Table of Contents

1. First Things First: Find Out Why
2. What To Do Next
3. Ask The Hiring Manager for a Referral
4. Ask About Contingencies Before Accepting an Offer
5. Keep it Professional
6. What About Legal Recourse?

You’re so excited to start your new job. You’ve put in your notice at your old company and already picked an outfit for your first day. 

Then you get a call from HR. 

“We’re sorry, but we can no longer offer you this position.” 

Your job offer was rescinded, or taken back. This can be a frustrating experience. But the reality is until you’ve signed an employment contract, your offer of employment is just that: an offer, not a guarantee. 

If this happens to you, here’s what you should do next.

First Things First: Find Out Why

Your next steps may depend on why your offer was rescinded. 

It’s possible you didn’t pass certain “contingency” checks, like a background or credit check, or a drug test. Perhaps the hiring manager found a conflict of interest in your work history. Maybe there was something in your behavior that gave the employer second thoughts. Or something may have changed at the company—they’ve had to implement a hiring freeze or the person who was vacating the position changed their mind. 

Whatever the case, it’s perfectly reasonable for you to try to ask why the offer was rescinded so you know how to move forward. 

What to Do Next

If you haven’t already put in notice, fantastic! While it’s frustrating to lose your offer, you’re in a great position. You’re still working and drawing a paycheck, so finding a new job is probably not an emergency.

If you have put in notice, start by reaching out to your current/former employer to find out if you can stay on longer, or come back. If they haven’t filled your position yet, they may be happy to keep you. While it can feel disheartening to have to go back to your previous job, it can be worth it to keep the bills paid. 

Some employers may not give you the option to come back. In this case, it’s time to dial up the intensity of your job search. Only this time, you’ll go in better informed. 

Ask the Hiring Manager For a Referral 

If your offer was rescinded through no fault of your own, you can ask the person who made the original offer if they know anyone who may be hiring for a similar role. They’re likely not feeling great about leaving you in the lurch, so they may be willing to introduce you to a colleague. 

Ask About Contingencies Before Accepting an Offer

Before you move forward with a new position, ask the hiring manager what they need to check on before finalizing your offer to prevent this from happening again. 

For example, perhaps the hiring manager tells you they’ll be conducting a background check,  but there’s an arrest on your record. Take the opportunity to inform the manager about it and explain how you’ve grown and changed since then. 

Or if they tell you there will be a credit check, let them know that your credit isn’t great due to some emergency costs that you had to put on a credit card, but that you have a plan to get your credit back in order. 

Getting out ahead of these issues can make them less concerning to the employer, and may help you keep your new role.

Keep it Professional

You’re being assessed on more than just your work history. There’s a culture-fit component as well. So an offer could be rescinded due to unprofessional behavior or communication. If the hiring manager discovers that you were rude to the receptionist on your way out, they very well may decide that you are not someone they’d like to work with. 

Every person you meet at a job interview should be treated with the utmost respect. And since it’s very common for employers to check out a candidate’s social media, you’ll want to clean up any offensive language or inappropriate imagery on your profiles.

What About Legal Recourse?

In some specific circumstances, you may have legal options against the employer who rescinded the offer. 

For example, if you believe the reason they changed their mind was discriminatory, then you may have a legal case. This only applies to cases where the job offer is rescinded due to race, age, gender, religion, national origin, and in some cases, disability.

There may also be some legal recourse if you’ve incurred substantial losses due to the rescinded offer. This could include a situation where you moved across the country for a job, only to have the offer disappear once you arrived. 

Legal options are always case-specific, so make sure to reach out to a lawyer if you think you may be entitled to some kind of compensation.