So... I recently accepted a really good summer internship offer in NYC (housing paid for, good pay, etc).

But after the week I accepted the offer, I had two more employers contact me for interviews. Would it be ethically wrong for me to pursue those opportunities? I want to do so to see what kind of offer I could get.

3/9/2007 2:03:10 PM

Yes

3/9/2007 2:06:11 PM

no...a company will never show loyalty to you so you should only think of yourself and what opportunity best fits you. loyalty is for king and country....not for employment opportunities.

3/9/2007 2:08:11 PM

if you just want to see what kind of offer you can get, that's kind of shitty, but if you are actually interested in possibly working for those companies, go for it.

I had already accepted a co-op position from Nortel when I got offers from IBM and Cisco a few weeks later. I re-neged on the Nortel offer and ended up at Cisco. Good thing too, since nortel pretty much imploded a year later.

3/9/2007 2:08:19 PM

Ethically wrong? YES
Tacky? YES

If all you're doing an internship for is the money, then why not just get a job here?

3/9/2007 2:09:35 PM

Tacky? YES
Rude? YES
Ethically wrong? Hell no

Do you people even know what ethics are?

3/9/2007 2:13:49 PM

BUSINESS ETHICS

3/9/2007 2:15:50 PM

Have you started the internship?

NO?

then theres nothing wrong with pursuing other leads.

especially if you initiated those leads before you accepted the offer.

go check em out, you have nothing to lose.

if you decide to go with something else, be sure to give the first place as much advance notice as possible, so they can get a suitable replacement.

3/9/2007 2:19:26 PM

It can be done tastfully if there is another job you feel would be better for you......It's much easier for them to find another intern than it is for you to get a better internship. I would say, however, find out what you're going to do asap to give everyone ample time.

3/9/2007 2:21:16 PM

Well, I am interested in them.... I guess I miscommunicated that in my first statement. One of the new inquiry is very detailed about job description and fits what I'm looking for in an IT internship. So it's not like "ooh lets see how much I am really worth on the market."

The internship offer I accepted has very vague job description, also understandable since the internship program is multidisciplinary between computer science, mathematics, and management. They sort of get everyone there and then decide which specific project to assign them to.

3/9/2007 2:21:31 PM

I say follow those other leads and pick whichever best suits you and what you want to do! As long as you give the other job ample time to find a replacement everything should be fine.

3/9/2007 2:34:02 PM

if you do reneg, you just burned that bridge and any other bridges that may connect through them

i would never, ever recommend going back on an acceptance - if you wanted to look elsewhere, you should have waited to accept. it's tacky, it's bad business, hell, it's just plain immature

3/9/2007 3:05:14 PM

i disagree. if you give them ample time to find a replacement, they arent really goign to give a damn. you're just an intern for god sakes.

theyll probably have even forgotten about you by the time you reapply for a permanent position 2 years from now.

#1, you need to look out for your best interest. if you see a "perfect" job for you after you've accepted, you'd be a fool not to take it.

that all said, if your other prospects are not *significantly* better, you should stay with the one you accepted.

because it is a general courtesy sort of thing. and reneging might burn a bridge or two. so make sure its really worth it.



[Edited on March 9, 2007 at 3:43 PM. Reason : ]

3/9/2007 3:39:56 PM

Quote :

"because it is a general courtesy sort of thing"

fuck that shit...since when does a company extend the same courtesy to anyone else? the guys at the top shit on the little guys for a few extra bucks

3/9/2007 4:05:31 PM

well, there is a certain cost associated with breaking your commitments, and its called personal integrity in some places.

i would apologetically decline (reneg) the postition with as much advance notice as possible, if i found something *significantly* better.

if i found something that was only *marginally* better, i would stay with the first accepted.

so basically, im saying my integrity has a certain value on it. anything less than that, and i wont pimp myself out.

3/9/2007 4:10:19 PM

Quote :

"i disagree. if you give them ample time to find a replacement, they arent really goign to give a damn. you're just an intern for god sakes"

Sure they'll give a damn... he may just be an intern, but that's the intern they wanted. The internship I did a while back was a hell of an experience, and they managed to not treat me as anything less than a real employee.

3/9/2007 4:54:27 PM

Quote :

"no...a company will never show loyalty to you so you should only think of yourself and what opportunity best fits you. loyalty is for king and country....not for employment opportunities."

3/9/2007 5:06:51 PM

^^

true. i had the same experience. however, not all internships are alike

his description makes it sound like an intern mill.

Quote :

"The internship offer I accepted has very vague job description, also understandable since the internship program is multidisciplinary between computer science, mathematics, and management. They sort of get everyone there and then decide which specific project to assign them to."

3/9/2007 5:19:31 PM

You may as well interview with them just to see what else is available. Even if you don't take it you will know better what you can justifiably expect from your employer.

3/9/2007 6:16:25 PM

Quote :

"no...a company will never show loyalty to you so you should only think of yourself and what opportunity best fits you. loyalty is for king and country....not for employment opportunities."

/thread

[Edited on March 9, 2007 at 6:21 PM. Reason : .]

3/9/2007 6:21:04 PM

I'm with joe_schmoe on this.

3/10/2007 1:12:47 AM

It's best for both parties. It's fucking dumb to hire someone who doesn't want to be there, and its fucking dumb to work somewhere when you can do better elsewhere.

However, it's just a summer internship. Are your other offers really better than the NYC one????

3/10/2007 1:16:57 AM

I'm thinking it would have to be one hell of an internship to beat something in NYC (housing provided.

3/10/2007 1:18:47 AM

I wouldn't even interview with them; I'd just leave the other two companies alone and focus on the internship you already accepted. I mean, you could interview with them (for the extra practice), but what if they happen to offer you something better than the joint you already accepted? Are you going to back out of the partnership you already made with the first company? Ignorance is bliss. You have a job for the summer - relax. You don't want to fret and kick yourself over a missed opportunity when you don't have to.

3/10/2007 2:00:09 AM

hmm. he has a point.

...

but some people will also say that your internship(s) will set you on a career path that affect your starting direction into the rest of your life.

once you start heading down a certain direction, it becomes more difficult to change tracks. not impossible, but more difficult.

because the internship leads to a similar entry level job. the entry level job gets you your first real experience. once you become exp'd, you get paid more. its difficult to jump into some subfield that you arent experienced in without taking a pay cut.

ah...

anyhow.

go with your gut reaction. your gut reaction is usually correct. fuck TWW.

3/10/2007 2:32:01 AM

^That's all pretty much bullshit that has nothing to do with internships and everything to do with those people being pussies.

3/10/2007 3:03:40 AM

if you haven't started working yet, there's absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing the other leads.

the company you accepted the offer with already should be pretty understanding if you found a position that better matches your goals. as an intern, that's kind of the point of the whole thing.

i've been on both sides of the plate, both being hired and hiring. as long as you don't start work first, it's no big deal and it's generally easy to find replacement interns within a few weeks.

3/10/2007 6:41:25 AM

do what's best for you. fuck those assholes. they don't give a shit about you.

3/10/2007 8:38:31 AM

I was in a similar situation as you, only for a full-time job instead of an internship. I didn't pursue the other interviews, and ended up regretting it. I like the job I took, it just would've been nice to get a feel for what other companies were offering.

3/10/2007 8:50:40 AM

Yea, interns are a dime a dozen. You're entirely replaceable to them.

3/10/2007 9:58:00 AM

i had employers renig on an offer to me....

3/10/2007 10:42:04 AM

Ehn... if you dont look into the other offers, AT LEAST its in NYC.

3/10/2007 10:51:37 AM

^^How did they handle that?

3/10/2007 1:18:01 PM

reneging

not renegging or reniging or renigging

3/10/2007 1:21:01 PM

^^ Most offers are COE anyway. they can renege for any number or reasons.

3/10/2007 2:33:02 PM

Quote :

"fuck that shit...since when does a company extend the same courtesy to anyone else? the guys at the top shit on the little guys for a few extra bucks"

I'm always amused at the people that say there's nothing wrong with a certain action or behavior, and then have an angry disposition towards a company or other person who behaves in that way.

3/10/2007 2:33:45 PM

^what are you talking about? amuse the rest of us plz.

3/10/2007 5:34:08 PM

he's saying that people get pissed at companies for treating prospective employees however they want, but then they think it's ok for people to do the same to the companies.

3/10/2007 5:41:03 PM

some of you people need to wake the fuck up

3/10/2007 5:45:03 PM

you people

3/10/2007 7:02:09 PM

this thread is so racist

3/10/2007 10:38:19 PM

do whatever the hell you feel is right for you, lord knows they would do the exact same

3/11/2007 12:41:34 PM

reniggering?

3/11/2007 3:02:49 PM

naggers. Oh I see, it was naggers.

3/11/2007 3:05:14 PM

renig: shift change at McDonalds

3/11/2007 3:30:36 PM

Quote :

"^^How did they handle that? "

they said they decided to hire somebody with more experience than me even though they had offered me already....

3/11/2007 3:37:44 PM

Depends on how much time you have to let them know and how much time has passed since you accepted. If this is months in advance, they have time to find someone else -- weeks before you could leave them with no one to fill the position. Also, if you just accepted a week ago, especially if there were multiple positions, they might be able to contact another candidate and offer it to them, otherwise if they've already turned everyone else down and ended the search, you are kind of screwing them.

3/12/2007 9:02:13 AM

Quote :

"no...a company will never show loyalty to you so you should only think of yourself and what opportunity best fits you. loyalty is for king and country....not for employment opportunities"

even more so in the US.... if it was in europe or something then you'd be a bit more 'set' but here? fuck it, go to the interviews and feel it out at least

3/12/2007 10:21:48 AM

If you can be fired/laid off at the drop of a hat, then you are free to take another job at the drop of a hat.....

It doesn't depend on anything more than that. Unless you have a guarenteed position, which is usually the case with unions, you have to do what's best for you, because if shit hits the fan, that company won't be looking out for your best interests. Who cares how long you've been there.

I've known too many people who were fired/laid off in a heartbeat & left without any options.

3/12/2007 10:31:05 AM

Is everyone's mentality "always be looking for something better" even after making a commitment?

sad... no wonder people leave their jobs every 6 months and new grads are always expecting instant gratification for no experience....

3/12/2007 10:43:15 AM