How unethical is it to accept an offer and decline it afterwards?

Hi there,

1) Is it possible to stall the acceptance for ~2 weeks and in the meanwhile interview with Firm A?

It may be possible. Sometimes they give you less time to accept (eg 1 week). 

In any case, if you get B, you can contact A to try to accelerate as much as possible mentioning the offer – in my case it worked well and I managed to finish the process in time.

2) Assuming it's not possible to stall the acceptance of the offer, how unethical will it be to accept Firm B's offer and then interview with Firm A? Potentially getting an offer there too and rejecting Firm B's offer after accepting it?

It is not a great situation but if what is mentioned in 1) doesn’t work, you don’t have real alternatives:

1. No reasons to reject B with the hope to get A
2. No reasons to stick to B if you also get A later on, if you want to work at A

Overall this happens quite often, in particular in the Tier 2 vs Tier 1 comparison (although for obvious reasons people don’t talk much about it). Have a chat with the hiring manager, explain that the process with A started before you accepted the offer (assuming that’s true) and that you were not expecting that offer and is your dream company.

You may burn bridges, but if the company is a Tier 2 they most likely have seen this in the past and you are not likely to work there in the future anyway.

The only real thing you have to pay attention to is if there are legal consequences linked to the contract with B in case of early resignation – I know some companies put penalties if that happens.

Hope this helps and all the best with your recruiting process!

Francesco

Hi there, 

Tricky situation indeed. In short, taking your questions one by one:

1) You can try it. It doesn't always work, though sometimes it can work to get an extension on the offer. 

2) Quite unethical, but (most likely - depending on the contract that you sign) not illegal. It rather has to do with your values. If you think only of your own skin, rationally it makes sense to accept all the offers until you get to see whether your target firm is offering you a job as well, then choosing. In practice, morals change the game a bit. The worse thing that can happen is that in a small market people may know and remember you, which is problematic over the long run. 

Is there an option I didn't think about? Yes - you can accept the offer from firm B and start working there. In the meantime, see if you can get an offer from firm A. You know have even more time to prepare so you don't even need to rush with the interviewing process. If you do get an offer, ask for a deferral of entry by 6 months and in the meantime continue working for firm B. Then resign in six months and switch to Firm A. This way you minimised risk, honoured your promises and gained quite a bit of work experience in the industry in the meantime. 

Hi there,

Here's a previous Q&A on the topic that you might find helpful: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/taking-a-new-offer-after-having-accepted-one-10846

The short answer is that it is unethical.

Here's the problem though: You're counting your chickens before they hatch! You might get offers from both firms or neither of them! Or, 1 might give you an offer and the other doesn't. In only 1 (unlikely) scenario do you have a problem.

Here's the order of operations:

1) Apply to as many firms as you can (not just 2)

2) If your preferred firm is delaying, and you have other interviews upcoming, push the preferred firm to accelerate the process!

3) If you get an offer from a non-preferred firm, ask for them to give you time (make up a reason/excuse)

4) If they say no, then you'll have to decide whether you'll sign knowing you might renege the contract (cross that bridge when you get there)

Hi there,

This is a VERY common situation to be in and plenty of candidates either do #1 or #2 because that about sums up your options (technically #3 would be to take the offer you don't want and stick with it, but we'll ignore that for now). 

Regarding the options, here's my advice:

• #1: Try to come up with a reasonable explanation to ask for more time. By reasonable, I mean don't tell them they're only back up or, the other extreme, come up with some outrageous made up story. You're simply asking for more time because it's a major impact in your life trajectory and you want to think it through well!
• #2: Reneging is not pretty but it's not uncommon either. When it gets to the point, make sure you're doing it in the most professional way and include a sincere apology. But make no mistake, bridges will be burnt and you'll have to live with the consequences. In case you're an agreeable person, prepare for the discomfort of potential interpersonal conflict.

Again, you're not alone and it's neither moral nor immoral - it's just business!

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck! 

Hello!

Honestly, unethical would be a very strong word for this, since these situations happen all the time in the consulting world. The key is to try to avoid them but, if they happen, just be polite in the explanation not to burn bridges. 

Cheers, 

Clara

I wouldn't encourage it but it's your career and professional relationship/reputation at the end of the day.  I would definitely make sure you are fully aware of any binding clauses in your employment contract with the first offer.