Can a Consulting firm take an offer back?

Hi there,

You should be ok! HR can just be slow sometimes.

I've seen it happen, but only in extremely rare and extenuating circumstances (main example being the '08 Financial Crisis).

Sit tight and stay calm. Please don't send another email right now. Wait another week and then pick up the phone and call!

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on (accepting) the offer!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Generally speaking, since you already signed the contract and sent it back, chances are almost none that the company will revoke the offer. I understand that it still is stressful until you finally possess the written contract from both sides, still I would advise you to relax and “trust the system”.
• In case you really want to be sure, maybe wait for another week and then very politely call HR about whether they have well received the written contract.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your upcoming career entry, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

It isn't unusual that sometimes a few weeks pass until you hear back. The firm taking back the offer is highly unlikely. 

Dont fear this and be patient. Many things could be holding up progress in the backend. 

I personally have never heard an offer been pulled back after a contract is generated and sent for signatures. But, things are volatile and unpredictable (COVID partly to blame), and stuff can happen. Not that am indicating this is the case in your situation.

Wait for another week or so and then call HR or one of the interviewers to check.

All the best and fingers crossed for you.

HR processes are known for sometimes taking longer than they should. It is unfortunately normal.

Consulting firms will rarely take an offer back. They are continuously hiring people, and people leave all the time. If they realize the business is not going as well as expected, they will just hire less people, they don't need to retract offers, as there is no “fix" number to have (and if there was, they could just wait 3 months until another consultant decides to move somewhere else).

So don't fret about it. Unless there is a very obvious and strong reason to take the offer back, it won't happen. Consulting firms have a reputation to maintain, and they know the word spreads out quite fast if they do something like that, and they don't want to have a smaller talent pool next recruiting season! ;)