Recruiter gave me a verbal offer but reneged on it 3 days later, saying the initial offer was not to be taken as final.

This happened to me, too. I did a coding challenge, met with the developers I was going to work alongside, passed a background check, and then spoke to the recruiter and he told me I got the job and would start the contractor position at Microsoft the next week. There was no ounce of doubt in him telling me I had the job.

After two and a half weeks of him avoiding my phone calls and emails, he told me that Microsoft no longer needed the position.

Of course, this was the first time it ever happened to me, so I had canceled promising interviews with four other companies. I would then have to spend an additional 6 weeks looking for a job, losing over $6,000 due to bills and rent accumulating while I was unemployed (and ineligible for unemployment). Absolutely devastating.

/r/cscareerquestions Thread