“Employer retracts job offer because I asked too many questions” — Candidate gets rejected even after signing contract and resigning from current job

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean took to social media on Friday (Sept 20) to share that an employer unexpectedly retracted a job offer just hours after he had signed the contract.

Posting on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, he explained that after being offered a job from a company on Tuesday, he took the time to thoroughly review the contract before making a decision. “I was expected to reply by Thursday,” he explained.

To ensure he fully understood the terms, he asked the company several questions about employee benefits.

These included whether unused annual leave could be carried forward and whether there were any additional flexible perks, such as dental coverage or an allowance for purchasing gym equipment.

After receiving answers to his questions, he felt confident to move forward. He signed the contract and officially resigned from his current job, excited about the new opportunity ahead. 

However, just a few hours after submitting the signed agreement, the company contacted him again to inform him that the job offer had been retracted. 

Confused and disappointed, he immediately emailed his recruiter and the company, seeking clarification on why the offer had suddenly been withdrawn. To his surprise, the reason provided was related to his questions about the employment benefits.

“Is this even legit?” he asked.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do.”

In the discussion thread, Singaporean Redditors informed him that such occurrences, while not common, are not unheard of. Many shared similar experiences where job offers were rescinded for various reasons.

One Redditor said, “This has happened to me too. It’s becoming more common now, and unfortunately, it’s not something you can bring them to TAFEP or the courts for.

My only recourse at that time was to leave as many reviews as possible – on their Google listing and Glassdoor  – letting future readers know of my experience.”

Another commented, “I had a similar experience for asking “too many questions”. I guess the hiring manager felt threatened, or perhaps they did not take appraisals seriously. Looking back, I think I dodged a bullet. Can’t imagine if I joined them.”

A third Redditor stated, “Unfortunately until the day you officially step in office as staff, they do not need to give notice period, so they can just retract. It happens in many companies because there is no retribution for doing so. It sucks.”

Meanwhile, some advised him to withdraw his resignation from his current job and consider remaining there until he found a more stable opportunity.

One Redditor remarked, “Oof. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do. You can try to retract your resignation or continue looking for a new job.”

Read also: SG worker asks how to handle negativity from “toxic bosses who are lazy, shift blame to others, and provide no support”