this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2026
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You assume they don't already have a job and we're just looking for other opportunities. Not everyone is unemployed before they apply for other jobs. If anything that is a good time to look as it gives you stronger position to negotiate from.
In the overwhelming majority of situations you cannot begin the onboarding process with IT while still working for a previous employer. Especially at this level of software engineering that would run afoul of moonlighting policies.
is what your describing technically possible? sure. Is it even remotely probable? Absolutely not.
EDIT: I am absolutely flabbergasted at how many people don't know their rights.
In the US this is covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, which is extremely simple when defining what is considered on-the-job work. If it is mandatory, work-related, and for the benefit of the company, then it is on-the-job work and you should be paid for the time.
Stop perpetuating wage theft, people. It's the #1 form of theft in the US by a wide margin. Learn your rights and demand pay for your work.
They would quit working at the old company before they start work at the new one. usually there wouldn't be overlap.
You are right. You cannot onboard a new job before you leave your old one. Accepting an offer is not part of the onboarding process though. It happens before.
After an interview process the company makes an offer. The candidate can then accept or reject it. But that is really all informal. You can then negotiate with them for an official start date and contract. You just need to ensure you can hand in your notice and work the rest of your notice period before the start date of your new contract.
I don't know anyone that would hand in their notice before accepting the initial offer of a company. At least here in the UK.
Communicating with IT is absolutely part of the onboarding process. And the phrasing of the email clearly states they are rescinding an offer acceptance, as in they had already accepted and begun onboarding.
You are not considered to be working somewhere until you have signed a contract and after the start date on that contract. Accepting a offer is not signing a contract. You are not working at the new place yet. You have no obligations to do anything at that point. You just need to have stopped working at your current employment before your start date. You definitely do not need to quit before accepting the offer. No where I have worked requires that.
If you begin the onboarding process as a senior backend engineer without inquiring as to what your working environment will be, then you're just incompetent.
If you're talking to the IT department about workstation configuration without signing a contract and getting paid for it, you're being taken advantage of.
Yes, it's reasonable, and smart, to ask people during the interview process about their tech stack. But there is no way I'm coordinating with IT on the setup and configuration of my workstation without a contract in place or before my start date.
Is this some usa user who haven't heard about other countries? (and I doubt it's even true in the usa).
Not only is this definitely true in the US but I know it's true in other countries like the UK and Japan as well.
Dawg put down the crack pipe you're the only one who is asserting this.
Definitely NOT true in US, or UK. Didn't work IT when I was in Japan so can't say for that one, but likely not true there either.
EDIT: In the US this is covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, which is extremely simple when defining what is considered on-the-job work. If it is mandatory, work-related, and for the benefit of the company, them it is on-the-job work and you should be paid for the time. So congratulations; you've likely participated in wage theft by onboarding people who aren't being paid for their time.
Except for the other reply that starts "you are right. you cannot onboard a new job before you leave your old one"??? They may go on to say that accepting an offer isn't onboarding but since I never tried to argue that it was, that's kind of irrelevant.
Lots of people don't know their rights or their obligations. Wage theft is the #1 from of theft in the US by a lot. Coordinating with an IT department for onboarding without getting paid for it is straight up wage theft and being taken advantage of. Doing so while still employed by another company is moonlighting under most contracts.
People do shit like that all the time. Doesn't make it right. Doesn't make it safe.