Accepted an offer already, should I still apply to other firms I'm interested in?

Question

Recently I accepted an offer (onboard date will be 2 months later) which was an acceptable but not ideal job, and I saw several attractive positions I am much more interested in. I am wondering whether I should keep applying to other firms, given that the consulting industry is a small community and my future firm might find out. Could anyone share their similar experience? Would it be huge damage to my reputation if I still look around the job market? Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello!

Without knowing wheter you have started or not -that would be an important KPI-, I would tell you for sure to keep looking.

However, as you say, consulting is a small world so you need to handle it carefully.

Which region are you in? this can be key for assessing.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 2

Hi,

Unfortunately we don't know what specific market you are in and what firms you're looking at. If you're in a country of 4 million and specifically in tech consulting, then there's a different answer to being in the US with management consulting.

I think you need to weigh the risks/rewards here, as well as decide what you represent (as a professional + a person).

Timeline (i.e. how soon until your job starts), size of industry/market, current personal connections/referral options to the new roles, etc. all play a role.

I should also say: The damage to your reputation will be the same if you renege your contract as if you look around the job market (and get found out)!

Answer 3

Hi,

It is okay that you are still looking. I don't think people would know when you started the looking process, i.e. before or after you get your offer.

My question would be how big is the gap between your accepted offer vs your ideal job that you still want to look into. Is it worth the effort now, or later...

Best,

Emily

Answer 4

Hi there,

have you joined already the new firm? If not, I don't see real reputational issues in applying to other firms if the current offer is not attractive to you, as no one knows you in your future firm yet apart for HR and the interviewers (who probably won't remember you). From an ethical point of view is not great, but sometimes you don’t have alternatives.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 5

Hi Anonymous,

Since you did not yet start in your new job and you are not yet sure that you will be fully happy there, it sounds reasonable to still try to find a potentially better fitting option meanwhile. From a legal perspective you might want to be just informed as a baseline - but I could not imagine anyone chasing you legally for that anyway.

(Also in current turbulent times, some job offers were rescinded from the firm's side .. so I would not have bad feelings in your situation about looking still around a bit - apart from the fact that it does not help neither you nor the firm if the match is not good enough)

That being said, consulting is a small world indeed - so be careful while disseminating your applications and try to keep it as close as possible.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Answer 6

Hi

You must not feel trapped in an offer. You really have to go to a place because you really want to. If you have to go elsewhere, you will have to be very careful with your communication to withdraw your commitment, but these are things that have already been done many times in the past.

Better someone who takes responsibility than someone who comes reluctantly right?

Good luck