Is it Wrong to Ditch a New Job for a Better Offer?

Show the company that hired you the respect that they deserve.

Q: A friend of mine just went through a long job search, applying to dozens of companies and getting turned down every time. He finally got a good offer and quickly accepted it. After he had been there a month -- getting trained and enjoying the work and his new colleagues -- he heard from another firm where he had interviewed during his search and was offered what he called his dream job. He quit the first job and jumped to the second. Do you think this was ethical?

Q: Recently I learned that a school-board member in my region applied and interviewed for a librarian/business teacher position at a school under her board’s jurisdiction. Only after she was hired did she resign from the board. Everyone involved says she was shown no favoritism in the process, but I think the appearance of impropriety is terrible. How about you?

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Knight Kiplinger
Editor Emeritus, Kiplinger

Knight came to Kiplinger in 1983, after 13 years in daily newspaper journalism, the last six as Washington bureau chief of the Ottaway Newspapers division of Dow Jones. A frequent speaker before business audiences, he has appeared on NPR, CNN, Fox and CNBC, among other networks. Knight contributes to the weekly Kiplinger Letter.