly something that could be recommended to you. Nonetheless, it might be worthwhile to examine the implications of reneging, in case you find yourself in a situation where you are giving considerable thought to this action.
There are two circumstances that might bring you to a decision to switch your allegiance even before you join a company. The first of these is the situation in which you accept a job simply because you need bread and butter on the table. You know the job isn't what you want. It doesn't conform to your job objective, near- or long-term. After you accept this job, and before you start work, another job appears on the horizon. This one is just what you want. It is in tune with both your short- and long-range goals. I personally think you would be remiss not to take the second opportunity, since it offers you so much more than bread and butter. In this instance, it seems to me that talking frankly to the people at the bread-and-butter company won't be as traumatic as you think. If you refer to the job objective stated on your resume and your long-term goals (if you talked about them in your interview), the people at this company should agree that your change of heart is best for you and for it.
The second reason why you might think about reneging is different. Simply stated, the second company offered you more money. If money is the only differential, and both first and second opportunities satisfy your career goals, think twice before you renege. The people at the first company might well be vindictive. They might try to get in touch with the second company. They most assuredly would get in touch with the recruiting firms they deal with. Your reputation could be tarnished. Even if you disregard the moral issue of reneging after accepting a job offer, it would seem to be in your best interest to join the company you accepted first, even at the loss of a few dollars. Unless it's a question of career objectives being better fulfilled by the second company, I'd think twice before saying "no" once you've said "yes."
At this point you may well ask, "Is there any way in which I can get the first company to up its ante once I get a second job offer that pays more?" The answer to the question is simple: No. Even if you were to speak to the first company concerning the salary offer of the second, and were able to squeeze a few extra dollars from the first, it wouldn't be in your best interests to do so. Chances are your new boss would think a great deal less of you. You would certainly not be starting off on the right foot in your new affiliation. This situation is something like that of the person who sold a house for $65,000 on a Wednesday, and a real estate agent phoned him on Thursday and asked if the house was still for sale. When he told her "No," she said, "Too bad, because I have a buyer who will offer you $70,000 for your house." So be it. The house is no longer yours.
Is there a simple way to avoid the frustration described above? Yes. When you've accepted an offer with one company, forget your job search. Plan your vacation. Finish up your current work. And if you still find yourself with time on your hands, call your next boss. Ask him if there's anything he'd like you to read before joining his company. Get involved with your next job. You won't have any time to be frustrated.
Be cautious of blind ads
Sometimes I see "blind" ads that I really want to answer. Unfortunately, the job descriptions sound as if they might be placed by my own company. Is there anything I can do to make sure someone in my own outfit doesn't receive a response from me to an ad he placed?
Yes. Put your response to such an ad into an envelope marked with the box number of the advertiser. Put this envelope into another, larger envelope, addressed to the manager of the particular classified department. Include a note describing your problem and indicating the specific company or companies you do not want the inner envelope to be sent to. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times classified departments tell me they will honor your request. No doubt your local paper will honor it as well.
