Declining a job offer after acceptance

Question

A bit of context: due to corporate restructuring I will not have a job in a couple of months.

So I have been searching for a job and I already have few promising interviews lined up. But I got an offer already and they are pressing me to either accept or decline very soon.

I was thinking of accepting it. At least it will give me some certainty, but I also expect better opportunities before the start date of the offered job.

I was wondering how bad it accepted the offer, then declined in a couple of weeks (before starting there). Can there be any legal implications even if I didn't see any such thing in the offer letter?

Possibly related (not a dupe): Ethical to accept job offer I may not start — Chris E, Aug 14 '17 at 17:54
The reason we need to know where you're located is that the implications (both legal and cultural) will vary. We really can't do the question justice unless we have some clue what country you're in. — Chris E, Aug 14 '17 at 18:05
The duplicate post is related to a counter-offer, which is not applicable here, but the same advice applies. This one might be a better fit: How to renege implicit verbal acceptance of a job offer. The legal aspect seems like something you need to discuss with a lawyer. Also related: How do I coordinate the process of pursuing multiple job opportunities at the same time? — Bernhard Barker, Aug 14 '17 at 18:10
I understand the legal question, but not the other one. Are you asking if it would be unethical to back-out of the offer before starting? — colbin8r, Aug 14 '17 at 18:23
This is a completely unacceptable, unethical way to behave. You're basically saying "f*** you" to the company and everyone who works for them. When you make a commitment to a company, they expect you to honor that commitment and if you don't, it will be a major inconvenience, to say the least. Imagine if you accept a job from a company. You give notice at your current job, prepare to make the switch, and at the last minute, they say, "sorry, we found someone better." You're now unemployed with no way to pay your bills. This is essentially what you're doing to them. — AffableAmbler, Aug 14 '17 at 20:52
@AffableAmbler, thanks, I agree and I've already rejected the offer. I'm sure I'll get better offer. Appreciate your candor counter-example. — AD.Net, Aug 15 '17 at 17:46

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 14 '17 at 18:18

If there is no contract then there wouldn't be any legal issues with declining after accepting. It will look bad and you probably would have a hard time getting a job at that company in the future if you wanted to go back to them. But it won't land you in jail or court.

Declining a job offer after acceptance

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