Do NOT Renege, Here’s Why

If you got a job or internship offer, congratulations! If you’re unsure of whether it is right for you, it’s best to wait a while to accept or deny the offer, or even ask for an extension on the deadline of the offer so that you can hear back from other companies, make an appointment with a career coach or colleague and talk it out about this difficult decision, and have more time to see if this position aligns with your long-term goals. 

Life happens, and because an internship or job (even if it’s not the “dream” internship or job that a student wants) is still better than the uncertainty of not having another option or not getting another offer, a lot of students prematurely accept offers, without thoroughly thinking about what they will do if another option comes along. If you have accepted an offer, do make sure to let other companies that you are interviewing with know that you are off the job market and do not renege. Consider these five reasons to never renege.

  1. It looks bad. Remember that you are representing Bentley University and that when students renege on offers, whether it be internships or full-time opportunities, it disappoints companies and negatively affects the entire school. Bentley depends on employers to appreciate students as interns and actively recruit from here. Enough reneges can really affect this university’s reputation in the corporate world and make it harder for current students to get jobs and also decrease the value of your Bentley degree.
  2. Your long-term goals may suffer. Compare long-term benefits such as experience versus attributes such as pay. If the first company you accepted an offer for is a respectable employer that aligns more with your long-term career goals, definitely do not renege the offer just because the second offer pays more. Especially if the first company is somewhere that you want to stay on good terms with.
  3. Broken relationship with the employer. Are you okay with burning bridges? If you did accept the first offer in the first place, there is a good chance that you could see yourself working at this particular company. Just because something “better” comes along, are you okay with the possibility of the renege negatively affecting your chances of ever being employed at the first company? Treat employers with the same respect that you deserve and expect.
  4. Serious consequences follow. Reneging an offer suspends you from all recruitment at Bentley and may even result in a shutting down of your Handshake account. It’s not worth it.
  5. It’s just not a good habit to practice. Going back on your word is not a quality that employers appreciate or respect.
By Alina Minkova
Alina Minkova Creative Blog Curator