<p>A friend’s senior had planned to accept a less than ideal job offer, because for now it is all he has. However, he was told by another student who is in the same situation with the same company, that if he lands something more appropriate later and reneges on the first offer, the college can charge him with an honor code violation. Presumably this is because the company comes to campus to recruit and they don’t want to jeopardize that relationship, and so are holding students accountable. </p>
<p>Apart from the ethical considerations on the student’s end, can a college really do this? The student inquired twice at the career center about whether this was true, and both times the staff gave an evasive answer. While it is certainly not a good idea to go back on one’s word, I have mixed feelings on this because my S stuck by his first offer even when a better one came along, and frankly is still paying for that decision as far as career opportunities.</p>
<p>I feel that one should be accountable for one’s decisions. So, if you commit to a company, you should honor that commitment. Maybe that is why the career center gave an evasive answer. They have the same viewpoint.</p>
<p>The honor code should be written somewhere. Check and see what it says. It will probably be vague enough as to not give much help. The career center may hear back from the company but I fail to see how a college can give one an honor code violation for that. The “contract” you had was between you and the company. </p>
<p>But, by not honoring your commitment you may be burning bridges in front of you. Depending on the field and the number of people in it, reputations are quickly made and not so easily undone. Before I would hire anyone, I would always check the buddy system at my company and the contacts I had at several other companies. Because the job you uncommitted to would not be on your resume, you may get away with it, but not always. People do change companies and reputations do travel.</p>
<p>Yes, S did not feel right about backing out, and also was of the same impression about certain fields being a small world where something like that could get around. Since then, however, he has met a number of young people in his field who backed out of initial acceptances with seemingly no adverse consequences.</p>
<p>Again, I just wonder if a school can really do that. What if a situation arises in the student’s life, such as an ill parent, which means he needs to take job closer to home?</p>
<p>If they did what would it matter? They are graduating and moving on from college, I think it would only come into play if they went to grad school at a later date and it’s a fairly straightforward explanation. Fact is the student would be reneging on a job offer so it would be an ‘honor’ code violation - if it is in fact stated in the college’s honor code. People do renege on job offers…doesn’t happen very often, but it happens. I had a young person renege on a job the day before they were scheduled to start. Fast forward 8 years and I became that person’s boss at another company. I know the person was greatly embarrassed…I was amused. What goes around comes around. </p>
<p>If the job was obtained through on-campus recruiting, then the college is also involved. The student must, at some point, have signed some kind of agreement to follow the rules of on-campus recruiting, whatever they may be. It’s those rules that might be violated.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys, it would matter if the senior were to be offered a better job within the next month or two, accepted it, and then backed out of the other immediately (rather than waiting until several days before starting, which would be more offensive). The senior still has a semester to complete, and don’t honor code violations lead to suspensions/expulsions?</p>
<p>I’d find the Honor Code for the college and carefully pore through it. While many of us may feel it’s absurd that colleges would apply the honor code to this situation, we don’t know how this particular college worded the honor code and apply it to job offers…whether made through the college or not. </p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that until the student officially graduates, he/she’s subject to the school’s honor code and they can hold it against him/her if he/she is found to be in violation. </p>
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<p>Not always, especially if the offense is minor or it’s a first offense. However, that depends on the college and its rules. </p>
<p>Thegfg I am not on any level advocating reneging on a job offer that has been accepted. Like I said, it’s bad karma and can return to bite you in the future. </p>
<p>Most employment in the US is ‘at will’ with either side able to terminate whenever they want to, as long as it is not for a protected reason (sex, race, pregnancy, age, etc.) It would not be ‘dishonorable’ to work for a week and quit. Not nice, but many people find the job is not a match, even after only a few days. Most employers will give a bit longer, but the employer too has a right to terminate. In my most recent job, on the second day of training one of my new co-workers just didn’t come back! She hadn’t realized how much travel there would be.</p>
<p>I think the better way to handle it is to tell the first employer why you don’t want the job -don’t want to move to Mississippi, more money, employer #2 will pay for grad school, whatever- and see if the first employer still wants to hold you to the job. Discuss it like a grown up. An employer doesn’t want an employee who is going to be unhappy either.</p>
<p>Agreed. Had a newly hired colleague who was brought on and terminated within 3 business days because on the first day, we found he lied to such an extent on his resume/application that he was completely ill-suited for the position. Investigation and determination of his ill-suitability took two days and he was gone by the third. </p>
<p>If the student is using the colleges career services, recruiting system, there is an expectation that once a student accepts an offer that they should stop all further interviewing and immediately notify employers with whom s/he has an offer or interview pending. Think of it as ED in the world of work. If the student has not withdrawn offers or and is still looking for other offers, I can see where it could be considered an honor code violation as they are misrepresenting themselves to the extent that they are a candidate to one employer where they have already committed to another employer.</p>
<p>If student think that the job is not an ideal situation, then he should decline he offer.</p>
<p>One thing I have noticed, that the world is small, and you never know when something will come back to bite you.</p>
<p>I think the idea that you can’t back out of an accepted job offer is preposterous. The company can fire you before you even start the job (because of financial issues at the company, or for any other reason they feel like), so equally, you can quit any time you want. It’s simply not dishonorable, and has never been dishonorable, to look for another job when you have a job.</p>
<p>“Accepting” a job offer when you have no intention of taking the job is dishonorable. Quitting a job because you’ve found a better job or a better opportunity is normal business behavior that happens all the time.</p>
<p>Most companies would prefer you to back out BEFORE ever starting over letting them invest time to train/move you when you will be immediately looking for something better! If it were my son I would advise him to take the job he truly wants and apologize to the other company.</p>
<p>Marian’s comment was spot on. The student checked the career center policies, and it stated that you are supposed to withdraw from the interviewing process once you have accepted an offer. But I would assume they could only enforce that with regard to interviews facilitated by them, right?</p>
<p>"“Accepting” a job offer when you have no intention of taking the job is dishonorable. Quitting a job because you’ve found a better job or a better opportunity is normal business behavior that happens all the time."</p>
<p>I agree.</p>
<p>Even if this was arranged thru the Career Center, the company can withdraw the offer if it desires. What would the school do them, charge the company with a violation? not allow them to recruit again (I doubt it). </p>
<p>This policy is crazy. It gives an unfair advantage to the companies who pay lower salaries. They can make their offers early, and snag some students who are worried nothing else will come thru.</p>
<p>What’s the timeframe for a response to an offier? 24 hours? more? a week? a month?</p>
<p>“A friend’s senior had planned to accept a less than ideal job offer, because for now it is all he has. However, he was told by another student who is in the same situation with the same company, that if he lands something more appropriate later and reneges on the first offer, the college can charge him with an honor code violation.”</p>
<p>Rather than wonder about whether or not this would be treated as an Honor Code violation at the college/university in question, the student should ASK the head of the Honor Board. It might be a violation. Then again, it might just be a scary rumor that spreads this time each year among nervous soon-to-graduate seniors.</p>
<p>I agree that for the many reasons cited above, there is nothing dishonorable about changing one’s mind about a job, and it shouldn’t be an honor code violation. I did this myself years ago. I accepted a job that would require a very unappealing commute for months until construction of a new corporate HQ was completed. I was to start in two weeks, and in the interim a company that had previously received my resume called me to come in and interview. It was a better job and a far better commute, and when I was offered the position, I immediately accepted and informed the other employer that I had received an offer I couldn’t refuse, thanked them profusely for their time, and wished them well in filling the position. I’m sure they merely went on to the next person on the list, as would happen in any similar case. There is no shortage of ready, willing and eager applicants for any job these days. The worst that will happen in this kind of circumstance is that the employer will incur a delay in filling the position. But it seems that in OP’s example we’re talking about a graduating senior whose first day of work is quite a way in the future, so the inconvenience to the employer is quite minimal. </p>
<p>If the student takes this approach, he/she needs to bring a copy of the college’s honor code and when asking, ask the head of the honor board to point to the specific parts of the honor code pertaining to this very situation. </p>
<p>Better to have something definitively in writing in the honor code itself than to be caught relying on verbal assurances which may not always help when one’s later found in violation. </p>
<p>Campus Recruiting (CR)… as mentioned earlier, with S1’s CR, once you’ve accepted a job you may no longer use CR. And if you find an employment opportunity outside CR, good luck getting recommendations from your profs if you burned the original CR job. Thing is, DH is a Human Resources VP and doesn’t take as hard of a line as I do. He sees this happen all the time and looks at it pragmatically. Who are you losing as a reference? What is the advantage of the counter offer? Will the original offer match the new offer. S1 ( class of '13) received an early, and very nice, offer in September ‘12. We had some discussion of options, but he stayed with the original offer and it’'s been a great match.</p>
<p>Honor Code? He would have to have signed the agreement and have access to the details.</p>