As my previous work place enters its final fortnight of existence, many of its employees are still engaged in the search for gainful employment beyond June 25th (others, fortunately, have already found such relief). Coincidentally, I was on a lunch date today with one of my few remaining friends from the bank where I worked before switching jobs in 2001. As it happened, he was telling me about a manager friend of his who'd recently complained to him that all of the employees from the soon-to-be-shuttered company that he'd interviewed and extended offers to were declining those offers, sometimes in a somewhat rude manner.
I, of course, couldn't help but think back to this post, from three and a half years ago, in which I lamented the entitlement culture that was growing there. Now, for all I know, the bank may be paying terribly compared to what we made at my last job; but I really wonder about the attitude - if this perception is in any way accurate - that would lead someone to not just turn down a job but also burn a bridge in the process. And the bridge might not just be burned for the one or two individuals in question, as things like this can tarnish an entire company's reputation if it happens more than once. I hope it's an exaggeration, but on the other hand: I can't say as it would completely surprise me if it were true in a few cases. After all, I worked with quite a few people who had no notion of just how good they had it, and who also tended to behave as if Mommy or Daddy would come along and clean up any (literal or figurative) mess they happened to make. So this might just be an extension of that, if true.
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2 comments:
What kind of rude?
I didn't hear any details of the alleged rudeness.
But here's the thing: when turning down a job offer, the professional way to do so is - in person or over the phone - to tell the other party that you appreciate the extension of an offer but regret that you can't accept it at this time. You might provide a reason, such as "I've accepted another offer elsewhere/I'm no longer in the market" or "I have salary expectations that this offer unfortunately wouldn't satisfy", or you might not. But if you do it graciously, there's no way any reasonable person would characterize it as "rude." Hiring managers understand that they don't land every prospect they make an offer to, and that that's part of the game. But to leave the sort of impression that apparently was made here, you have to do something a little... special.
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