I recently accepted an employment offer at "Company A" which I am very satisfied with, but have not started work yet.

I just got called for an interview at "Company B", which is also a decent position.

Is it unethical for me to go to the interview, and can "Company A" take action if they found out I continued going to interviews after accepting their offer?

I basically want "Company B" to be a backup if things at "Company A" don't turn out great.

no it is not unethical

It can't hurt to go to the interview really, just be careful. I mean, you could quit Company A and work for Company B and find out that it's not so great and regret it.

Originally Posted by Allan

Is it unethical for me to go to the interview, and can "Company A" take action if they found out I continued going to interviews after accepting their offer?

Unethical, no. But as far as taking action is concerned, remember that in Ontario, your employer can fire you for absolutely anything they want to in the first 90 days, so if you have any suspicion that they might do that, don't risk it. Unlikely it will come to that, but still possible.

If you have accepted company A's offer, then you're in tough situation. If you suddenly quit, just know that it may put you in a bad position with said employer.

You should go to the interview anyway and see what B has to offer. Also, interview does not guarantee job.

You should always go to interviews that are offered; never give up a chance to practice your interview skills. Employers know what its like to have to go through tons of job hunting steps and have some turn out sour... do it.


Just try not to let them know what you're doing anyhow. You could also work for both companies if you have the time? (unless its coop of course..)

Originally Posted by rcrw88

You could also work for both companies if you have the time? (unless its coop of course..)

Your profile says you're in engineering, if so your employment contract (the one you already signed) most likely states the job you accepted be your only employment (or something to that effect). This might be something worded like:

"Other work: During the Employee’s employment with the Employer, the
Employee shall devote his/her entire working time and attention to the performance of the Employee’s duties pursuant to this Agreement, and shall not, without the prior written consent of the Employer undertake any other business, occupation, work or employment, or become a shareholder, partner, director, officer or agent (except as a passive investor in a publicly traded corporation) of any other company, firm or individual without first requesting and obtaining the Company’s written consent."

Whatever you decide to do, please recognize that the engineering world is generally a small one. Chances are you'll come across people from Company A and B later in your career and you don't want to leave a seriously negative impression at either. That being said, going to an interview is totally fair game.