What to Do if Your Job Offer Was Rescinded

If you've recently had an experience with a potential employer that's led you to ask, "Can a job take back an offer?" unfortunately, the answer is yes. An employer can take back a job offer at any point in the hiring process, even after you've accepted the offer. 

Although having a job offer rescinded can feel discouraging, here is what you can do if this happens to you.

Why an Employer Might Rescind a Job Offer

 Below are potential reasons for a rescinded offer:

• They offered the job to another candidate: Occasionally, companies will offer a job to more than one candidate and select only one. Other times, they don't hear back from the initial candidate until they've already extended an offer to you. 
• They no longer need to fill the position: Sometimes, companies undergo restructuring during your interviewing process and decide not to fill the role you applied for. 
• They no longer have the budget to fill the role: If you applied at a startup or a company in a rocky financial situation, it's possible that they decided they couldn't afford to fill the role after all. This might be especially true if you negotiated for a salary outside of their budget.
• You took too long to respond to the offer: Job offers often expire — be sure to read your offer all the way through, even if you want to take time to think about it, to ensure you don't accidentally miss the company's deadline for accepting the offer. 
• You failed your drug test or background check: If your prospective company learns that your background or work history does not align with what you told them, they may rescind your job offer.
• Your behavior was deemed unprofessional: If your prospective employer notes any erratic behavior, bad-mouthing of your old company, or making demands after getting an offer, they may decide not to move forward. 
• The references you provided gave negative feedback about your work performance. 

Employers are not required to provide a reason why your job offer was rescinded, but you are free to ask.

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Circumstances Where They're Not Allowed to Rescind an Offer

The only circumstance in which an employer is not legally allowed to rescind an offer is if the decision is based on discriminatory reasons like race, national origin, age, disability, gender, or religion.

You may consider legal recourse if you believe you lost your job offer due to discrimination.

What Job Seekers Can Do to Mitigate the Chances of a Rescinded Offer

Although a rescinded job offer may have nothing to do with you, consider the following measures to do everything in your power to avoid having a job offer rescinded:

• Do all negotiating before accepting the offer: Employers may not appreciate candidates who ask for a higher salary or a different work schedule after extending an offer, so negotiate upfront. 
• Be honest: If you know something will come up on your background check, or you fibbed a little on your resume (which you shouldn’t do in the first place), clear things up before accepting the job offer. 
• Continue behaving professionally: Remember that a job offer can be rescinded even after it's offered, so don't do anything that might affect your employment between interviewing and signing a contract.
• Ask to get a contract in writing: Although you want to avoid being pushy, it's reasonable to ask employers for a written offer. Employers may be less likely to rescind your job offer if you have it in writing.

What To Do if the Job Offer Is Rescinded

There is likely nothing you can do to get a company to reverse its decision to rescind your job offer, but it can be an excellent opportunity to gain a better perspective on why it happened. 

Consider doing the following if your job offer is rescinded:

• Politely ask why: Understanding what led to your offer being rescinded can help you prevent this from happening again down the line. 
• Let them know you're interested in working there in the future: Sometimes companies rescind offers for budgetary or other internal reasons. You can let the company know how much you value them and ask them to please keep you in mind if the role becomes available again or if they have any other roles they feel you might be a good fit for. 
• Continue applying for jobs: If your job offer is rescinded, take the information you learned from that experience and use it to your benefit as you move forward with your job search.

If an employer rescinded a job offer, don't panic. While it may be disappointing and frustrating, often, the reason employers take back a job offer has nothing to do with you. 

Use iHire's numerous resources to move on with your job search and get hired by your next company.