Accepting Offer Then Reneging

I completed a at a BB in its commercial bankIB first and then try to interview a year or two from now? Most importantly, would a career in commercial banking and credit really lead to less opportunities for success in the future? By this I do not mean just PE/, but also other areas in finance.

How to carefully renege on an offer

Reneging on a job offer is a choice that will vary between each individual. It is important to weigh your options and consider your decision timeline. It is an ethnically ambiguous area.

Consider the proverb: A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

If you accept an offer (as a failsafe) make sure you are already deep in the process with the bank or firm that is your number one choice. That way you minimize the impact of the renege.

EX. Accepting a back office position while in the interview process for a front office position. Then, reneging two weeks later for a written offer in the front office.

Communicate your decision as quickly and succinctly as possible. Reveal minimal information in your call or email about where you accepted the offer.

Fallout. Be prepared for a major fall out if you renege on an offer. Consider all bridges burned with the firm you reneged on.

from certified user @buysideguy"

Just tell them that you have decided to go in a different direction, apologize for having to do this and thank them for giving you the opportunity/offer. Tell them you think they are a great firm and etc.

They will be pissed no matter what though, so your not going to come away on good terms.

Recommended Reading

 

I reneged on a full-time offer to a non NYC-IB to a BB and am very happy with my decision. The fall out immediately afterwards was not ideal but if you do reach the point where you have that decision to make, ensure that you handle it properly and be very polite about it. There is no point in burning bridges with school or your old firm unnecessarily, plus you never know who could be connected to who.

At the end of the day its your life, if you feel that IB is what you want to do and you are already in the process of interviewing prior to the explosion of your offer, I say go for it. If you keep actively exploring more opportunities long after you have signed your offer, then it becomes a little more iffy.

I was also at a non-target and didn't interview OCR for my FT position, I am not sure if you are going through the system and if/how that could affect you.

 

I would renege on the commercial bank offer if you receive an IB offer. Tell them you want to pursue IB. I don't see how anyone who is sensible would question you or hold that against you.

Like Carnage said in the previous post: "It's your life." If you start off in IB, you open up a ton of options that are not possible for someone starting off in commercial banking. Worst case, if you start off as an IB analyst, you can easily move over to CB if that is what you decide is best. On the other hand, I don't see a MM commercial banking analyst being able to move into an IB analyst role.

Further, there is a huge gap between IB pay and CB pay. I would highly recommend taking the IB job, which is going to pay ~2x (bonus included) what the CB analyst job is going to pay in year 1 (and the gap increases substantially in subsequent years). This will set your compensation levels for all future positions over the next several years.

For example, if you make ~$100k+ in total comp your first year out of college, then that is your market rate on which to base future salary negotiations - for any position (IB, CB, or others). Conversely, if you make $65k in total comp (the level at which I understand MM CB starts), then that is your market rate for all positions going forward.

Again, it's your life. Don't short change yourself in the fear of pissing off an employer or school, especially for something that literally could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars and significantly more opportunities over the next 5 years of your life.

 

Thanks for the advice. Any other thoughts?

I think it's important to note I have been invited to several Superdays but NO actual IB offers yet, whereas the commercial bank's offer is at a BB bank. Plus, I haven't even decided if the IB life is a good fit for me.

This means that my two options are:

1) Decline CB offer and attempt what's left of IB recruiting 2) Accept CB offer and renege if something better comes along

 

Potential consequences in addition to getting blacklisted at that BB are your MDs / superiors calling up their buddies at other banks and telling them what you did. You have no idea who they know, and if they're aware of what you actually want to do, they'll tell their buddies in those groups at other banks. Then you'll be pretty much fucked.

Reneging is a serious decision that only you can make. I do suggest telling the firms you're interviewing with that you have an outstanding offer at a BB (I wouldn't tell them it's BO unless they ask).

 

I don't think the HR girl would call everyone, but you'd almost certainly be blacklisted at that bank. If the seniors in the group are pissed enough though, then they'll tell whoever they want to not give you a job.

While they probably won't tell the small shops you're looking at, you'd still be risking not being able to lateral to a big firm after a couple years.

 

You'd be surprised at the network people have to start their own shops (even if small). Management likely have connections at the firm you received the offer from. You don't want to come up at some HH with someone's college buddies as that kid who really fucked the BB group over by reneging.

It's your decision to make, but why not just tell the smaller firms that you have an offer and need to respond? Anyone who really wants you will accelerate the timeline.

 

I'd also like to mention the job is in a different state and the recruiter works in the East Coast. Do you think the recruiter will tell everyone they know from the East and West Coast about a kid who backed out of an entry level Back Office development program with the amount of options the firm has?

 

You know the answer to that question is "no". What can happen is someone (somehow) finds out where you went and knows someone there. Then they could pass the story along. You wouldn't get fired but sure would have egg on your face.

I have numerous stories I can tell you about just how small the world becomes during your career. It sounds like you want someone to say "no, it's not bad to go back on your word... you'll be fine". If that's the case, you've made up your mind that reneging isn't the worst thing in the world. If that's your thinking it IS your decision to make and own.

 

I have to say these responses are exaggerated. I think even an MD in the Back Office has better things to do than talk about an entry-level hire that decided to pursue a different career. Based on turnover I see in HR for non-business lines like BO, the recruiter you are dealing with will likely be at another firm in 2 years anyway.

Do you even get a signing bonus for this BO role at the BB?

 

Yes, there is a signing bonus at the BB, but the positions I'm interviewing for the other firms are more in line with what I want to do. At the end of the day, the BB position I applied to was just intentionally a backup. I just don't want to renege and then find out I don't have anything lined up once I graduate as a result.

 

Also the people I interviewed with aren't even the ones that are going to be my supervisors/managers. They work with the firm, but not in a back office role. They were pretty much brought in from different areas of the company to help interview from that local office.

 

absolute worst case scenario: the guys you reneged on calls the guys you reneged them for and then explains the situation. they withdraw offer and you get zero jobs. of course if they never find out where you're going this won't happen...

I've heard of MM to BB reneging, but BB to better BB seems like minimal upside for a lot of risk. Maaaaybe if it was going from Citi (nothing against Citi) to GS... but even then...

 

Yes seen the article listed above. It makes it seem like it's a terrible idea.

What about talking to the recruiter and asking to extend the deadline? Is this risky?

 

Honestly i would take what you can get. Unemployment is a slippery slope, personally, I would work for a year and then get in contact with a headhunter. If you renege too soon it may look bad to prospective employers. Plus you can always go the commercial banking route, you will gain great contacts as you get more senior and although the bonus structure is not as good as banking the lifestyle is better.

 
abacab:
The HR I was working with in my company (consulting) recently said she complains to career center about those who renege. Not sure what's the impact of that.

It screws over all the young people for recruiting next year. I've heard of banks completely wihdrawing OCR after two incoming analysts from the school reneged one month into the job.

Its a dick move but at the end of the day, your trying to maximize your gains not everyone else's

 

accept. always best to have a backup. and let's be real, if an entry-level analyst renegs, it's not like the whole company turns sideways. it's a pain in the ass for hr from a staffing perspective, but other than that, people will get over it.

that being said, if you're going to reneg, be polite, don't beat around the bush and try not to salt the wound.

 

Are you still in school? Did you get your internship through OCR? If yes to both of those questions, a lot of college career centers require employers to allow a certain amount of time to decide. For instance, they will have a certain date, before which offers are not allowed to explode.

If you didn't get this through OCR, then you'll need to negotiate the deadline with them. There are threads on this, just do a quick search.

 

As Higheck pointed out, don't do it by email. Call HR/Whoever gave you the offer directly. Since its a completely different "career", it should not be too big of a deal. I would definitely point that out, as to show that you're not reneging for a different company doing the same work, but wanting to pursue a different route entirely.

Hugo
 

Additionally, if the first offer was unpaid, renege based on the fact that the second is (even if it isn't). It is understandable from their perspective. You are a student after all. Before you "dump" them though, be sure to not burn the bridge and thank them immensely for the opportunity.

 

I was in the exact same situation...signed an offer early during recruiting season and reneged four months later after getting a better one. I just called my HR contact and informed them I would not be joining the company, sorry for the inconvenience, best of luck, etc.

IMO, this should have no negative bearing with your future employer. It is not ethical for the first company or your career center to jeopardize your employment prospects in that matter.

 

You shouldn't be in any legal trouble, as your contract is likely "at will" - which means you or they can terminate your employment at any time without notice. I would be honest with the F100 company. Tell them where your true interest lies and that you've received an opportunity that you can't pass out. They'll be upset, but hopefully understanding.

 

EXACT same situation happened with me (well, almost... I accepted a FT at the F100). I did exactly what BabyBeluga said (call them up, explain the situation, be honest, and send a follow up letter after the call), and it worked out fine. I don't expect the F100 to consider me again in the future, but it just wasn't what I was really interested in. Definitely was one of the toughest phone calls I've had to make, but you'll feel better after. Oh, and don't be overly specific.

 

I don't know much about inter-dealer brokers.... but here's my take on things.

Be straight about it, but also don't give a lot of details. Say something along the lines that you are very grateful about the offer, but that an unexpected opportunity has come around and you would really regret not taking it. Don't give too many details.

Reneging might affect your IB offer. If your other firm is well connected, they could call up the IB HR department, and you could have your offer rescinded. This is why you want to renege on a good note.

My gut says yes, but there are people who accepted offer while reneging.

--Death, lighter than a feather; duty, heavier than a mountain
 

accept offer, receive confirmation that they recieived it , then reneg. Dont give details, ust day that you received an opportunitiy that is more in aline with your long term carreer goals.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

I think people often blow things out of proportion on here. People do not care enough about you to call up a banks HR to tell them some college kid reneged on them. You won't be the first and you won't be the last.

Just explain that you have received an offer you cannot turn down and that you appreciate the offer that they gave you.

 

Grow some balls and call....it's the least you can do.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

Yankees2009 - you are either an idiot or live under a rock. Have you not heard of the Jeffrey Chiang story? If not, then look it up. Couple lessons can be learned from that - first being, WALLSTREET IS A VERY VERY SMALL COMMUNITY. Second, given this economic environment, do not play stupid games during the recruiting process - if people think you're playing them, then your reputation could be completely trashed in a matter of days. Be honest with recruiters - if you're looking elsewhere, tell them that - they are not idiots and will understand you are doing what's best for you. But don't be an idiot - know where the line is, don't be shady and understand your negotiating position - remember, the employment environment is still pretty bleak out there.

 

@Wangta, this is a completely different situation from Jeffrey Chiang. Jeff lied about getting an offer and forged an offer letter as "proof". Simply reneging an offer, although frowned upon, is nowhere near as bad.

@OP, I'd still interview with the BB, but if the topic comes up, be open and honest - say that you accepted an offer already but still prefer the BB. They may be understanding, particularly since it was an exploding offer and you were pretty much forced to accept it for now. If you do end up reneging, you'll probably burn a few bridges at the MM firm, but there's no avoiding that, and in the long run, you'll probably be better off at the BB anyway. It's a delicate situation - just be absolutely sure to not lie to anyone.

 

There is no industry blacklist. Especially if this is in a different country, in a different industry, there is no chance this will come back to bite you. Companies are not going to devote their time to sinking your career, especially at the entry level...you are entirely replaceable. Don't tell your old company where you will be working, but do send a note in the near future.

At least at my college, the career center is not much use after graduation except for things like resume reviews. I would just make sure that you will still have access to the alum database.

 

Why didn't you just ask for an extension if you were in interview rounds with that second opportunity? Or did it completely pop up after you already accepted? If so, come on man, shame on you.

There may be legal ramifications if you actually submitted acceptance paperwork; that's what my career service center told me. You should consult them yourself and have them look at finer details.

But come on son.

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-ash2/41787_214277156210_9019_n…

 

No legal consequences. They really don't care. There are literally thousands of people waiting to take your place, all with comparable skills. They probably even have a list of backups if somebody reneges.

Of course, if you got a signing bonus already, you will need to give it back, but otherwise you are fine.

Job hunting after sending in signed paperwork is bad form, but you cannot afford to turn down opportunities in this economy. Know that the firm would rescind your offer instantly if they decided they didn't need new hires this year. They won't sue you or anything...it would be a massive legal stretch, and just calling their attorney would cost more than they would ever get from you.

 

People reneg. You won't be the first and you won't be the last. You have to do what is right for you, people will understand this.

Pretty sure companies can't say anything other than whether you worked there or not for fear of slander suits.

 
proforma:
So you want to turn down a job offer because you MIGHT get an interview which MIGHT lead to better offer?

IMO that is a huge risk to take considering the job market right now. Unless you a superstar and can shit gold bricks in which case renege and shoot for the moon.

No, I was planning on accepting the offer and then continue interviewing. If something comes up that's better, then I was going to make my decision to reneg or not. However, my concern is whether those companies that I continue interviewing with will contact the firm I accepted the offer from since it is my past internship and it is on my resume.

 

Normally I would say go ahead and reneg, do whats best for you, but there are definitely problems with doing it.

A) You will be screwing over the company you worked with over the summer, and they will need to re-recruit, they will also probably hate you.

B) If you interview elsewhere, and they call for a background check after they give you the offer and your past employer tells them that you had previously accepted an offer and reneged, the new firm could pull their offer, leaving you with nothing at all.

C) Career services will have a major problem with you reneging because it looks awful for the school, and really hurts the chances of future candidates from your school.

That being said, if you have an offer from a no-name crappy boutique, and have the opportunity to interview with GS, MS and JPM (and actually have confidence that you have a good shot at getting interviews and succeeding in them) then go for it and roll the dice.

 

The most common answer you're going to get is to network. You're a URM, that's a huge plus, you have a stacked resume that isn't poor at all, and you don't have a bad background for what you wanna get into. The only problem is that reneging is going to burn bridges at that bank, so if you want to work at that BB again, you're fucked. In your scenario (1), is that moving to another group within the same firm? I'm not sure how that'd work out considering you already signed somewhere in the bank. Scenario (3), you only signed for one year? That's unusual.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 
A Posse Ad Esse:
The most common answer you're going to get is to network. You're a URM, that's a huge plus, you have a stacked resume that isn't poor at all, and you don't have a bad background for what you wanna get into. The only problem is that reneging is going to burn bridges at that bank, so if you want to work at that BB again, you're fucked. In your scenario (1), is that moving to another group within the same firm? I'm not sure how that'd work out considering you already signed somewhere in the bank. Scenario (3), you only signed for one year? That's unusual.

Thanks for your input!

1) Yes it would be moving to a team in NY (haven't applied anywhere within the bank yet)

3) Well it's a two year program but they take a way the initial sign on bonus if you leave before the 1 year anniversary

I hate to use the URM card since I much rather get what i want on my merits (but i guess at this point anything helps) but are there any good programs out there that any one knows of to get into a FO / reserach positions?

“I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.” - Malone
 

Do not tell company A about the competing offer. Do not ask for more money.

Either renege or dont. I was in a similar position about 2yrs ago. Ended up reneging on a high yield gig at an insurance company to take my current job because yolo. I reneged a few days before the start date, but after completing all of the background checks, etc.

Just call them up, tell them to fuck off, and be done with it. No finesse necessary, just rip the bandaid off. They are going to hate you either way, but at least this way they wont think you're a pussy as well.

Just be 100% the other offer is real. I would also tell company B about the predicament you're in and make sure they are okay with it before dropping the bomb.

Array
 

I agree with this. I only reneged until after I passed my second company's background check and I was good to go. Don't renege on the first offer right after you sign the papers. Signing doesn't mean shit unless you can pass the background check.

 

My personal thought is that a bird in hand = 2 in the bush. You can always try to transfer after a year or so if you really don't like it.

That being said, it's hard to make a real recommendation because you haven't given us any details about the jobs. What would you be doing in both? Are they both FO?

"There's nothing you can do if you're too scared to try." - Nickel Creek
 

You haven't gotten an offer yet, so when you get the offer, see what the time line is. You might have enough time to be able to interview for the second one and receive a decision on it, then that should be able to help you with the decision you need to make regarding offer #1.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

Definitely dont reneg that late. Maybe you won't have to make the decision as you may be getting into MBB (this work out that way sometimes)

I would say whether you would rather be in sales or ER rather than your location. That is what will matter more in the long run.

 
-_-:
Definitely dont reneg that late. Maybe you won't have to make the decision as you may be getting into MBB (this work out that way sometimes)

I would say whether you would rather be in sales or ER rather than your location. That is what will matter more in the long run.

Lets say I take up the BB Sales offer and sign before Xmas. I spoke to an alumni from one of the MBB I am interviewing at and he said that offers are usually made quite late - could be in Feb/March 2011

So If I was lucky enough to get an MBB offer and decide to go for MBB, would it kill off my future of ever working in a BB?

 

The world is small, but it isn't THAT small. If you accept both and renege on one, it is probably not going to affect you. That said, some things to consider:

1) If you renege at a bank, don't expect to ever get a job offer at that bank again - regardless of the country or position. 2) It's a total asshole thing to do to an employer. You're taking a spot away from someone else. Also, what are you going to say when people ask you what you'll be doing next year? Are you going to lie to them too? 3) If it did come back to your selected employer, you'd run the risk of losing your job. The last thing you want is to be unemployed at graduation with recruiting season behind you. This could be a career ruining move for you -- is the upside worth it?

While it is a crappy situation to be in, it happens to folks ALL the time. Also -- I did long distance for my first two years out of college while I was in banking. It wasn't optimal, but we got through it. Long story short, it's not worth damaging your career (at this point).

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

Really really BAD idea. If you accept offer A assume you have to do a BG check.. say if you decide you want to switch to offer B.. they will find out during their BG check you worked somewhere else. Not a good idea. Shows lack of ethics and I'm sure you are liable to get fired.

 

You're in dangerous territory here and there's not enough info to really parse out the full spectrum of options. Given only the info above, don't do it. Pick the one you want more and just go with it, and/or use the other offer as leverage for higher starting pay.

If you want to "discover yourself", this isn't the way to do it.

Get busy living
 

Judging by the apparent "types" of internship, A seems more structured. Stick with that unless B seems like something you'd really like to do. I can't really distinguish which is better with the given information.

Bottom line, just play it safe, choose one.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
 

I had planned on doing this once but the second offer i was hoping for didn't pan out. I say definitely do it. You really have nothing to lose since the two companies, as you said, are in different industries and geographic locations. At the end of the day it's better to have a job that you love and be hated, than have a job you hate and be loved.

 
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Sometimes lies are more dependable than the truth.
 

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