More Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer

Here's what I consider to be a good comment left on my post titled Five Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer:

Having just accepted a job offer, and turned down other ones, I can think of a few reasons to turn down a job offer:

1. You have a better one lined up. :)
2. The job isn't one that actually progresses your career.
3. You are taking the job to run away from your current job.
4. You can't fully articulate what you will be doing for the new company or what the company does.
5. You get a strange vibe from your soon to be new boss.
6. You won't be able to explain fully to the next-next job why you took this one and how it helped you grow.

Some good stuff here IMO. My thoughts on each of these:

1. I had this happened a couple of times. It's always fun to tell someone "no", especially when they put you through the ringer, wanted to pay you nothing, and expected you to worship them for it. Of course, you decline nicely, but it's still fun. ;-)

I had one company in particular where the guy was offering me just a bit more than what I already made. I asked him if he could do better and he said something like "he could, but he didn't want to." Hmmm. Then I informed him I had to decline and was going to work elsewhere. he was speechless. He eventually recovered and wished me well, bit I could tell he wasn't very happy. He later had the executive recruiter he used call me up and tell me how I was ruining my career. Yeah, right. In the end, the other new company turned out to be one of the best career moves I've ever made, and the boss I would have had at the place I declined was fired in two years and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

2. Good point, though some people would take a job because of better hours, more enjoyment, etc., even though it might not advance their career. Me? I advise looking for everything -- something you enjoy AND that advances your career.

3. You don't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire -- or even from the fire into the frying pan. You want to be going to the new job because it's a great opportunity, not because you hate your current job so much.

4. This is certainly a red flag. Why would someone even take a job where they didn't know what they'd be doing?

5. Yikes! I had a job offer once from a company where the boss really weirded me out (he was the same one that had me do the algebra problem in the interview -- if you recall that story.) In addition, their offices were in a 1960's-like building that looked like it had technology from the 50's. No chance I was taking that spot (even though I HATED my current job.)

6. This is close to #2, so I'll refer you to my comments there.

Comments

[Mrs. Micah]

I once left an online contracting job because I was getting a weird vibe from the boss. He paid me what he owed me, but I got the feeling that things weren't quite on the up and up...

[Double Journey]

I think my comment got eaten by the spam monster. Maybe because I put a link to my follow up to this comment.

Anyway, thanks for singling out my comment! I'm happy you thought it was worthy of it's own separate post :) I too did a follow up to your original post, and linked to it. You can find your way to it from the original post.

[Gerry]

I just turned down a job offer because the working conditions are too dangerous, and their compensation package didn't justify the physical risk I would undertake.