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Job offer confusion

Texas GalTexas Gal 5 Posts
in HR & Employment Law Vote Up0Vote Down
Hopefully this will be the last time I have to pester you guys.
My employment agency hasn't contacted me for a single job. I hadn't heard from
more than 5 of the companies I had applied to in the past couple of weeks and had started to get very depressed. Then on Friday everyone started calling me!
I've been on 1st and 2nd interviews and have a few more scheduled Thurday and a couple for Friday. I've been on two today and two yesterday.

Here's the part I need help with. How do I put off accepting a job w/Co A while waiting for an offer from CO B?

The two interviews today were awesome. Both places gave clear indications that they wanted me to work with them. The first company (CO A) had me in for a 2nd meeting and it went very well. I should hear from them on Monday and possibly Friday. I like the people and know the industry. It's also close to home.

The 2nd interview (CO B) was fantastic. I applied for one position. They interviewed me for two positions and then found out I had more experience in a certain area and want me to come back to interview for that position. The wonderful lady I interviewed with says they definatly have a place for me somewhere. I'm qualified for all of the positions and they are all exactly what I want to do! All customer service and all software related! The 3rd position was all of it and more rolled up into one! Everyone there was awesome and it is only slightly further from my home than comapny A. The problem is I would need to do a second interview and it might be late next week before I had an offer. Can I even put company A off and if so how can I do so tactfully?
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Comments

  • 5 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • Paul in Cannon BeachPaul in Cannon Beach 4,703 Posts
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    If you receive an offer from one of the companies, tell them thanks and that you would like some time to consider their offer. Ask them how soon they need an answer.

    For one thing, how they handle that might give you an indication of how they treat people and what it would be like to work there. If they are rude, impatient, and disrespectful in the hiring process, why would you expect anything better when you started working.

    On the other hand, if they are patient and understanding that could be a good reflection of the company culture.

    Glad to hear that you are making some headway.

    Paul
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  • Human Resources ManagerHuman Resources Manager 188 Posts
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    I agree with Paul. There is nothing unusual about wanting some time to consider a job offer, and any company worth its salt will be patient while you make a major life decision. Good Luck, sounds like things are going well!x:D

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  • Don DDon D 9,834 Posts
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    A word of caution though: Don't let either of them catch you bartering among the offers or trying to get the other to match another offer that you have hanging out there somewhere. That might (probably will) get you canned at both places. A reasonable period of time for a decision, in situations where the offer doesn't have a multitude of 'discussion' or 'counter' points to be ironed out, is from 3 to 5 days, max, with 5 really pushing your luck.
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  • RockieRockie 2,136 Posts
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    Yep, I agree with you Don. You can really push your luck here. Companies know what applicants are doing in these situations and anything over 3 days is cause for caution.

    What normally is happening is an applicant is not considering among several good job offers, but they are actually taking offers of employment to their present employer and "negotiating" a pay raise. I can't tell you how many times an applicant has accepted a position with our practice and then a few days before they are to start (after I have stopped the recruiting process) they call or (cowardly) they drop a note stating they will not be able to accept the position. It's easy to find out they were countered by their present employer.

    Good companies don't mind giving an applicant a reasonable amount of time to consider the position, but don't use them either.

    (Venting is good!)
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  • PorkPork 1,271 Posts
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    Been there and done that on both sides. It is better for all parties to make the right decision at the right time. I would rather you tell me up-front that you have several offers and must take alittle time to think through the offers. I have found that my next response to the interviewee has helped make the decision as to which employer they will choose. If I'm ressuring and supportive of this high quality person I let them know how we feel about the interview process and that we want a good and right decision for our company and the employee. I also through in that the candidate has our offer and before we loose out in this process "please call me if we need to clear up any portion of our offer of employment". I, also, ensure the candidate understands that the department head is ready to finalize the hiring process and will expect me to have closed this offer with you within 3 days, so don't wait to long. Good luck Pork
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