COO Advised to Turn Down Job Offer

We advised a C.O.O. to turn down a job offer recently. Do you know when to turn down a job offer?

KNOWING WHEN TO TURN DOWN JOB OFFER

Sometimes, I advise clients to walk away and turn down a job offer. It sounds odd given our mission is to help our clients land a new job. However, we wouldn’t be good career advisers if knew there were major issues and didn’t tell them. We help clients make good decisions.

OUR CLIENT’S STORY

“There are so many red flags with this offer,” I shared. “Unless you desperately need the income right away I have to advise you decline it.”

“I think you’re right,” he said. “What are the biggest deal killers you see?”

“For starters, it’s very heavy-handed in all of its tone. This tells me a lot about the culture. The recruitment phase shows them at their best behavior. If this is their best, imagine what they’re like on a bad day,” I said.

“Agreed,” he replied. “What else?”

“It mandates your hours as 7 AM to 6 PM every day and available 24/7 whenever the CEO wants you,” I pointed out. “While this is not an unusual working reality for a COO, the fact that it’s mandated in the agreement is onerous.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” he said.

“The biggest red flag, though, is that they want you to sign a promissory note that says if you leave any time in the first 5 years you have to pay them $50,000,” I outlined. “There’s no signing bonus on the other side of that that you are repaying. They’re just saying it’s a penalty. This is more an indentured servitude agreement.”



Fortunately, he declined the opportunity. He wasn’t desperate, though he really wanted to find a good opportunity. This simply wasn’t it.