Acepting or not
I went on an interview at a wonderful company on monday about Tuesday the job starting checking my ref. I got a phone call from the company saying " you in the top percent and will make a desion early next week". However, on Friday a job I interviewed for weeks ago call to make an offer. My question is should I contact the company whom I am waiting to hear from via phone or internet? If yes, should I let them know I have been made an offer and I need a answer due to the other offer?
First, I'd call, not e-mail, the company that made the actual job offer and ask how soon they'd like an answer from you and, in the same breath, I'd politely ask for a few days to think about their offer. Obviously, you have to live within their time frame, but suggesting that you'd like a little time to consider their offer isn't unreasonable. I would NOT mention either company to the other. I think you have to treat both opportunities as totally stand-along situations. If you haven't heard from the first company by mid-week, I think you probably should call them and politely ask about the status of your candidacy - without mentioning the other job offer. Worst case scenario, if the first company can't make an offer within the time frame of the other offer, you may have to accept the offer on the table and let the other one go. The situation you don't want to be in is having the first offer withdrawn and, for whatever reason, not getting the second offer of employment, either. Make sense?
Paul W. Barada
The Negotiation Expert