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.
About Endeavor Agency
Endeavor Agency is the nation’s leading company helping individual executives, VPs, senior managers, professionals, and physicians find the jobs they truly want. Our additional resources, expertise, and career change specialists help our clients uncover more and better job opportunities than what they could access on their own.
Endeavor Agency helps rebrand clients to effectively communicate their value throughout the interview process and increase their odds dramatically of winning offers. Additionally, Endeavor Agency helps clients achieve better results in negotiating the terms of their employment agreements.
Endeavor Agency also provides executive coaching, outplacement services, and business consulting services. Endeavor can also help guide executives focused on the private equity and venture capital market segments.
