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Sloan the DEV Moderator
Sloan the DEV Moderator

Posted on • Edited on

Has a Company Ever Rescinded Your Offer Letter?

This is an anonymous post sent in by a member who does not want their name disclosed. Please be thoughtful with your responses, as these are usually tough posts to write. Email sloan@dev.to if you'd like to leave an anonymous comment or if you want to ask your own anonymous question.


So I was contacted by PandaDoc because they were to expand their software team.

Since they don't have offices on my country. They used a third party (deel) for managing the legal aspect.

On Monday I received the offer letter through this third party:

Offer letter

But didn't receive email from the recruiter.

I pinged her and we scheduled a meeting on Thursday.

In the meantime, I booked train tickets. My manager lives in a different city (~3h by train) and I wanted to give him the letter personally. Love the details.

The meeting with PandaDoc's HR; she told me that despite of they were extremely happy with my selection process - nothing but positive feedback - they were cancelling the offer.

She explained that they were entering in hiring freeze. I wasn't supposed to receive the offer letter. "I'm sorry".

Since Monday, I've already changed job. I mean mentally. This is the worst part. I'm not focused on my current job at all.

Cancelling an offer once I've received the letter is the most dirty thing I've suffered in a selection process.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? If so, would you be willing to share your experience?

Thanks for reading.

Top comments (7)

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cloutierjo profile image
cloutierjo • Edited

Haven't had that specific situation happen to me but in a past contract I was required to resign to my current job before accepting any offer (probably so they can do a counter offer) and that small time between I've resign and officially sign that new contract was as stressful than jumping in the void.

Now in this situation, i believe you have to make the decision, do you want to keep working your current job, if so you'll get back the motivation on it. Maybe take a week off if you can could help clean up you mind.

Otherwise, Senior role are still very hight in demand pretty much everywhere so start looking for another position more aggressively, you can contact independent recruiter telling them what your looking for, they tend to hang around LinkedIn, you might even have more that a dozen in you own contacts just waiting.

But in the mean time make sure you still continue doing your job right since your reputation still depend on it.

Sincerely hope you get on your feet quickly with a role that you enjoy.

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jesusantguerrero profile image
Jesus Guerrero

Hide the name from the letter.

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michaeltharrington profile image
Michael Tharrington

Thank you so much for pointing this out!

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theaccordance profile image
Joe Mainwaring • Edited

I haven't had an offer rescinded before but I have had the interview process stopped because of the economy.

Graduating from college in the fall of 2008 was brutal.

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mneme profile image
Alex T • Edited

you should be happy for being accepted. It was a hiring freeze not that you are not accepted. I have heard of more dramatic. Niche talent got locked into a meeting room when headhunted was leaked. Boss threw a deal, take it or leave. You have 3-5mins to choose.

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ca55idy profile image
ca55idy

Yep more than once, unfortunately there isn't a lot that can be done about it.

I've had offer letter then a week later a letter saying the position was never signed off to even be recruited for and so didn't exist.

I've had the offer letter on the Wednesday with the agreement to start the following Monday, hence contract in post would miss my start date so would be waiting with the company owner (my would be boss) for my arrival on the first day. Monday comes and so does a 7:30am phone call saying they were pushing my start date to Tuesday due to a forgotten meeting, 4pm I receive an email stating the meeting was with the bankruptcy administrators that had just taken control of the now defunct company.

Biggest take away for me was an offer letter means nothing, at best it is a negotiating tool with either your current employer or any other prospective employers at the time, other than that it is meaningless. Until the actual contract is signed the job isn't yours.

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cargologik profile image
Cargologik

Nice