Reneging Internship

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I appreciate the responses so far. Since she signed the offer on ADP, could there be any legal consequences or would it should up in a future background check that she backed out of an offer?

She’s already on the payroll?

[Anonymous]

Similar dilemma for my kid. Just finished freshman year of college. Accepted a camp job a couple of weeks ago. JUST received an offer for an internship. Fortunately she feels guilty (has a heart), but will be taking the internship. Camp doesn't start for another month, so hopefully the resignation won't put the camp in too big a bind.

[Anonymous]

I have a college student who is among the hundreds of college students who are waiting on internship offers. They have applied to dozens since the winter! Accepting something for fear that there won't be anything else later, then having something better crop up, is a common scenario. It shouldn't burn a bridge to say no, unless it's for a tiny company who was truly relying on a certain skillset that's hard to find.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I appreciate the responses so far. Since she signed the offer on ADP, could there be any legal consequences or would it should up in a future background check that she backed out of an offer?

She’s already on the payroll?

OP here. No she is not but the offer letter she signed was through the company's ADP site. The internship start date is not until June 10

[Anonymous]

That happened to me way back in 2002. Looking back, the internship I accepted first and kept because my parents urged me to "do the right thing" was a nightmare. I actually left it a month early and had an abusive boss. The internship I had received the offer for later would have been a life-changing one. I still encounter the work of the organization all these years later- it was in its infancy at the time- and wish I could have been part of it.

The lesson I've learned from 20 years of work is that loyalty in the corporate world is not rewarded or remembered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is an incoming senior. She accepted an internship offer at a small company in a field she is not very interested in a couple of weeks ago out of fear of not having anything else. As pure feast or famine fashion has it, she has received three internship offers since then after months of silence and ghosting. She is pretty confident she will get the internship she had an interview for last Thursday. It is for a bigger company and seems more flexible with hours. Most importantly, felt her conversation with the hiring manager was like a mother daughter or friend talk, not a nervous, boss kind of interview that she has experienced with many other hiring managers over the past few months. She is expecting to hear back early this week about the decision for her first choice. If she gets this opportunity, will it look bad to renege on the offer she already accepted. She already has her background check cleared for the company and is just waiting to start the onboarding process this week with HR. Is this foolish and will the company be very mad?

Go for it. Come up with a good reason.. Grandma sick, have to stay close, etc. Do not disclose where she is going. Just don't update Linkedin as to where she is going for a while.. just in case that company knows someone there and may sabotage things.

Companies won't think for a minute if they have to rescind offers (and they have done so a lot this season) and they don't spend time thinking if the candidate will be 'mad', so don't feel guilty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is an incoming senior. She accepted an internship offer at a small company in a field she is not very interested in a couple of weeks ago out of fear of not having anything else. As pure feast or famine fashion has it, she has received three internship offers since then after months of silence and ghosting. She is pretty confident she will get the internship she had an interview for last Thursday. It is for a bigger company and seems more flexible with hours. Most importantly, felt her conversation with the hiring manager was like a mother daughter or friend talk, not a nervous, boss kind of interview that she has experienced with many other hiring managers over the past few months. She is expecting to hear back early this week about the decision for her first choice. If she gets this opportunity, will it look bad to renege on the offer she already accepted. She already has her background check cleared for the company and is just waiting to start the onboarding process this week with HR. Is this foolish and will the company be very mad?

Go for it. Come up with a good reason.. Grandma sick, have to stay close, etc. Do not disclose where she is going. Just don't update Linkedin as to where she is going for a while.. just in case that company knows someone there and may sabotage things.

Companies won't think for a minute if they have to rescind offers (and they have done so a lot this season) and they don't spend time thinking if the candidate will be 'mad', so don't feel guilty.

Could the other company she rescinds from legally be allowed to sabotage her? The other offer is for a company in a completely different field. Example its not like Deloitte over PwC

[Anonymous]

Only issue if kid got first internship through handshake or college career center. Companies do notify both if a candidate drops like this. You would not want to be on the bad side of the career center if they plan to use them for a real job after graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is an incoming senior. She accepted an internship offer at a small company in a field she is not very interested in a couple of weeks ago out of fear of not having anything else. As pure feast or famine fashion has it, she has received three internship offers since then after months of silence and ghosting. She is pretty confident she will get the internship she had an interview for last Thursday. It is for a bigger company and seems more flexible with hours. Most importantly, felt her conversation with the hiring manager was like a mother daughter or friend talk, not a nervous, boss kind of interview that she has experienced with many other hiring managers over the past few months. She is expecting to hear back early this week about the decision for her first choice. If she gets this opportunity, will it look bad to renege on the offer she already accepted. She already has her background check cleared for the company and is just waiting to start the onboarding process this week with HR. Is this foolish and will the company be very mad?

Go for it. Come up with a good reason.. Grandma sick, have to stay close, etc. Do not disclose where she is going. Just don't update Linkedin as to where she is going for a while.. just in case that company knows someone there and may sabotage things.

Companies won't think for a minute if they have to rescind offers (and they have done so a lot this season) and they don't spend time thinking if the candidate will be 'mad', so don't feel guilty.

Could the other company she rescinds from legally be allowed to sabotage her? The other offer is for a company in a completely different field. Example its not like Deloitte over PwC

Like find out who she went with and call them? I guess but it would be silly.

Would they sue her? I mean I can't 100% say they wouldn't but it would be a very dumb thing for them to do and no one should want to work for a company that would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only issue if kid got first internship through handshake or college career center. Companies do notify both if a candidate drops like this. You would not want to be on the bad side of the career center if they plan to use them for a real job after graduation.

She found them both online thankfully. She never found Handshakes useful or the employers on there responsive

[Anonymous]

I hire interns and I'd have no problem with her changing her mind and declining. I can find a million interns, she's quite replaceable. There are no legal repercussions, its "at will" employment just like any other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That happened to me way back in 2002. Looking back, the internship I accepted first and kept because my parents urged me to "do the right thing" was a nightmare. I actually left it a month early and had an abusive boss. The internship I had received the offer for later would have been a life-changing one. I still encounter the work of the organization all these years later- it was in its infancy at the time- and wish I could have been part of it.

The lesson I've learned from 20 years of work is that loyalty in the corporate world is not rewarded or remembered.

+1 Remember this when they enter the workforce full time. Always look out for yourself first.

[Anonymous]

Would it be better for her to email or call about her decision to the other company given she receives an offer from the second company? Also should she contact the HR person she has been working with, the hiring managers, or both?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is an incoming senior. She accepted an internship offer at a small company in a field she is not very interested in a couple of weeks ago out of fear of not having anything else. As pure feast or famine fashion has it, she has received three internship offers since then after months of silence and ghosting. She is pretty confident she will get the internship she had an interview for last Thursday. It is for a bigger company and seems more flexible with hours. Most importantly, felt her conversation with the hiring manager was like a mother daughter or friend talk, not a nervous, boss kind of interview that she has experienced with many other hiring managers over the past few months. She is expecting to hear back early this week about the decision for her first choice. If she gets this opportunity, will it look bad to renege on the offer she already accepted. She already has her background check cleared for the company and is just waiting to start the onboarding process this week with HR. Is this foolish and will the company be very mad?

You had me until here. You really don’t know whether it will look bad?

[Anonymous]

First, of course there are no legal consequences.

She should let the first internship know asap, be up front that she accepted the offer while she had other applications out, that she unexpectedly received an offer which on reflection is a better fit for her goals/interests whatever, and therefore she is respectfully asking to be released from her commitment.

It’s fine. They’ll get over it and fill the slot with someone else.