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offer got rescinded after getting offer letter and date of joining

corona Coronavirus covid19 New
New answer on Sep 13, 2021
12 Answers
6.7 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Apr 07, 2020

Hi,

Few days back after getting offer hr told the joining will be extended again he called me and informed the offer is being revoked. He mentioned "projects are on hold due to corona effect" get back to you when they release offer.

Can I expect call/offer from them again?

Please help me with this.

(edited)

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Anonymous replied on Apr 07, 2020

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that. It must be really frustrating to hear such news. Do try to ask whether a later start date would be possible, if you can afford to wait a bit.

Would you mind sharing a bit more info about the company and region you are in? Just think that it might be useful information for others on this platform.

Hang in there,

Emily

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Sidi
Expert
updated an answer on Apr 08, 2020
McKinsey Senior EM & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 350+ candidates secure MBB offers

Hi!

To me this sounds like a very clumsy way of pushing your start date forward. I it is unimaginable for me that any MBB firm would handle the situation in such a way, but with smaller firms it seems like it might happen unfortunately.

So my advice would be to "help" the firm to handle this a litle bit more professionally. Try to get on the phone with a person within HR that has adequate seniority (not the recruiting assistant). Then explain your situation in a polite and composed manner and outline what you would like to understand from this call: whether the offer is "frozen" until they have a better view on their project outlook, or whether they have really made the decision to just pull back the offer?

At least this should give you some clarity on the situation (which the firm clearly didn't manage to give you until now).

Good luck! And don't be disheartened - even such negative experiences usually pay a positive dividend in the long run! Essentially all successes that I achieved in my life were, in the retrospective, direct consequences of earlier "failures" and would not have happened without these failures.

Cheers, Sidi

(edited)

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Luca
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 07, 2020
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello,

Sorry to hear that, I understand that this could be really frustrating. Yet, don't worry too much because there are high chances of receiving an offer from them in the future. They have already done a little investment on you completing the interviews, and they won't forget a profile that seemd to fit the company requirements.
Be sure to show yourself motivated and try keep in touch with HRs to be posted on the developments.

Best,
Luca

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Dorothea
Expert
replied on Apr 07, 2020
Ex-Oliver Wyman with 100% interview success rate - specialized in female career coaching

Hi anonymous,

I understand that this situation is rather uncomfortable for you.

Right now the firms do not know the impact of the Corona situation and their demand for new consultants. Once they know, they should in my opinion obviously get back to you. You passed the interview and they regard you as a valuable addition to their team - Corona does not change that. The only thing that may have changed is team size, so it may happen that they cannot offer you a position at least this year.

As unpleasant as it may be, give it a bit more time. If you haven't heard from them in a few weeks, you can still call and ask politely for any news on the issue.

Best
Dorothea

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Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 08, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

did you sign a contract after receiving the offer letter? It is very unusual for a consulting company to rescind an offer instead of postponing the starting period if you signed the contract. If so, could you share which is the company? It would be useful for other candidates for future applications.

In both cases, I would recommend to followup with the company yourself and try to negotiate a later start instead of having the offer rescinded.

Best,

Francesco

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Anonymous replied on Apr 07, 2020

Hi,

It looks like many consulting firms have decided to close the 2020 hiring campain. You should call them to ask is it's possilbe to get a contract for Jan 2021 or any other postponed date.

Good luck

David

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6
Vlad
Expert
replied on Apr 07, 2020
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

I doubt that they will get back themselves. But you can always get back to them later, once the economy gets better. They'll have good records on you

Best

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 07, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Sorry to hear that...

I would contact them inmediately and verify whether they push your entrance date -for which a new project will need to be written and signed, etc.- or if they toss you.

The second seems most unliketly to me, given they have done the effort of interviewing you, etc. Furthermore, you met the bar, so it´s unlikely they change their mind!

What I see most problematic here is the fact that you will most liketly not be able to wait until they re-start again, and will find something else. Hence, maybe this is the reason they seem t "break the contract"

In any case, call them asap to clarify and think your next steps

Good luck!

Cheers,

Clara

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Daniel
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 07, 2020
McKinsey / ex-Interviewer at McKinsey / I will coach you to rock those interviews

Hi! Can you please share with the community which company was it? Thanks!

Best,
Daniel

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Anonymous replied on May 22, 2020

Dear A,

I'm very sorry to read this. In this situation I would say, yes, they will probably get back to you later this year. But I would definitely recommend you to look around for other firms at the moment and also stay in touch with HR and to ask him (maybe once in month), whether there are any news on when you can join the company. Basically, closely contact with HR on a regular basis.

Hope, it helps.

Good luck,
André

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Anonymous C replied on Sep 13, 2021

I want to share a recent experience that has jolted me personally and professionally.

Recently, BCG India approached me for a role in their APAC marketing team. After multiple rigorous rounds of interviews with marketing and consulting leaders from two continents at BCG, I got the job offer. Excited, I humbly accepted it.

Weeks before the joining date, the recruiter told me that BCG decided to revoke my offer. I was understandably shocked and asked for details. The team refused to share any.

It was unimaginable for me that any MBB firm would work in such an unprofessional manner and leave a candidate with such an unpleasant experience.

I am sure this is not a one-off incident. I am also not the only one dealing with immoral and unfair professional conduct during COVID. Every organization must conduct recruitment ethically and engage with the employees fairly, transparently, and on merit. And every employee going through any unethical practice must highlight it in a forum to bring awareness.

Being aware is the only way to be safe.

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Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Apr 30, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
unfortunately, nobody now is able to predict the precise effects on each business. The 2 true facts today are that interviews are taking place regularly but online instead than face to face, and that many new consulting projects are being paused. Therefore if this lockdown continues for long it can cause a shrinking in new hires.

Best,
​Antonello

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