Tech company rescinds senior hire’s job offer one day before start date, offers 3 months’ compensation
A senior tech worker has been left heartbroken after a company rescinded his job offer just a day before he was due to start, despite having completed the hiring process and turned down another opportunity.
In a post on Reddit’s r/recruitinghell, the man said he had been out of work for a while before landing a senior role at a tech company. He went through an extensive interview process, signed the offer in September, and was due to start the next day. On the strength of that offer, he had withdrawn from another company’s final-round interviews.
Then came a phone call. The company was rescinding the offer because it no longer needed the position. He was offered three months of compensation.
“I have a wife and kids and I support my mom,” he wrote. “We were all looking forward to having a stable income again.”
He had told family and friends, and had been counting down the days. “Bought new clothes, got a haircut, new shoes.” He added: “I’ve been in the game long enough not to be surprised I guess. But man, I’m completely heartbroken.”
What Reddit said
The most practical advice came quickly: “Take the three months pay, and call the other org back to see if the role is still open.” The commenter suspected the company had just been hit by layoffs, since it made little sense otherwise to spend money on a full hiring process only to cancel. “Now you have three months of money coming in, so there’s a tiny sliver of a bright side.”
Another shared a near-identical experience from last year: offer accepted, interviews cancelled, rescinded five days before the start date. “The lesson I learned is to not stop your job search until your butt is in the seat.”
Enjoying this article?
Subscribe to get more stories like this delivered to your inbox.
One commenter said it was their worst fear, as they are interviewing for a role that would require relocating.
Not everyone was sympathetic to the framing. One argued that three months’ compensation is far more than most rescinded candidates receive. “Usually you only get a sorry, reapply again email. So take the money and now you have time to find something better and your bills are paid while you look.”
Writer