I made the wrong choice, can I go back to another offer?

I was recently working with a strong Developer candidate, let’s call him Joe. Joe had an offer from two of my clients, while he was interviewing for another job on his own. Joe ended up verbally accepting an offer with my client, but a day later he called to let me know he was actually taking the third job. 

While I was bummed, Joe explained the offer was more lucrative and provided him with the exact work he’d been looking for. He was extremely apologetic, felt terrible, and wanted me to pass on his most sincere apologies to our client. No worries, I told Joe, these things happen. I had to call our client to let them know Joe would not be starting after all.

Three weeks later Joe emails me. 

Joe hates his new role and regrets ever accepting the offer. Joe wants to know if he can still work at the company where he had verbally accepted. 

So, the question is, will they take Joe back? 

Luckily for him, the answer was yes. Joe was extremely cordial and professional when he let us know that he would not be starting at our client, and that ended up helping him in the end. Had he been insulting, not called us at all, or not as professional, I highly doubt the client would have re-presented their offer. 

It’s a testament to handling things professionally and not burning bridges. 

Now let’s be clear, some other things were certainly working in Joe’s favor. 

• This was a contract role, so the client was willing to be a bit more forgiving. 
• Joe has a hard to find skillset in a very tight labor market, so that made it a lot easier for the client to say yes as well. 

That being said, remember that no matter how difficult a conversation or situation, handling it the right way and being professional will pay off in the end, one way or another.

 Ryan Swartzendruber, Technical Recruiter for Objective Paradigm’s Talution Group, recruits on both contract and direct hire positions in addition to his Account Manager responsibilities. Ryan’s focus is on the financial and software industries where he consistently meets clients’ needs by identifying and placing talent to help businesses scale. Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.