Call them on Monday and tell them upon reflection and further discussion with your family, you would like to accept the offer if they would be so kind as to consider your change in heart and you certainly hope that hasn't caused anyone too much inconvenience.
Greg Lamberson, BS, MBA
Consultant - Upstream Energy
Website:
I agree with what everyone has posted here; however, let's play devil's advocate for just 1 minute.
There was a reason why you turned them down in the first place, maybe it was a gut feeling a hunch. I would listen to that feeling before accepting that offer.
You risk looking pretty indecisive if you go back to them. Better have a really good reason for changing your mind at the ready to give them.
Did you give them a reason why you turned it down? If they really want you they may try to rectify that, which goes back to my original advice. Wait for a counter offer.
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970
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Get on the phone at daybreak the first morning they are open and tell them you had a change of heart. Do not do this via email...speak to them personally. Be prepared to answer any questions they have to check your sincerity. Many (including myself) have done the same thing, often leading to an excellent job. Sometimes our judgement can be clouded, especially if they put a tight deadline on your decision.
What was the reason that you told them you didn't want to take their offer? Hopefully you didn't burn any bridges.
I had something similar happened to me. I was in the middle of changing jobs and upon turning in my 2 week notice i found out that my new employer had made a mistake in my original offer. For a couple of days i was in limbo and was thinking of a good way to come back to my original employer and accept the counteroffer they had offered me to stay. The best way i could think of to resume dialog was to pletend i was playing hardball. My plan was to request a more flexible schedule to return to school in the evenings. In the end i was able to re-nogotiate a new offer from my new employer and switched jobs without trying this strategy out.
You can try this hardball strategy and see what they say, you might be able to get something extra out of it. This will also allow you to find out if the offer sheet is still on the table without making you seem indecisive. At worst they might say to you that "no", that was their final offer if you still want the job.
I followed Greg's advise, called up my new employer and was re-offered the position.
Why did I turn down the offer in the first place?
Failure to take into consideration, during my deliberations, the fundamental reason why I wanted to move on in the first place, coupled with the fact that my present employer decided to match the terms of the new offer. Also, I did not give myself enough time to thorougly think things through. One more lesson learnt.
In response to SMS' suggestion, I could not sit back and wait for a counter offer. This opportunity had already been missed when I initially declined the offer. Even though my decision making capabilities have been compromised in the eyes of my new employer, I am taking my chances to rebuild their confidence in me.
On the bright side, my control system is still very responsive, as it did not take me long to correct the error resulting from heading towards the wrong direction.
Good lesson learned. Rarely, should the reason for leaving solely predicated on salary, unless it's egregiously bad.
In 30 yrs, I've only voluntarily left a company 3 times, and not once was it for money. In one case, the company did make a sizable counteroffer, but, it wasn't sufficient to outweigh the fact that the division was doomed.
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