reneging a back office offer at BB to take a consulting offer?

Received an offer to be a mid level(manager) at a back office Finance function at a BB, was under pressure to make a decision within a week, so I accepted it and currently in the process of fingerprinting/drug screening, etc. However, I recently received another offer from a dream position at a consulting firm. Does anyone have any suggestions on whether I should renege the previous offer that I signed with the BB? Will it affect my employment/offer with the consulting firm?

Appreciate your comments!

21 Comments
 

Are you kidding?

The question here is not whether you should renege or not, it's how to do so while causing minimum fuss.

My 2 cents:

If you haven't signed any contract yet, easy peasy: just send them a curt email that due to emerging circumstances you are no longer able to take on their offer and apologize for the disruption (although hint that the short time to decide didn't help). Don't mention the name of the company you are going to.

If they contact the consulting company (when you eventually start your work there, and upgrade you linkedin/whatever because I can see no other way for them to discover where you are going), which I find unlikely, just explain that you were put under heavy pressure to accept within a short timeframe.

 

THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS

FrabjousThe question here is not whether you should renege or not, it's how to do so while causing minimum fuss.
Seriously, what the fuck are you going to do? Cancel your dream job and work some shitty one so that you can make a bunch of strangers happy? BBs can't even offer you security at this point, so WTF happens if they lay you off in a year?
Get busy living
 

Why is this such an issue ?

Dump them and that's it. Don't even tell them where you are going. They won't hesitate to lay you off with some stupid corporate bullshit sentence "It's not you it's us blala you are amazing but we still let you go"

If they find out nobody will care actually, just tell the consulting firm that you were put under abnormal pressure to accept but that you really wanted to work for them.

 
Best Response

Allow me to be sufficiently post-colonial as to use an American Football vs Soccer analogy. (LDN bankers will love this)

So, you really like football and you are offered the waterboy position at the Supoerbowl champs and you accepted. Then.... You were offered a position as a key striker at the English Premier league champions & Champions league winners. Sure you like football, but you're not too keen on being a waterboy, but you like $$$ over relative poverty. Obviously, you'd love the chance to earn £200,00 per WEEK (yes soccer players earn that) and score goals in front of a billion viewers Rather than watch your peers get mad NFL money & shiny superbowl champ rings along with 300 million other viewers.

Rough translation: Take the consulting offer! %*#@ the BB back office.

- Ostende Mihi Pecuniam -
 

I feel you bro. You should take your consulting firm and politely tell the bank your earlier decision was hastened by the lack of information and the limited time to decide. You regret that profusely and will continue to seek the best for yourself.

Or better, say that you met with two employees at the bank and they turned you off so much that you don't see yourself working with these people.

 
johnnie.welkertell the bank your earlier decision was hastened by the lack of information and the limited time to decide. You regret that profusely and will continue to seek the best for yourself.
DO NOT DO THIS
Get busy living
 

Animi fugiat in explicabo doloribus dolor. Aut fugiat consequuntur expedita et doloribus sunt commodi enim. Soluta rerum et fuga velit iste nisi. Sed vero sequi nisi modi nesciunt et rerum voluptas.

Quibusdam tempore adipisci cupiditate deleniti. Aut maxime qui non perspiciatis autem nisi quasi. Porro veritatis totam numquam quidem tenetur deserunt. Ut vel et adipisci harum blanditiis architecto animi. Incidunt tempora doloribus porro voluptatum qui dolor mollitia dignissimos.

Velit quia facilis ipsam minus et. Quam qui expedita quisquam distinctio aut nihil dolorem.

At tempore veniam repudiandae aut debitis ut cupiditate aut. Ut sapiente veritatis temporibus qui maxime. Dolores harum vitae quos consectetur quo voluptatem aliquid. Voluptatem accusamus non commodi vitae molestiae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (170) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (355) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (391) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1164) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (633) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”