0
   

Job offers: how long can you hold out?

Forums: Life At Work
Email this Topic • Print this Page
 
 
Slappy Doo Hoo
 
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 03:34 pm
Here's my situation: I had an offer emailed to me today, from a company in the same industry/similar job as I'm in now. The final interview was last Thursday with the CEO, however I did not give him a definite "yes," but told him to send me out the offer.

Today I had stage 2 of a 3-phase interview process with another company, in the industry I really want to get into. It's between myself and one other candidate as to who's going to the final interview. The other candidate's 2nd interview isn't until Wednesday though. So I probably won't hear back until Wednesday evening or Thursday. My recruiter is telling me the company is already favoring me...but who knows.

How can I hold off on the offer, or...what's a typical time frame where the prospective employer wants to hear back? I think they want me to fly out to training starting on the 26th. I don't really want to tell them I'm holding out, waiting for another offer?
  • Topic Stats
  • Top Replies
  • Link to this Topic
Type: Discussion • Score: 0 • Views: 3,693 • Replies: 16
No top replies

 
dyslexia
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 03:37 pm
Easy, just tell them you may have come down with leprosy and won't know the test results until (xday).
0 Replies
 
ossobuco
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 03:54 pm
That's a tough one. I don't know what is routine for letting the first firm know, and what would be stretching it.
0 Replies
 
jespah
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 03:55 pm
Re: Job offers: how long can you hold out?
Slappy Doo Hoo wrote:
.... I don't really want to tell them I'm holding out, waiting for another offer?


Well, yeah, but you can tell them that you're in the process of interviewing elsewhere. Rather than saying it's that you're waiting on someone else's interview, why not say that you're the one who's interviewing on Wednesday? It's not much of a lie, I mean, it's not like you're keeping them on tenterhooks for a month, we're only talking about a day or two, and they certainly won't be checking.

It would have to be a pretty damned clueless employer to not realize that a candidate is interviewing at other places, and may be weighing other offers.
0 Replies
 
JPB
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 04:15 pm
What's the down side of not getting either job? It sounds like there are jobs available in your field and you have one offer and the strong possibility of another.

Unless you're currently unemployed, hate your current job to the point of murder/suicide, or these two jobs are the only available jobs for the foreseeable future that you have hopes for, then I'd tell prospect 1 that you will get back to them one way or the other on Thursday and that you're fine with travelling on the 26th. If he can't wait that long then you'll have to decide how much improvement prospect 1 has over current reality and other possibilities.
0 Replies
 
Slappy Doo Hoo
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 04:53 pm
So I should just send an email to the CEO, saying I'll have an answer on Thursday? Even though I should just know by then that I'll have the final interview...which isn't a guarantee of getting an offer(but close).

Thanks.
0 Replies
 
Stray Cat
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 05:41 pm
Good going, Slappy! Sounds like you've been busy.

I agree with others. I can't see any harm in just asking them to wait until Thursday. If you don't want them to know you're interviewing with another company, maybe you could sort of hint that you're discussing another possibility with your current employer -- so you won't be able to give them a definate answer until Thursday. After all, they can't blame you for talking with your own employer.

But if it came down to it -- if you still don't have a definate answer from the really good company (#2) by Thursday -- then I think I'd cut company #1 loose.

It will be painful to do that. It's always hard letting go of a bird in the hand. But I'm betting you could get another offer just as good down the road.

But this may be your only chance to get in with the company you really want. So I'd say hold out for them! Go for it! Think big!
0 Replies
 
Slappy Doo Hoo
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 09:04 pm
I just sent the most simplified response to the emailed offer. "I'll have a response back to you by Thursday. Please let me know if this is too long of a delay, and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions."
0 Replies
 
sozobe
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Jun, 2006 09:07 pm
That looks perfect.

I certainly got those kinds of responses when I was hiring people -- if I was in a huge hurry, the people who sent those responses would sometimes lose out, but I wasn't often in a huge hurry. And that's just a few days.

Also, importantly, it gives an out in case it is a problem. If they say "yes, we need to know sooner," then you can decide what to do (actually, you should probably decide now how you'd react to that, so you can react quickly), otherwise the problem is solved.

Good luck!
0 Replies
 
jespah
 
  1  
Reply Tue 20 Jun, 2006 07:26 am
Looks perfect, let us know what happens.
0 Replies
 
material girl
 
  1  
Reply Tue 20 Jun, 2006 07:32 am
Slappy Doo Hoo wrote:
I just sent the most simplified response to the emailed offer. "I'll have a response back to you by Thursday. Please let me know if this is too long of a delay, and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions."


How perfect was that, full of info, polite and manipulative enough for you to gain!!

If I had a job to offer you Id employ you immediately for your cleverness.
0 Replies
 
JPB
 
  1  
Reply Fri 23 Jun, 2006 01:43 pm
Well?
0 Replies
 
Slappy Doo Hoo
 
  1  
Reply Fri 23 Jun, 2006 02:25 pm
Well I declined the initial offer I got. And for the job I said I wanted, I haven't heard back from the recruiter, however I don't want that position anymore. I found out a lot of negative info about the company from a medical sales message board. So back to square one.
0 Replies
 
sozobe
 
  1  
Reply Fri 23 Jun, 2006 03:02 pm
Why did you decline the first one?

If it's because you decided you didn't want it, fine -- but if you did want it, might be worth it to contact them. It's not the strongest way to start a negotiation, but if they haven't found anyone better, may still work out.
0 Replies
 
JPB
 
  1  
Reply Fri 23 Jun, 2006 03:17 pm
What ^^ she said.
0 Replies
 
Slappy Doo Hoo
 
  1  
Reply Fri 23 Jun, 2006 05:27 pm
Because it's in the same field I'm in now, and it would take a while to get where I am income-wise. I just want to get out of my current position, but decided to hold out until something really excites me.
0 Replies
 
Stray Cat
 
  1  
Reply Fri 23 Jun, 2006 07:15 pm
Slappy, I'm sorry to hear that the company you were really interested in turned out to be less than expected. Good thing you found out ahead of time, though.

I think you're right to decline the other offer. I know how it feels to be in a job that your not happy with, but it's never a good idea to jump at the first thing that comes along, just because it's "someplace else."

You have the right idea. Just bide your time, and keep your eyes open. I'm sure something really worthwhile will come your way soon.

Hang in there!
0 Replies
 
 

Related Topics

Dispatches from the Startup Front - Discussion by jespah
Bullying Dominating Coworker - Question by blueskies
Co worker being caught looking at you - Question by lisa1471
Work Place Romance - Discussion by Dino12
Does your office do Christmas? - Discussion by tsarstepan
Question about this really rude girl at work? - Question by riverstyx0128
Does she like me? - Question by jct573
Does my coworker like me? - Question by riverstyx0128
Maintenance training - Question by apjones37643
Personal questions - Discussion by Angel23
Making friends/networking at work - Question by egrizzly
 
  1. Forums
  2. » Job offers: how long can you hold out?
Copyright © 2024 MadLab, LLC :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Page generated in 0.03 seconds on 04/23/2024 at 08:37:43
▲ ▼