Candidate rejects job offer due to low compensation, leading recruiter to call candidate's current employer out of spite: ‘They asked to speak with HR’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jun 14, 2026 11:15 AM EDT

How often do you get to see an employer's true colors before you even get the job?

You can never know what kind of workplace you are walking into before you actually start the job. Just as job candidate try to be at their best behavior while they interview for a new job, the workplace is also actively trying to polish itself and appear like the best workplace in the world.

They'll talk about benefits, and will show you the fancy office and the happy employees, but that's all a show. You only get to know if that heaven on earth is as good as it seems once you start the job. Usually, after the first few days, you uncover whether this workplace is anything like they made it seem during the hiring process, or if there was something ugly hiding underneath the surface. 

However, once in a blue moon, you might be able to get a glimpse of the inside before you take the job, which might help you determine whether you want the job or whether you should dodge the bullet.

Take the job candidate below as an example of someone who saw a workplace's true colors after they rejected the job. They shared online a story about how they rejected a job offer after two months of interviews because the compensation was 18k below their floor. They were very respectful when they declined the offer and thanked the recruiter for the process, and they were sure that was when their communication would be over.

They were wrong. The very next day, this candidate arrives at their job and is told by their manager that someone called them to ask about their employment. It seems like the recruiter didn't enjoy being told 'no', and they decided to get a little revenge by trying to mess with this candidate's current employment. 

Safe to say, the candidate definitely dodged a bullet here…

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  • 01
    Man in a suit (model) talking on the phone while holding a coffee cup.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Man in a suit (model) talking on the phone while holding a coffee cup.

  • 02

    I rejected an offer and the recruiter called my current employer the next day

    This is still pretty fresh so I'm trying to figure out if I'm overreacting. I've been interviewing with a mid- size SaaS company for about two months. Four rounds, a take- home case, the works. Last
    via Synthara13
  • 03
    Thursday I got the offer and it came in about 18k below what we'd discussed as my floor in the very first call. I declined politely, thanked them, said the compensation wasn't aligned with what I was looking for.
    via Synthara13
  • 04
    Normal right? I've turned down offers before, nothing ever happened.
    via Synthara13
  • 05
    The following morning my current manager pulled me into a meeting and asked if I was "actively looking." Apparently someone called our main office line and asked to speak with HR
    via Synthara13
  • 06
    about "verifying employment" for me. My manager intercepted it somehow. He wasn't angry, more confused, and I panicked and said it was probably an old background check from a rental application.
    via Synthara13
  • 07
    I don't know for certain it was the recruiter. But the timing is insane and I haven't applied anywhere else recenty. I never gave this company my current employer's
    via Synthara13
  • 08
    name directly but it's on my LinkedIn and I'd listed the company name on the initial application form.
    via Synthara13
  • 09
    Businessman sitting at a desk, making a professional phone call, presented by model.
    via Carrie Allen www.carrieallen.com

    Businessman sitting at a desk, making a professional phone call, presented by model.

  • 10
    What would even be the motivation here? Spite? Is this something that actually happens?
    via Synthara13
  • 11
    And more practically, is there anything I can do about it if I can't prove it was them? I'm in Washington state if that affects anythi
    via Synthara13
  • 12
    7Holocrest This is not overreacting. The timing is way too specific to be coincidental, and "verifying employment" calls don't just happen randomly the morning after you decline an offer.
    via 7Holocrest
  • 13
    Document everything now while it's fresh the dates, what was - said in every call, the offer details, all of it. If this is Washington state, there may actually be legal exposure for the recruiter here depending on what was said on that call.
    via 7Holocrest
  • 14
    KoBoWC You should call the HR dept of the org you interviewed with, seeking to verify the employment of your interviewer.
    via KoBoWC
  • 15
    Lindee Hilltop Turn it around. Tell your boss that they tried to recruit you & you turned them down. Then report that HR person.
    via LindeeHilltop
  • 16
    RdtRanger6969 Recruiter trying to burn you at your current job because they thought You "wasted their time." When, in fact, they did it to themselves by trying to lowball you.
    via RdtRanger6969
  • 17
    LQjones Employment verification calls do not go to your current employer. This totally sounds like a pied off recruiter. You might have some legal options.
    via LQjones
  • 18
    Questioner4lyfe2020 Instead of revenge, which is the approach I think the Recuriter too, why didn't she go back and try to get you a better offer from their comp team and leadership. What a loser. You dodged a bullet.
    via Questioner4lyfe2020
  • 19
    cousinconley Nothing that drastic, but did have a recruiter want to talk to my wife after I turned down an offer that required relocation and my wife decided she didn't want to move.
    via cousinconley

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