Got another job offer after accepting one
Backing out of an accepted position for a more lucrative offer risks burning professional bridges and violating school career center policies against reneging. The fear of having the new application jeopardize the already accepted job or making a referring friend look bad often leaves people paralyzed about pursuing the better opportunity.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Sticking with the initially accepted job to avoid burning bridges or disappointing a friend who provided a referral.Did this help you?
- 2Seeking anonymous advice online to objectively weigh the financial upside against commute times and potential reputational damage.Did this help you?
- 3Planning a direct phone call to the hiring manager to gracefully back out without asking for a counteroffer.Did this help you?
- 4Sticking it out at the accepted job and trying to transfer locations laterDid this help you?
- 5Applying quietly and not listing the already-accepted company as a referenceDid this help you?
- 6Relying on at-will employment agreements to interview without feeling guiltyDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Received enticing job offer a week after accepting new job offer. What to do?”source ↗
“Basically I’m intrigued by the bigger base and think getting indirect experience would be good, but worry it’d burn a bridge since I already accepted the Job A before getting my new offer.”source ↗
“A close friend of mine was just hired at Job A and referred me to interview, which also gives social pressure. I don’t want to make them look bad.”source ↗
“I wouldn’t want me applying to another job to affect my job that I already accepted.”source ↗
“I am now very enticed to apply to this position but am scared it is not a good idea.”source ↗
“If my current company finds out that would not be great I’m sure and it even says in my schools career center website that the schools policy is against interviewing if you already accepted an offer and especially reneging.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Should I accept a counteroffer after resigning?
- 2Should I still do internships after getting a full-time job offer?
- 23How to choose between job offers when you have a baby on the way
- 10Should I take an internal job transfer for more pay?
- 2Should I take a lateral job offer?
- 7Should I take a buyout offer after 20 years?