Job Hunting advice: what to do if you get an offer but you have another interview?

texas*princess · #1 01-26-2005, 04:25 PM

Here's a GC Hypothetical for all you career gurus out there:

Let's say t*p (that's me! hehehe) has an interview with Company #1 on Wednesday morning.

I went to the interview, I felt it went very well. The company is a great company... the job is a good one, the pay is giong to be pretty good. They also want to fill the position pretty quick.

This week I also have an interview with Company #2.

This interview is Friday afternoon. It's still a good company, you're not really sure about the position or pay, the location is really good.

........

ok.. In a GC Hypothetical world, what would I do if Company #1 calls on Thursday or even Friday morning and offers a job? SHould I take it? Should I try to stall so I can go to the other interview even if I'm not sure how quick they are looking to hire?

Of course all of this is a hypothetical.... I had Company #1's interview today... it's basically between me and another person, and it sounds like its' going to be a tough call for the hiring mgrs. A friend of mine works @ Company #1, so he kind of told me from what he heard (about them liking the interview w/ me but that it would be a "tough call")

XOMichelle · #2 01-26-2005, 04:29 PM

Don't worry about that bridge until you cross it! It takes more than 2 days to get offered a job.

That being said... I'd ask for a week to consider the offer. That's pretty standard, right? If you dont' want to do that because you think they'll retract it, then say yes. Go to the other interview, and if it is a better fit, and you get offered that job, go for it.

texas*princess · #3 01-26-2005, 04:35 PM

yea I def. don't want to worry about something until it happens.. I guess I didn't want to be caught off guard either. My friend says they are looking to hire someone in the next couple of days...(more than likely on or before Friday) but for sure by Tuesday. The position has been vacant for a couple of weeks now and they seem pretty set on filling it pretty soon, so in a hypothetical world I *did* get a call-back, I wanted some opinions

mu_agd · #4 01-26-2005, 05:44 PM

usually they give you at least a few days to make a decision. if they don't come out and offer that, i'd ask if it was possible to think about it and get back to them. i've known plenty of people that have done that.

texas*princess · #5 01-26-2005, 05:48 PM

thanks for the resassurance!

i'm still pretty new to the whole 'full-time' deal, so I am not sure what is going on. I'd hate to say "can I have a few days to think about it" because then I'm afraid they'd get the impression that I was fishing around to see if I could get something better (and then accept if I couldn't find anything better)... and I guess I just felt if I gave an immediate acceptance it would show that I was definitely fired up for the job and wanting to get started, etc.

I just got a phone interview for a third company.. which is pretty overwhelming. I don't know if any employment offers will come out of any of this, but it's pretty strange considering I haven't heard anything since I started sending out resumes and stuff back in late October.

XOMichelle · #6 01-28-2005, 02:18 PM

Good luck!!!

Bottom line- you need a job. Accept whatever comes your way, and then if you have another offer to compare it to, decide then! Employers know that dealing with people who have never had a job is different from dealing with people who have been in the workforce. You need time because everything is new

Rudey · #7 01-28-2005, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by XOMichelle
Good luck!!!

Bottom line- you need a job. Accept whatever comes your way, and then if you have another offer to compare it to, decide then! Employers know that dealing with people who have never had a job is different from dealing with people who have been in the workforce. You need time because everything is new

worst

advice

ever

-Rudey

KSigkid · #8 01-28-2005, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by XOMichelle
Good luck!!!

Bottom line- you need a job. Accept whatever comes your way, and then if you have another offer to compare it to, decide then! Employers know that dealing with people who have never had a job is different from dealing with people who have been in the workforce. You need time because everything is new

I would not suggest that at all; if you're going to make the commitment and accept the job, that should be an end result, not an if/then.

dphies00 · #9 01-29-2005, 01:16 AM

As I recruiter, I literally has someone in this position today.

Its my job to say - you're stupid if you don't take Company 1's position. The person had sat with me, gone over her employment wants, her salary wants, and then I handed her the position on a silver platter. Then another company was interested in this person for another job - doing what she wanted but no management responsibilities, 15k less coming in, and she would not be leading on accounts. And Company 1 was just in such a stronger place. Truthfully, Company 1 loved her but if she didn't accept the position today (they made the offer yesterday) they would have soured and doubted her enthusiasm. Catch 22 but true.

And if you're new to the market, whatever happens, to stay in that market, you really need to gain at least two years experience in a steady position in a company with a good reputation. You're building a career not just making a decision.

Quote:

Employers know that dealing with people who have never had a job is different from dealing with people who have been in the workforce.

Yeah, they have less patience towards them. Sad but true

But yeah it sounds like you're a popular girl!

AGDee · #10 01-29-2005, 02:24 AM

When they offer you the position, you can say "When do you need a decision from me?" If they say that they need an answer immediately, then you need to be prepared to give them an answer. Keep in mind the old adage "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush". This isn't an easy economy for attaining a job. If the job meets your salary requirements,sounds like it will provide good experience, and you felt comfortable with the people you met, then you would probably want to take the job that is offered if they need an answer right away. Once you commit to that job though, you should follow through.

I had applied for two internal positions in my corporation. I interviewed for one and accepted the position. The last day in old position, the other one called for an interview. I said "I'm sorry, I've already accepted a position at (building name) and I start on Monday". After I was at my new job for a while, I told my supervisor about the other interview offer and he said "Boy am I glad you didn't do that. We had a guy start a few months before we hired you and he gave his two week notice on his first day". A company puts a lot of time and effort (which equals money) into hiring someone so if you accept a position, you need to remain committed to the job. You never burn your bridges. You never know when you'll see those people again and they WILL remember you.

Dee

DeltaBetaBaby · #11 01-29-2005, 02:39 AM

Looks like you posted this Tuesday, so it may be a done deal by now, but...

You can always say "That sounds good, I just need to see it in writing. When can I expect the paperwork?"

This is *almost* a verbal acceptance, but not quite, and it will buy you a day or two.

texas*princess · #12 01-30-2005, 02:24 AM

Firstly, I definitely agree with those that said it was probably not a good idea to accept an offer, then if something else comes along compare it to what I got. I definitely want my "first real job" to be something that I stick with for longer than 5 minutes

As far as my update goes, I didn't get offered the position with Company #1, but it was a tough call from what I heard (I have inside sources

). They decided to go with someone with more experience in the area of what the position was for, which is totally understandable (especially considering the position was vacant for about 2 weeks... so work was piling up there)

The GOOD news is that they liked me so much they are forwarding my resume to two other departments in their company b/c apparently I made a pretty good impression on them (which is really exciting

). So I may be hearing something from them soon.

I went ahead and went to the interview with Company #2 on Friday. I'm really not too sure how I feel about them... it seems like a nice atmosphere, but I think the job is a little too "robotic" for my tastes.. I want something that I can be creative with.

As cheesy as this sounds, it's kind of like sorority recruitment... they're looking for a fit, and so am I.

AlphaFrog · #13 01-30-2005, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by texas*princess
As cheesy as this sounds, it's kind of like sorority recruitment... they're looking for a fit, and so am I.

This is one of the things that appealed to me about joining a sorority...it's pretty much like running a business (with a social twist)... Interviewing canidates, business meetings, Executive Board meetings....of course, this company you pay to be apart of instead of them paying you

Going through rush IS a good prep for job interviews! (Although your job interview might not include where you "summered"

)

Rudey · #14 01-30-2005, 04:45 PM

People always give you time to think things over. It's sorta funny hearing people on GC trying to give you advice to ask for time to think things over.

Once you accept an offer you should really weigh certain things over:

1) How your schools looks if you leave. My firm no longer recruits from the best business school in the country because 2 analysts left from other departments. You essentially screw your school over and make it difficult for your fellow alums to find jobs.

2) How your resume looks if you have a choppy record of employment at different companies. Not only is it going to be difficult for you to find employment in the future, but grad schools like MBA programs will make it much harder for your entry.

Of course these are things to think about and not hard and set rules. If tomorrow I landed a spot on Trump's Apprentice program and won, I wouldn't give it much thought about leaving :P

-Rudey

BobbyTheDon · #15 01-30-2005, 04:57 PM

hey TP,

I am in sort of the same situation as you. i graduate in a few months and over the past year I've had several interviews. I've gotten offered 5 jobs so far and I have rejected them all. I was really professional about it and all of them asked me to recommend people.

I agree with some that say don't accept whatever comes your way. If you get a few offers, be picky. If you don't feel comfortable with it, don't take it just because it pays you over 50 grand a year starting.

It sounds like you are in a good position. Use this to your advantage and don't act like a desperate housewife.

oh and listen to Rudey. He may seem like a cock, but he gives good advice.