Unsure about Placement Year offer
so basically i’ve been applying for an industrial placement year to take place between my second and third year of uni. im studying life sciences so placement opportunities in this field are very competitive and i’ve already received my fair share of rejections. however, I recently had a teams interview for a company that I applied to a while ago, not a huge name but a great opportunity regardless. I felt the interview didn’t go great and the guy interviewing me (who would be my line manager) was quite rude and harsh so i didn’t really expect good news. But about a week later I received a phone call with an offer to join them next year for my placement. Initially I was very happy but after giving it some thought I realised there were still other companies I was waiting to here back from that I would actually much prefer to work for. the location of this placement also isn’t the best as it’s quite far from my uni (I want to fairly close so I can come back and visit friends easily), and as I mentioned the guy interviewing me didn’t seem like the friendliest of line managers.
I haven’t signed anything yet so I can easily back out with no repercussions, but the lady from HR that I’ve been speaking with is very keen for me to sign the contract so she can get things rolling. so i basically have limited time to make a decision - do i sign for a placement year that i’m not too excited about or risk it and hold out for something a bit better? the fact i felt that interview didn’t go great yet i was still offered the job gives me hope that my interview skills will lead me to another one that’s better suited to me. but then I would also feel like an idiot if i reject this offer only to receive nothing else, it is so competitive after all. and if i do sign the contract and then get offered something better, am i still able to back out? the contract doesn’t explicitly state that I can’t withdraw my acceptance after signing but i’m not sure how it works.
apologies for all the questions but would appreciate anyone’s thoughts/opinions
I haven’t signed anything yet so I can easily back out with no repercussions, but the lady from HR that I’ve been speaking with is very keen for me to sign the contract so she can get things rolling. so i basically have limited time to make a decision - do i sign for a placement year that i’m not too excited about or risk it and hold out for something a bit better? the fact i felt that interview didn’t go great yet i was still offered the job gives me hope that my interview skills will lead me to another one that’s better suited to me. but then I would also feel like an idiot if i reject this offer only to receive nothing else, it is so competitive after all. and if i do sign the contract and then get offered something better, am i still able to back out? the contract doesn’t explicitly state that I can’t withdraw my acceptance after signing but i’m not sure how it works.
apologies for all the questions but would appreciate anyone’s thoughts/opinions
Congratulations on your offer! they are quite difficult to get. Do you have deadline by which you have to accept this offer? and how soon do you think you will be hearing from the others?
First, you can ask the first offer for an extension for formally accepting because you're waiting on other offers?
Failing that, accept the offer (a bird in hand....) if you get something better, you simply write an email to them thanking them for the opportunity but you've got something that is more well aligned and as such will no longer be taking up their offer.
I'm not sure about the legal aspect so hopefully, someone who is more knowledgeable about that angle will come on. I believe legally they would have a case if you signed and then broke the contract.....however, i also think this sort of thing rarely goes to court and employers just find someone else.
It feels bad, but remember employers reject people all the time and will have no qualms about rejecting other candidates. With the job market the way it currently is, I am sure they will have no problem filling their vacancy from their reserve list which all sensible recruiters have.
First, you can ask the first offer for an extension for formally accepting because you're waiting on other offers?
Failing that, accept the offer (a bird in hand....) if you get something better, you simply write an email to them thanking them for the opportunity but you've got something that is more well aligned and as such will no longer be taking up their offer.
I'm not sure about the legal aspect so hopefully, someone who is more knowledgeable about that angle will come on. I believe legally they would have a case if you signed and then broke the contract.....however, i also think this sort of thing rarely goes to court and employers just find someone else.
It feels bad, but remember employers reject people all the time and will have no qualms about rejecting other candidates. With the job market the way it currently is, I am sure they will have no problem filling their vacancy from their reserve list which all sensible recruiters have.
(edited 4 months ago)
Original post by Makro
Congratulations on your offer! they are quite difficult to get. Do you have deadline by which you have to accept this offer? and how soon do you think you will be hearing from the others?
First, you can ask the first offer for an extension for formally accepting because you're waiting on other offers?
Failing that, accept the offer (a bird in hand....) if you get something better, you simply write an email to them thanking them for the opportunity but you've got something that is more well aligned and as such will no longer be taking up their offer.
I'm not sure about the legal aspect so hopefully, someone who is more knowledgeable about that angle will come on. I believe legally they would have a case if you signed and then broke the contract.....however, i also think this sort of thing rarely goes to court and employers just find someone else.
It feels bad, but remember employers reject people all the time and will have no qualms about rejecting other candidates. With the job market the way it currently is, I am sure they will have no problem filling their vacancy from their reserve list which all sensible recruiters have.
First, you can ask the first offer for an extension for formally accepting because you're waiting on other offers?
Failing that, accept the offer (a bird in hand....) if you get something better, you simply write an email to them thanking them for the opportunity but you've got something that is more well aligned and as such will no longer be taking up their offer.
I'm not sure about the legal aspect so hopefully, someone who is more knowledgeable about that angle will come on. I believe legally they would have a case if you signed and then broke the contract.....however, i also think this sort of thing rarely goes to court and employers just find someone else.
It feels bad, but remember employers reject people all the time and will have no qualms about rejecting other candidates. With the job market the way it currently is, I am sure they will have no problem filling their vacancy from their reserve list which all sensible recruiters have.
Accept it, something is better than nothing.
Unless the contract terms say otherwise, you don’t need to give a formal notice in your first month of employment.
After that, it’s a weeks notice. I’d expect your start date from accepting another position to be longer than a week, so shouldn’t be a problem.
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