Yes, this is the kind of thing I’d do. No reason to close the door and no reason to be overly specific about the other company.
That other people from the OP’s company are getting the message makes me think that they are not targeting it, except in the sense of trying to raid a competitor. So a “thanks but not interested” is about the most one should do.
HR people go first - the HR person who sent the message might not even be there in six months. The job might not be there also. And after the acquisition it becomes an internal transfer which is a lot different. If the HR person lasts there will be a lot of amusement about this situation.
I’m going over to that other ship.
But it’s sinking!
Sure, but the food over there is really good.
And you would be asking them to wait for you? If I got a response like that the resume would go into the circular file, since I’m not going to hold up my recruiting to wait for someone, unless they walked on water and I was specifically targeting the person for some reason. Which is not the case here.
Easy enough to contact them more or less out of the blue if it seems warranted.
However, since it is a competitor, even if this happened I’d be looking closely at any who jumped ship to see if any proprietary information was involved.
The second-best career break I ever got was when someone called me six months later about a job I had declined to interview for, because I was committed to the project I was on at my then-current employer. The person they hired didn’t work out, they remembered me, and I ended up getting a job with relocation to be near my family.
I’ve also had a candidate tell us two days after interviewing that she had accepted another offer at a smaller company (like $1bn rather than $20bn) Two years later we called her again and she was ready for a higher level position, which might not be available at the smaller company for many years.
People move back and forth between companies in our industry all the time. Always good to leave doors open.
Really, you’d put it in the circular file, not the file of “people to contact if the job search has to be re-opened in three months for whatever reason”?
Getting HR involved sounds like the best way to produce the worst result from a situation like this.
“Normally, I’d be very interested in this job, but the timing isn’t very good with my current position - I need to see some things through before I could consider this. Can you keep me in mind for the future?”
Poifect!
Just string them along until you find out more about the merger/buyout. In the meantime, research the other company to see how solid they are financially. Look at statements from key figures regarding acquisitions, problems, debt. If it is the case that your company is buying out the other company, you’d be a fool to take a position with the other company, unless you may be retiring very soon. Also, try to find out who left the position. Did they leave because of the buyout? Why would you want to put yourself in the same position?
In my industry right now if they were good they’d have another job in three months. Like I said, if they walked on water it would be a different matter.
BTW, the acquisition is the critical factor here. If it weren’t for that the OP might want to go for it. And of course once management knew about it all bets are off. That company B is contacting lots of people makes the call less valuable. It is an interesting situation where standard job hunting advice does not apply.
Now, if company B were acquiring company A, instead of vice versa, it might be a different story, but then the OP wouldn’t be aware of it.
ehh…this one is pretty specific. Specific industry, specific title. I’d estimate probably 50-100 people in the US that would be good matches. Not that it’s incredibly difficult, it’s just incredibly specific to our industry. I probably don’t have the experience yet for it, but background I’m there.
I’m not a fan of management. I would say just tell the recruiter they might be acquired. Why should it be a secret to the employees? It gives them more time to plan for the future. It is unfair that executives get to hoard this information and not give employees a say in it. Ideally, employees of any public corporation should be able to nominate a percentage of people to represent them on a corporate board so this kind of thing is done in the open
Leaking this kind of thing is a really bad idea. If management found out who did it they would fire you in an instant, and it could hurt your reputation so badly that you might never find another job in the same industry.
Worse, if the companies are publicly traded, the SEC could come after you should anyone trade off the information.
This is pretty good advice…if your goal is to get fired immediately.
I dunno, I’d maybe try to wring an attractive offer out of them. The interview and hiring process can take months, and if the acquisition doesn’t happen… not every proposed merger or sale comes to pass.
Nobody says you have to TAKE an offer if you get one.
I understand that it would end with bad consequences for the person telling the recruiter, but my response was more along the lines of what should happen, not what does happen. It bothers me that employees don’t get transparency on matters like this and that management makes these decisions that affect the employees most of all without any of their input. They should consult employees and give them a voice and that should be how its done. The fact that it is not done that way is detestable
Yog-Are the employees receiving a paycheck that clears? If yes, they have all they need.
Same thing with management right?