

Almost immediately, he felt he had made a mistake. He wrote emails to the manager and to the recruiter saying that he had decided to take the other job but that he hoped to work for the company in the future. Unfortunately, the job at the smaller company turned out to be a bad fit. He called the larger company and apologized again. The manager told him that they were well-staffed and that he should not have turned down the job at the last minute. What chance does he have to go back to the company in the future?

A: Realistically, your husband's chances of "going back" to the large company are minimal, at best, say the experts. "Companies are a lot like human beings," says Al Stewart, president of Business Mentors, Inc., a career management consulting firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"Once a human being is offended by another, it is difficult to ever feel the same way about that person again." If you've broken the 'trust bond' in the eyes of a company, it will be quite difficult to ever regain their trust, he adds.

It can be difficult to repair trust once it's broken, particularly in a tough job market. Getty Images

But, from what you describe, "going back" might not be the best option. "There is no way to know that the other position at the larger company would be an improvement on his current job," says Laurie Gay, a New York-based career coach. "In fact, there are some indicators that the position at the larger company might not be ideal, either: offering a job for one year, only to later find out that the duration will actually be six months, could be interpreted as not keeping promises, too."

If your husband still chooses to pursue the larger company despite the potential red flags, there are a few steps he can take to increase his chances for success. First, he should stay in touch with both the project manager and the recruiter. He'll want to show his continued interest in the company and focus on the fact that the issue was the contract, not the company, the project, or the manager, says Juan Morales, managing director of the Miami office for executive-consulting firm Stanton Chase International.

"Unfortunately, some humble pie would be in order, and the focus should be on the project manager in this regard," says Mr. Morales. "Play to the ego and value brought to the table."

Write to Elizabeth Garone at cjeditor@dowjones.com