Would you reject an offer to make it ‘to the top’? This man did, for interesting reasons

One candidate had very different, interesting reasons for saying no to an opportunity that came knocking at his door.

What would prompt you to turn down a job offer? Not-so-great pay, a work environment you’re not comfortable with, or a difficult boss?

What would prompt you to turn down a job offer? Not-so-great pay, a work environment you’re not comfortable with, or a difficult boss? (Shutterstock)

One candidate had very different, interesting reasons for saying no to an opportunity that came knocking at his door.

Steve Crider, a senior recruiter at McKinsey, wrote about the experience of cold-calling a candidate about a new job opportunity.

“It was a big step up from his current role, and he had all the right skills and qualifications,” writes Crider in a post on LinkedIn. But the candidate in question firmly refused the offer.

Baffled, Crider asked the candidate why he didn’t want to take up the offer. “I pressed him on it until he said something that really confused me. He told me that he ‘already made it to the top.’”

When the candidate explained his idea of being on the top, Crider was taken by surprise.

He had refused the job because he felt that taking the next step in his career meant more time, travel, and sacrifice. “Not worth it,” said Crider’s prospective employee.

Crider’s post, a screenshot of which was shared on Facebook, has almost 4.6K reactions and has been shared over 13,000 times.

It has garnered a host of conflicting reactions on social media platforms.

While some marvelled at how early the candidate reached the ‘self-actualization stage in Maslow’s hierarchy’, others didn’t agree that getting promotions and working in higher positions meant having to spend less time with family.