Can a Job Consultant Really Blacklist Me for Declining an Offer? How Should I Handle This?

I received an offer from a product company and had to join in 2 weeks. The offer was made very quickly, within a day, and I was told to accept it within 2 days. As I was researching the company, I came across many negative comments on various forums. I also had the opportunity to speak with some employees who did not provide positive feedback on the company's growth, culture, management, and HR practices. Initially, I thought the forums might be incorrect, but after verifying with existing employees, which took me a week, my concerns grew.

With only a week left before my start date, I sent an apology for not joining. I did not mention that I had conducted research and decided against accepting the offer. Now, the consultant has sent me an email stating that they will blacklist me from all product companies and update my status on Google, potentially damaging my reputation.

Can They Blacklist Me?

My question is: Can they blacklist someone in this manner? Can they update information on Google, and if so, what would they update and how?

Please advise on how I should handle this situation.

It is the right of a candidate to choose the right job on their own unless you have accepted the offer in writing that you will join. In this era, no companies use this blackmailing tactic; if you do not feel comfortable, don't join.

Regards,
Eswar

It is rightly said by Eswar that no one can force you to join any organization. Now that you have found out that the company is not good, why waste your time over it? Please remember, if you are good, nothing can stop you from getting a good job. So, please forget them and start looking for another job.

Suggestion for Future Job Offers

I would like to make a suggestion: before you accept any offer, try to do some background checks on the company. Nowadays, it is very easy with the help of Google. All the best.

Regards,
Anita

This is in addition to what the previous member has said. What you have not mentioned is your current employment. Have you tendered your resignation? If yes, with your decision of not accepting the job offer, have you withdrawn your resignation?

There is nothing wrong per se about investigating the company. "Look before you leap" goes the famous adage. You have adopted it but at the wrong time. You could have done the investigation well before accepting the offer letter. Nothing can stop you from declining this offer; however, if you had done the investigation before accepting the offer, this situation could have been avoided.

In fact, declining a job offer a week after its acceptance is perfectly gentleman's behavior. There are cases wherein job candidates do not bother to inform also. They just switch off their mobile phone a week or so and they merrily continue to work in the same company. Now the consultant is taking undue advantage of this very gentlemanly behavior.

Who gave you the offer letter? Was it from the consultant or from the company? If it is from the latter, then the consultant has no locus standi.

The consultant's mail has given you material evidence. If you have time and patience, then you may lodge a police complaint against that consultant. It would serve as a message to one and all.

The other option is to ignore mail from the consultant and just keep quiet. However, if the consultant calls you, then you tell him to send a mail. Use the second mail as evidence and lodge a police complaint for threatening. When the consultant calls you, you may record the call also to use it as evidence. Tell him that companies do not just blacklist the job candidates but the recruitment consultants as well.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

I would be very interested in knowing how a person can blacklist someone on Google or assign negative points there. It looks like someone is trying to take you for a ride. The consultant is very much within his rights to blacklist you. It's his decision whom he recommends for a job. However, there are enough other consultants whom you can approach for a job.

Google is a vast data bank. I wonder if anyone is Googling for you and where. Do not worry about that. The difference is in the info tech industry. Nasscom has a database of employees blacklisted by companies. Larger companies check with the database before hiring. As for a police complaint, you are unlikely to get help from there.

Understanding Blacklisting and Google Search Results

As explained by Banerjee, no one can blacklist you on Google. Google is a search engine, and if someone searches your name, they will find many people with similar names. They may see photographs associated with those names if they have been uploaded through any professional or social networking site. Apart from that, Google will not provide any feedback on individuals.

Lastly, if you ever find anything negative mentioned on a public site, you can file a defamation case against the person responsible.