job offer...take it or wait for others
I find myself in a dilemma and hope that you can shed some light on this matter.
With the help of many great advice on the monster boards in the last few weeks, I' ve been able to narrow down my job search to about five different companies. Out of the five, two are merely placed as a back up plan and positions I wouldn' t necessarily be happy with...but will allow me to pay the bills.
My question comes in dealing with my top three. I' m waiting on an answer from company A, which should come the end of this week or early next week. I' ve got an interview with company B tomorrow, and this is probably at the top of my list. Meanwhile, I' ve got an offer from company C. This is something I could see myself doing, but again...I' d be much happier with A or B.
I told C that I needed more time, especially since I' m changing my career path and want to make an informed decision. They have asked if I had other possibilities on the table, which I answered yes to (I know most have posted that I should keep them independent, but since they asked...I didn' t want to lie).
With that said...should I risk the chance of losing C and wait for A or hope to impress B enough to land another offer? And if I were to take the offer with C, wait for A or B' s response...then take their offer if it comes my way, is there any consequences that I may face (other than of course, C being extremely angry with me and calling me a two-face)?
I want to eliminate the option of choosing my back up plans if at all possible.
What should I do in this situation?? I' m glad this is a positive dilemma, but the stress level is very high nonetheless. Thank you for any input and I look forward to some great advice!
You didn' t mention whether you NEED a job or if you are working now.
If you can take the time to wait, I would decline C' s offer and hope for A or B to come through. However if you can' t afford to let ANY opportunity pass you by, accept C' s offer and then see what happens with A or B. Yes, C may be upset but you need to watch out for yourself.
You could also ask A and B when they think a decision would be made in light that you have another offer. If they like you enough, they may accelerate their decision process. Or, they may acknowledge that you are not a top candidate and let you move on.
Part of the answer depends on how badly you need a job. If you' re not working, I think you have to accept C' s offer because, at this moment, you don' t have any other actual job offers on the table. In other words, you may or may NOT get an offer from either A or B. If you have to give C an answer before you hear from A, from whom you expect an offer either this week or next, or from B with whom you only have an interview, then I' d be inclined to accept C' s offer. On the other hand, if you have a job and aren' t under any pressure to find employment, I suppose you can wait to see what happens with A and B. Hope this helps.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, I' m currently unemployed so seems the best route would be to take C' s offer before I lose it all.
By the way...as Chet mentioned, if I were to discuss expediting A' s decision process...what would be the most tactical way to go about it?
Can I simply say that I may have a bona fide offer on hand and would like them to make a decision one way or another? Or should I just simply get in touch and "check on the status"? And should I be contacting the HR personnel on this matter, or the hiring manager (I had phone interview w/ HR and interview w/ manager)?
If you could guide me on the negotiating aspect, I' d be greatly appreciated.
Again, I truly appreciate both of your help. I' d be so lost without the wisdom / expertise of everyone on the monster boards!!
I would contact company A via telephone and tell your contact:
"I' m very excited about the opportunity to work for our organization. I thought my skill sets matched what your needs were and your company seemed an excellent fit for me. I have received an offer from another company, and would like to extend them the courtesy of an answer within a reasonable timeframe. Could you update me on my status within your company? Your company is my first choice, but I need to make an informed and expedient decision."
Edit as necessary and appropriate...
Thank you so much!
The conversation I originally had in mind definitely wasn' t as tactful. Man...I forgot how cruel the whole process of getting a job can get. Let' s hope once I land one this time, I won' t have to find another one for years and years to come!
You' re welcome. The whole process is pretty cruel...I' m going through it right now myself and sometimes the waiting is the worst part.
BUT the only way that will work is if you' re totally prepared to take C' s offer in case either of the other two say that can' t move as quickly as you require! Make sense?
I understand. Thanks again for everything.
Actually, new developments came to light as I had the interview with B today. The process went smoothly and I was offered a 2nd round of interviews set for next week.
Next interview will be with his boss, along with the person I'll be replacing (being promoted). Other than the general set of questions, do you have any suggestions as far as what to ask that would impress them?
On a side note, the interview with the hiring manager was fairly quick and to the point. In fact, I wasn't even given the chance to ask him much questions. He went through his end, thanked me for the time, and got up to shake my hand. I felt awkward, so did the same. However, I'm starting to feel that I should have taken the initiative to request a few more minutes. He did mention how much work load he had since the last person got promoted, so maybe he was just too busy?? Any thoughts on that (am I worrying for no reason)?
Anyhow, I've decided to decline C's offer. Literally two minutes ago, A also called to tell me I was still in the running and that I should be getting a call for 2nd interview by end of this week or early next week. So now that I've secured the 2nd interview with both A and B, I'm willing to part ways with C. Let's just hope I land either one (if not, I guess I still have D and E options to pay my bills...right? )
Other questions you might ask, that may or may NOT impress them could include, "On the presumption that I do a good job, I wonder if you could tell me about advancement opportunities?" or "I want to do the best job I can, what sort of opportunities are there for moving up within the organization? Based on performance, of course." Finally, if neither A or B produce job offers, and neither D or E result in job offers, you still have option F, which is called unemployment...