Interviewing after accepting offer? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I accepted an offer from my 2L summer firm a while back and recently received an invitation to interview for a dream firm in another market. If I interview and my firm finds out, will they pull my offer?

[the lsat failure]

Some firms may contact your previous employer to confirm that you received an offer. In that case just be proactive and tell your contact directly that you'd appreciate confidentiality throughout the process. Indicate that you'd be happy to provide your offer letter as proof, I'm sure they'll understand. This isn't the first time someone has interviewed with the intention of reneging on an accepted offer.

[Anonymous User]

different anon here: how does one handle questions about offer acceptance in this scenario? It seems like the firm the original anon is interviewing with would think poorly of them if anon is asked about their acceptance and answers honestly.

[smorgasbord]

different anon here: how does one handle questions about offer acceptance in this scenario? It seems like the firm the original anon is interviewing with would think poorly of them if anon is asked about their acceptance and answers honestly.

I think you would just want to be honest and up-front. Yes, another offer was accepted but this is the dream firm for (such and such reasons). And, yes, maybe doesn't look great that another offer was accepted, but, again I think I would be up front to say the offer was accepted because it was the best offer available at the time and if there's an opportunity at the dream firm, that changes the outlook. It may not alleviate all of the hiring firm's concerns that another offer has already been accepted, but it is what it is, and they shouldn't assume that someone would not accept a job offer on the off chance that their dream position is available. Similarly with accepting a position, yes, not the greatest to pull out of an accepted offer, but you can't force anyone to go work somewhere they don't want.

[trmckenz]

When interviewing with new firms, I wouldn't bring up the fact that you've accepted any offer unless explicitly asked. It is fine to say "I received an offer to return my summer firm" and leave it at that. Why would the new firm care whether or not you've accepted? Ignorance is bliss.

It's far smoother to say "I received an offer from X (summer firm), but I am really interested in Y (your firm) because..." Make it easy on yourself to where you don't have to explain whether you'd have to renege, or why you'd be willing to do so.

If anyone asks, definitely tell the truth that you've accepted. But nobody asked me whether I accepted my 2L firm's offer after stating that I indeed received an offer to return. They won't care, or even want to know what you have to do to accept their offer. They just want to know whether you want their job and will be joining their firm.

[Anonymous User]

I went through something similar my 3L year. I didn't get any interviews until after I had accepted my offer. It seemed implicit to me at all the firms I interviewed at that there was a sort of don't ask, don't tell policy in place with regard to whether you accepted the offer. I had the question come up multiple times of whether or not I had received an offer, but once I said I had, there was never a follow up asking whether or not I had accepted. I had planned to be honest with them about the fact if they had asked, but it seemed pretty consistent across the firms I interviewed with that they would rather not ask.

I wouldn't bring it up proactively. From my experience, the firms know they're dealing with potentially sensitive info. My old firm was contacted after I had accepted and reneged for purposes of my background check, but never before that.

[Anonymous User]

I applied to firms late in 3L looking to switch. Included in my cover letters that I had accepted an offer but wanted to switch [dream firm, here's why I'm switching, etc.]. Never heard back, so maybe that wasn't a good idea. I just didn't want to be secret or coy.

[purplegoldtornado]

I applied to firms late in 3L looking to switch. Included in my cover letters that I had accepted an offer but wanted to switch [dream firm, here's why I'm switching, etc.]. Never heard back, so maybe that wasn't a good idea. I just didn't want to be secret or coy.

I am interested in hearing if the mention of the offer caused this. I would think that this would show devotion to the new firm, but maybe that is shortsighted. I see both sides.

[Anonymous User]

I applied to firms late in 3L looking to switch. Included in my cover letters that I had accepted an offer but wanted to switch [dream firm, here's why I'm switching, etc.]. Never heard back, so maybe that wasn't a good idea. I just didn't want to be secret or coy.

I am interesting to hearing if the mention of the offer caused this. I would think that this would show devotion to the new firm, but maybe that is shortsighted. I see both sides.

Yeah, no way to know for now. I mentioned I accepted the offer after the summer (figured everyone knows firms have offer deadlines and saying I "was offered" in a cover letter dated the following April just seemed silly to me) but that I had a good reason for switching and applying to the new firm. I may apply again after working, clerking, and networking.

[purplegoldtornado]

I applied to firms late in 3L looking to switch. Included in my cover letters that I had accepted an offer but wanted to switch [dream firm, here's why I'm switching, etc.]. Never heard back, so maybe that wasn't a good idea. I just didn't want to be secret or coy.

I am interesting to hearing if the mention of the offer caused this. I would think that this would show devotion to the new firm, but maybe that is shortsighted. I see both sides.

Yeah, no way to know for now. I mentioned I accepted the offer after the summer (figured everyone knows firms have offer deadlines and saying I "was offered" in a cover letter dated the following April just seemed silly to me) but that I had a good reason for switching and applying to the new firm. I may apply again after working, clerking, and networking.

For sure. I am by no means an expert with any of this stuff, but I have just learned time and time again just that if you have to ask whether you should say something, just don't. It's unfortunate, because I am a pretty transparent and candid person but that has hurt me an awful lot.

[Anonymous User]

I applied to firms late in 3L looking to switch. Included in my cover letters that I had accepted an offer but wanted to switch [dream firm, here's why I'm switching, etc.]. Never heard back, so maybe that wasn't a good idea. I just didn't want to be secret or coy.

I am interesting to hearing if the mention of the offer caused this. I would think that this would show devotion to the new firm, but maybe that is shortsighted. I see both sides.

Yeah, no way to know for now. I mentioned I accepted the offer after the summer (figured everyone knows firms have offer deadlines and saying I "was offered" in a cover letter dated the following April just seemed silly to me) but that I had a good reason for switching and applying to the new firm. I may apply again after working, clerking, and networking.

For sure. I am by no means an expert with any of this stuff, but I have just learned time and time again just that if you have to ask whether you should say something, just don't. It's unfortunate, because I am a pretty transparent and candid person but that has hurt me an awful lot.

I agree. It's funny because in this case, my default was to say "accepted" so I wasn't really in a "if you have to ask" situation. I'm with you though about candidness. But it's probably naive of me to continue to think others act with similar transparency and can be cool about the completely normal desire to move to better firms. These threads do make it seem like there's such a high expectation of loyalty to firms and hush hush networking and that being candid is detrimental. I come from other industries with more openness, but they were also more favorable labor markets for employees (actual quantifiable skills in STEM and finance).

[nixy]

I think it's better not to lead with having accepted an offer in your cover letter - I don't think it's even about loyalty to firms so much as looking "professional." In the same way that it looks unprofessional to badmouth your current (or any past) employer in an interview, I think it looks kind of unprofessional to announce that you've accepted another offer. Just because everyone understands that chances are good that as a 3L, you have accepted but are looking for better opportunities, doesn't mean it looks appropriate to announce it. (Same way that interviewers recognize that chances are good that there's something you don't like about your current job if you're applying for a different one, but you still don't badmouth your current employer.) To get the second job, you'd still have to renege on the first, and while doing so is a reality of the market and most firms won't be horribly upset by it, announcing your willingness to do so right from the start just seems a little off. Of course if they ask you directly you give an honest answer, but that's a little different.

To put it another way, I don't think it's so much that if you're willing to accept then renege, you must be disloyal; it's more like, if you're going to announce that right up front in your cover letter, do you understand professional norms and might you transgress others.

(I should add that professional norms are artificial and culture-specific and so on, so none of this is meant as personally critical. And I may be overstating the effect of saying you've accepted, but nonetheless, I wouldn't put that in a cover letter.)

[notinbiglaw]

Firms that recruit during 3L know what’s up and know some people definitely have to renege.

Just leave it at that and don’t say the quiet part out loud and make things awkward for everyone.