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Has anyone turned down a job or withdrawn from contention after an interview? What's your experience?
-- What about the company or position made you turn dow a job, you'd initially applied for or been interested in?
-- Was it just a 'feeling' or 'vibe' you got? An instinctual feeling you can't put your finger on?
-- Or did you just realize you don't want the job? or to join that company?
-- Did it make you question or 'second guess' your career goals or aspirations and how they're weighed against other factors -- like quality of life, lifestyle, family issues, etc.?
I have turned down a few jobs. In one case the salary was simply too low. Another was in an area of the country where I simply did not want to live. Two others because I received other, better offers. The last one because it was for a religious employer.
I've done it a couple of times. Usually it's no big deal and they understand. Once I received a call from an agency (head hunter) and got the job offer after interviewing. I got a bad feeling during the interview and turned down the offer.
The agency guy called me ranting and raving about how I wasted his time, etc (translation: he didn't get his fee unless I was hired). He threatened to call my current employer and tell them I was interviewing. I called the employer that he represented (where I interviewed) and basically told them in a professional way what a scumbag this guy was. They apologized and said they would take care of it. I never heard anything again.
A few years later the company where I had the interview went out of business.
Either I got a bad impression from the people interviewing me, or more recently, I found out the salary range for the position was much lower than what I was looking to make. That's why companies should list their salary ranges for the positions they offer so they don't waste their time or the applicant's time. But that makes too much sense for it to happen.
Personally, I might consider taking a hit on salary if the environment seemed really great. I value company culture more than anything else. If I feel like I wouldn't be cohesive in that group, I'm not going to take the job.
Yes, of course. The whole purpose of the interview is to afford both parties the opportunity to explore whether it's a good fit on both sides. Duties, hours, location, expectations, work environment, salary and a host of other factors all play a part in the decision-making where both are concerned and I, like countless others, have declined offers when the "fit" just doesn't seem viable.
Most recently, I was offered two different positions within the same institution. Both seemed like great fits and both would have been a step up in regards to career advancement. The second one was more of an environment I'd like to work in. Also, after trying to negotiate for a higher salary, the first wasn't able to meet my requirement. Both of these factors lead me to chose the second offer. I'm glad I did.
I have--I had interviewed at one company (one I'd worked at previously) for a position that I'd done previously and they offered me the job on the spot (many people I had worked with previously were in the department and were looking forward to seeing me again.) I needed a job, knew I'd be happy enough there, but have to admit I wasn't looking forward to driving 45 minutes away for shift work.
Three days before I was to start, another company offered me a position similiar to work I'd also done and knew I was good at--and the second company was three *miles* away, had 'regular hours', and was offering three dollars more an hour than the first company was.
I accepted the second offer, though not without some regrets--as I said, the first offer was good, and I knew I'd enjoy the work and people. But I'm one of those who hates commuting, and a ten-minute drive down a side street to get to work vs. a 45 minute drive along jammed-up highways (plus more money) was a no-brainer to me. And I very much enjoyed the culture of the second job (the one I took). I left the position a year ago for another opportunity, but I enjoyed every bit of my time there.
Most recently, I turned down one offer because I had a better one from another employer. I think most employers understand this. After all, they normally interview multiple candidates, so they turn down a lot more people than turn them down.
People have all kinds of reasons why a job isn't a good fit for them. None of it ever really made me question my career goals. It was more of a realization that I wasn't going to accomplish those goals with that employer.
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