career limiting move

January 14, 2018 4:17 AM

should I email the company that sent me an offer letter last june?

last june i received an offer letter for a remote position from company x. this was a specialized web dev position and the money was fantastic. it was a tremendous opportunity and i verbally agreed. the offer was made on a friday.

i went out that night to celebrate and at some point started feeling very bad. all the rest of this is fuzzy, but emsa ended up taking me to the hospital. i spent five weeks in icu in an unresponsive state and another two months unable to speak . six months later I am finally able to think about working again.

my health issues were from lifestyle choices and a bad roll of the dice.

should I contact this company so i can explain my ghosting? how should I explain the six month gap in my working history to them or other future companies?

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (5 answers total)

You sound very apologetic and guilty about this issue. You were seriously ill and this is not your fault. No one is taking perfect care of themsleves all the time.

I'd be honest about the gap. I had an illness. I took the time to recover and now I am able to work. (I'd be sure of this when you say it). I'd email the company,

Dear X, I apologize for failing to communicate about your job offer last year. I had a serious illness, and was not able to respond at the time. I am now completely recovered and looking to work again. Please keep me in mind.

Thank you,
Anon

I would not expect this company to hire you - but it doesn't hurt to ask. I'd start your job seach again and let your contacts know you are well and on the market. I would just say illness and not serious illness to everyone but the company you ghosted on. Don't volunteer about the gap unless someone asks.
posted by Kalmya at 4:53 AM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

I’d email whoever interviewed you, just on a human level — hello person, you may remember me. I was so looking forward to working together/on your team. You must have wondered what happened... (brief outline just as you have here.) I am so sorry I was not able to communicate this earlier. I hope the team is enjoying every success. I’m at (number) if you would like to stay in touch.

For your job search, it’s not a big deal. Explain you were dealing with a one-time health issue that is now resolved, if anyone asks.

Also, I’m really sorry this happened TO you. Glad you’re recovering.
posted by warriorqueen at 6:53 AM on January 14, 2018 [10 favorites]

If you get in touch with them, and are willing to be open (even if it's not really their business) to write something like "I was very excited about your offer and was going to accept it, but that weekend I had an unexpected health emergency and spent five weeks in icu in an unresponsive state and another two months unable to speak . six months later I am finally able to think about working again. This was an exceptional circumstance and has fully resolved itself. I am sorry that I was unable to communicate at that time, and would like to inquire if you are interested in discussing having me fill this position."

Anything less explicit may seem like you're just making up stuff and flaky. FWIW if I got this e-mail I would be intrigued/empathetic and at least have a conversation with you.

I'm glad that you're recovering, and hope that you find a strong path forward!
posted by cacao at 10:02 AM on January 14, 2018 [7 favorites]

I’d email to close the loop on it and not expect anything in return other than an email acknowledging that you contacted them. If anything it will help clear up things on their end that definitely need clearing up.
posted by Annika Cicada at 11:42 AM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

This scenario - someone accepts offer, then ghosts - happens from time to time in my experience (hiring manager, 24 years in industry). Sometimes you get the rest of the story, sometimes not. As a manager trying to fill a position, you mainly just want to know if you need to go back to your pool or start your search over again. Six months is a long time in the IT business, I wouldn't expect that position to still be open; for that matter, the project they were hiring for may already be complete. The main reason for *you* to contact them is either so you'll feel better, or if you think there is a chance you'll apply to the company again in the future. There is zero downside here to contacting them.

For the second part of the question, how to explain the gap, I would wait until asked about it in an interview. You don't need to go into the details, if you just respond that you were out with a health issue, that is going to shut the conversation down right there with any HR person or a hiring manager that knows their business.
posted by kovacs at 11:53 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]