You finally have an offer in hand after months of interviewing for new jobs. You're thrilled, but it wasn't your first choice. You're still interviewing for your dream job as well as some others about which you don't know enough. You don't want to lose the current offer, but you also want to see how the hiring processes of the other companies work. What are your options? Here are five strategies for dealing with an offer in hand when you don't know if or when another will arrive.
- Request time to make a decision.
The most important thing to do is to show your excitement. Without establishing a positive tone, you risk having the offer withdrawn. You demonstrate your interest in potentially joining their company by telling a recruiter that you're excited about the job and company and grateful to have the offer.
Then you can request a week to consider the offer. Determine the recruiter's reaction. Because the market is so competitive, some companies will not want to wait that long, and they will want to know if they should move on to a backup candidate or restart the search. If the recruiter's reaction is cold, ask them what a reasonable time frame is for a response — without providing any additional information. You don't want to tell them you're still interviewing because it will give the impression that your enthusiasm for the position isn't genuine.
Meet new people or go on a tour
If you don't have control over how much time you have to consider the offer, you can try to extend the timeline by requesting a meeting with someone you haven't met with yet or a tour of the office (if applicable) before making a decision. Taking a tour of the office, even if it is empty, will give you a sense of the culture and collaborative spaces. Try to schedule the meeting or tour a week in advance so that you can finish interviewing with other companies.
- Reject companies that you are not interested in.
During that time, if you've been interviewing at companies you're not as interested in, call or email the recruiters to let them know you've received an offer and plan to accept it. While most candidates have been ghosted by a recruiter at some point during their job search, don't emulate poor behavior. You've developed a relationship with them, and you might need it in a few years. Even if you've had bad experiences in the past, treat recruiters with the same respect you'd like to be shown.
- Check to see if you're a viable candidate elsewhere.
Contact the recruiter or hiring manager at your first-choice company to express your enthusiasm for the position and inform them that while they are your first choice, you have received an offer from your second-choice company. Mention that you don't want to lose the offer if you aren't a viable candidate for the first-choice job, inquire if you're truly in the running, and pay close attention to the energy in the response. You can proceed if they say you aren't a viable candidate. If they say they're just starting the recruitment process, it means they're willing to lose you as a candidate, no matter how great you are.
If they say you're a viable candidate, there's a lot of enthusiasm, and you're well into the interview process, you can ask if there's anything else you can do to entice them to make an offer. If you're still early in the interview process, you can ask them to speed up the rest of the process to see if you're the best candidate for the job. Great if they can speed things up! If they can't, you'll have to decide whether you want to take the risk of rejecting the current offer.
- Accept the job and request a later start date.
The average new hire will begin their new job within two to four weeks of accepting an offer. Accept and request a start date a month in advance if you can financially support it. This will allow you to complete the interview process with any other companies to see if they are a better fit. There are advantages and disadvantages to doing so:
Pros
If you accept, you will have a job waiting for you, so you will not feel as pressed to accept another offer. Requesting four weeks will also allow you to either successfully receive an offer from your first-choice company or exhaust your other options, allowing you to become fully invested in the job you accepted.
Cons
If you wait a month and are currently unemployed, you may be without a paycheck for an extended period of time, resulting in financial hardship. Even if that isn't an issue, changing your mind after accepting an offer may reflect poorly on your character, especially if you struggle with difficult conversations.
If you want to accept an offer from another company after accepting one elsewhere, call the recruiter from the company you planned to join as soon as possible and let them know you've changed your mind. You may believe that an email is sufficient, but a phone call with an apology, no matter how uncomfortable, is preferable.
I recall a new employee failing to show up for his first day of work and calls and texts going unanswered. Knowing he'd be driving a long distance on his first day, the recruiter dispatched police to his house for a welfare check — and the new employee opened the door.
He sent a scathing email to the recruiter, claiming that they had "gone too far by sending police to my home." He had simply changed his mind and didn't feel the need to inform anyone.
It will take the rejected company another 60+ days to make a new hire, so don't disappear or put off informing them. Even if you handle the conversation flawlessly, you may never work at the rejected company again, or at other companies where the recruiter and hiring manager later move on.
Finally, you want to find the best fit for you, and companies want to find the best fit for them. If you believe the company that has offered you a job is not a good fit for your career goals, culture, or any other reason, it is best to decline the offer and continue your search if you can manage your anxiety and stay financially afloat. Using proactive communication to be as authentic and professional as possible will be critical to your success in not only feeling good about the job you take, but also the companies you leave behind.
Summary.
When interviewing for jobs, it's difficult to know what to do when you have an offer in hand but are hoping that another company will make you one as well. You want to keep your offer on the table, but you also want to see how the hiring process at the other company goes. The author offers several solutions to this uncomfortable situation. Try to buy yourself some time by rejecting any companies that aren't a good fit for you and seeing if your preferred company can speed up their hiring process. Always be respectful of the recruiters with whom you interact, regardless of your decision. Finally, you want to find the best fit for you, and companies want to find the best fit for them.
Using proactive communication to be as authentic and professional as possible will be critical to your success in not only feeling good about the job you take, but also the companies you leave behind.
