So in October she started looking for new jobs online, and was soon offered one by XpresTest, a company that conducts Covid-19 tests at airports and is part of the XpresSpa Group. It was a management role paying $75,000 a year with benefits. She got an offer letter, employee handbook, and start date of Jan. 10.
She resigned from Bed Bath & Beyond in December and spent Christmas thrilled about her new job in management. Her partner bought her new work clothes for the more senior role that would finally move her from retail into health care.
“Then they ghosted me,” she says.
A recruiter told Serino her start date had been pushed back. Jan. 10 came and went, and Serino heard from a recruiter that the position was “closed.” She reached out to XpresTest employees but heard nothing back. She still hasn’t.
Her concern, looking back at her offer, is that she was given a “conditional offer of at-will employment.” Near the end of the letter, the company states: “XpresTest may terminate your at-will employment at any time, with or without notice or cause.”
“It was the most unprofessional process I’ve ever experienced,” said Serino, who is now hunting for new work.
XpresSpa did not respond to a request for comment.
There are smaller risks beyond the entire offer collapsing. One is that a current employer may simply not be willing to match, according to Maggie Mistal, a career consultant and executive coach based in New York and Florida.
“You could go to your employer and say, ‘Hey I got another offer, can you match it?’ and they say, ‘No thanks, you can leave,’” she said. “You have to recognize, ‘Hey this might be my new job.’”
Piling on pressure with an outside offer could also damage your relationship with your current manager if you want to stay put. Even if they do match your offer, it could end up being a double-edged sword, said Catherine Golladay, head of Schwab Workplace Financial Services.
“That’s great for you, but now they may also consider you at risk of leaving in the relatively near future, say the next year or two,” she said. “That can factor into how much they are willing to invest in you versus one of your peers whom they may perceive as more loyal or more promotable.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.