I am considering applying to a job I was interviewed for and offered, then changed my mind on and turned down. :eek:
What happened was the following. I live abroad. About 3 years ago, around the time of the interview, I had a moment of panic and decided to go to back my home country. I handed in my notice with the job I already had and turned down the offer of the new job. About a month later I changed my mind and decided to stay in this country. :smack: I rang the new job and they said, sorry we have now filled the vacancy but we will keep you on file. I went back to my old boss and they gave me my old job back.
It’s now 3.5 years later. I was checking the job sites and saw that finally this same job has come up again. Now, I wouldn’t blame them if they don’t like me all that much after I pulled out on them like that. However, I do have all the qualifications and a language they need which is very rare around these parts. Plus, I guess it might speak for me that I still want this job after all those years. So I think it might be worth a go.
I’m thinking of writing something like:
“I interviewed this job in 2010 and had a very favourable impression of your company. However, due to personal circumstances I had to leave the country*. However, I have now been stably living in this town since September 2010 and I would very much like to meet with you and discuss this opportunity.”
And after this continue with the usual introduction letter stuff; my work experience, qualifications etc.
Do you think this is a good way to go about the application? If not, how should I handle it? Also, I still have the direct contact name and email of the HR person I dealt with back then. I have been unable to trace on the company site whether or not he is still working there. Should I write to him directly or apply like a first time candidate?
*A lie, this, but I think it sounds better than. I wanted to leave the country, but then didn’t. Tax records won’t show any different.
Not much of a lie. The line between “wanted to” and “had to” is a murky one.
I think your idea is a good one. I might fudge a little bit on the date - “late” 2010 would give the impression that your adventure of three years ago was a bit more substantial.
Don’t overthink whether they like or hate you based on what happened last time. Plenty of people get job offers and refuse them, for a number of reasons.
I like the gist of your message, but it has too many ‘howevers’…
“I interviewed for this job in 2010 and was left with a very favorable impression of your company. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances at the time, I had to leave the country and was unable to accept your offer. However, I have now been stably living in this town since September 2010 and I would very much like to meet with you and discuss this opportunity.”
In my version, I’m making it really clear that you were offered the job at the time - remember that the person recruiting this vacancy may not have even worked for the company back in 2010!
I’m not quite sure about the ‘stably living in this town’ bit. I can absolutely see what you’re trying to say, but not sure if it’s worded quite right.
I wouldn’t phrase it as “leave the country” - sounds too much like you were on the lam or something. I’d say “due to personal reasons I had to return to <country of origin>, but that business is now concluded.”
As long as you weren’t a jerk about turning down the offer (like accepting the offer, then not showing up on your first day of work, and not contacting the company for several days to tell them why), I don’t see any reason they wouldn’t be interested in you again.
If it were me, I wouldn’t mention the past at all unless I was specifically asked. And it’s unlikely you will be asked.
If asked, don’t offer any elaborate explanation, and especially don’t talk about living “stably” in town. This suggests you have periods of instability.
I would just say, and only if asked, “I ended up declining the position because of some unforseen circumstances that led me in a different direction.” Or something similar and suitably vague.
I think sandra_nz’s version works pretty well, but I would change the second sentence to read: “Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances at the time, I was unable to accept your offer.” (This way you avoid the lie, which could be a problem in the future.) I would then dispense with the phrase about stably living in the town and say something like, “I see that this position is available again, and I would very much like to meet with you to discuss it.”
You don’t have to explain why you didn’t accept the job the first time unless they ask you directly, which is something that would happen in an interview. I would suggest a polite, plausible answer rather than an outright falsehood. You could say, “I believed at that time that I would need to return to [country], but I later found out that would be unnecessary. I was so disappointed that I missed out on the job you offered!”
But he didnt actually leave the country, so it is a bit more of an actual lie. Many job applications ask you to account for past jobs- will listing those reveal the lie?
When in doubt, just tell the truth. Dont explain too much, just state the facts. Less is better. Odds are, the hr person who took you in 4 years ago is no longer there or isn’t doing hiring anymore.
Good question! I don’t know. It’s a large company, it might turn up in their system. As I’m foreign, my name is totally unique.
In the end, it turns out they are running the recruitment process through an agency. I haven’t dealt with the agency before, so I’ve just sent a regular application through them. If they contact me, I may volunteer the information and let them decide - since they have experience with this employer and also have a stake in getting me the job, I might let them decide what’s best.
And yes, I would keep to the vague but true-ish “personal circumstances”. Truth is, I was a bit silly at the time, but they need not know that and I don’t see why I have to go into details, as long as I can assure them that this problem is dealt with and in the past. Which it is.
But I’m getting ahead of myself - first let’s see if I actually get an interview. Fingers crossed.
No, not really. I was working for a school as well as free lance. Not working during summer in those kind of jobs is quite normal. I could have been on holiday or I could have left for a few months, come back and resumed working. They really won’t be able to tell the difference.
Having said that, I think I’ll take you advice and keep to “I wasn’t able to take up the offer” unless they really press me into details.
Good luck! If you do get a call from the agency, I really wouldn’t see the harm in letting them know that you were previously offered the position.
I hadn’t read your OP closely enough and didn’t realise you hadn’t left the country, so would agree with Sudden Kestral’s advice to say you didn’t accept the offer ‘for personal reasons’, but you’re delighted to see the role being offered again.
Then the agency can decide whether or not to pass that information on to the company. As someone who occasionally gets involved in recruiting, I would definitely put you on the top of the list as a result of knowing that.
This. Don’t fudge, don’t lie. The HR person might not be around, but others might. If the company thought you were a good candidate four years ago, and you didn’t turn them down last time because you had to go cook blue meth or something, a good manager won’t care that much about the fact that you turned 'em down last time. He will be interested in a) are you still a good candidate now, and b) is/are the reason(s) you had to turn them down last time going to impact your situation going forward? That’s it.
You don’t need to bring it up in the initial email etc but I’d definitely proactively mention it in one of the first interviews.
I was once hired by a company I had previously turned down twice. And I was hired back by my current company after quitting the first time after just 10 months. (It’s worked out much better this time around; I’ve now been here longer than any other company I’ve ever worked for).
I went to the agency today for a first interview. I told the lady interviewing me about what had happened and she didn’t seem to view it in a positive light, but she said I did absolutely right in telling her and that she will go forward with my application to the company anyway.
Heck, I’ve been hired by companies I was fired from (more like laid off, not fired for cause or anything).
Here’s how it works. Unless you did something flaking like accept the offer and then back out or are a very high level, most companies won’t remember who you were 3 years ago. I barely remember people I interviewed last week.
I wouldn’t mention it unless it’s brought up in the interview. Then say, “I was unable to accept the job at that time due to personal circumstances. However, x has been my home for the last 3 years, and I don’t have any reason to believe that will change.”