After submitting many applications over the last several weeks I have landed 2 interviews in the next few days! But, of course, it is never that simple.
On Thursday I have an interview with Company A and on Tuesday I have an interview with Company B, both in the same industry. Both are perfectly legitimate companies, but A is a small place whereas B is a huge, nationwide company. The pay at A is $15k a year less than the pay at B but it comes with commission/bonuses and B is a flat annual salary. Both offer competitive benefits, PTO, and all that jazz. They are about 3 blocks from one another so location isn’t a concern.
My concern is that Company A is, without question, my second choice. While it seems like a perfectly fine opportunity I normally wouldn’t take this job. It involves sales, which I’m pretty horrible at normally, but it isn’t a standard sales position and the interviewer has said that she doesn’t want “sales people” at all, she wants people who aren’t natural sales people for this position. From the conversations I’ve had with her on the phone it sounds like I would fit in just fine here and would probably not be wrong to expect that I would quickly rise into a better position, but I’m really not feeling this job.
Company B is THE JOB. I’ve been checking their company site every day for months looking to see if they had a job available I would be qualified for and the moment I found one I submitted my resume. I read the job listing and felt like this position was designed with me in mind! Being a national company holds a lot of sway with me too. I spent a few years in a small shop at my last job and found that I was really not pleased with working in a place small enough that FMLA and other federal laws didn’t apply to it, not to mention how much cheaper insurance benefits are when you are in a huge company.
Since I haven’t done the interview at either place yet it is possible that both or either of them will tell me to shove it and I won’t be any more employed next week than I am today, but they could both end up offering me a position and that wouldn’t surprise me. My concern is that Company A moves much, much faster than Company B and I wouldn’t be surprised if I walk out of the interview with A having a job offer in hand. Company B will almost certainly take a day or two and think about it before they offer me anything, possibly even bringing me in for a second or third interview before making a decision. I don’t want to turn down the job with Company A only to find that Company B isn’t interested in me after all, but I also don’t want to tell Company A that I would love to work with them only to then tell them I changed my mind six days later. I could reasonably tell Company A that I need a few days to consider their offer should they make one, but I don’t think I could expect them to wait through multiple interviews with Company B before I let them know whether or not I’m taking the job.
Is there a way to explain to Company A that I’m not going to be able to let them know immediately whether or not I’m taking the job if they make an offer without sounding like I really don’t want to be there? Is there any way to let Company B know that I’ve got another offer pending and I need to know if I’m hired sooner rather than later without sounding like a smarmosaur?
This happens all the time. Say you were working someplace else - even if you wanted to accept Company A’s job you wouldn’t be able to start immediately. At the end of the interview process, especially if you are talking to an HR person, and it looks good, you can tell them that you are interviewing with other places. It is expected, and it makes you actually a more desirable candidate since you’ve been validated by others. Don’t tell them who it is, of course.
Or you can wait until you get an offer, and ask when you have to tell them by. If they push, then you can say you are talking to other places, but the offer looks good. You can also negotiate a lot better with two offers.
I must say I don’t understand their comment on wanting non salespeople for a sales job. I’m not a sales guy but I’ve worked closely with a lot of them, and also have been their prey, and it takes a certain type of person - always closing - to be a good salesperson. I’ve done technical sales support, and I’m pretty good at it, but I’d suck at actual sales. So think about that if you have a choice.
I think asking for a few days to consider an offer is so common that no one would blink. I’m not sure you can get away with an entire week, but you could probably get away with 2-3 days.
You have an advantage is that the interview with your preferred company is first. If I got an offer from the other one, I certainly would call up your preferred place and ask about your status, saying that you’ve gotten an offer elsewhere that you’re considering, but would like to consider them as well, if there is, in fact, something to consider. I am not about to claim I understand corporate logic (it typically strikes me as anti-logic), but it may actually put you in a stronger position, IF your preferred company was seriously considering you. You’ve suddenly become a potentially scarce resource. If they weren’t too serious about you, they’ll likely say no thanks, but it’s likely that would happen regardless.
All that said, keep in mind that “just business” means any of them will screw you if it benefits them, so I’d have no problem saying yes to the first job, after a good faith effort to get the timing right, and then later quit on them if the better job is offered. I’ve seen it happen in places I’ve worked (in both civil and not-so-civil circumstances).
They don’t have to know they’re your second choice, but it can’t hurt to let slip that you’ve been interviewing for a few other positions.
Yeah… I’m feeling some red flags from A. Paying below-market wages is a bad sign. And, they can’t logically claim they want a non-salesy salesperson, while having a commission/bonus structure in place. Lastly, any place that says you have to start immediately or you won’t get the job is NOT a good employer. They’re essentially asking people to abandon any hope they may have had for a reference and/or eligibility for rehire at their current company. Run screaming* in the opposite direction if they try to get you to commit to the job at the end of the interview.
*Say, “I’d be grateful if you could provide the offer in writing and give me a few days to consider it (discuss it with my family, ask my telephone psychic, whatever excuse you prefer). I’m sure you understand!” Then put on your best HR smile, wrap up the interview, shake hands, and leave. If you don’t get the job from B, then by all means accept A’s offer and start as soon as you can. You just want to buy yourself some time.
Hmm, maybe I didn’t explain it right, but my preferred company is second. That is why it is a problem, because my second choice is the first interview and so far the company seems to move very, very fast. I can get away with a couple of days wait but I don’t think they will be very accommodating with a long interview process starting a few days after I’ve already interviewed with them.
The sales aspect of the job is a little weird. It isn’t a cold call type of thing or the Glengarry Glen Ross image of a sales person. Apparently they have a website where you review a bunch of different products and then request a call from the company regarding the ones that interest you and the person who calls you back would be me if I were to get this job. In my conversation with her she stressed that while I would be hired for this specific sales position she isn’t looking for someone who wants to do sales, she is looking for someone who is willing to learn the ropes in this position and then move upward within the company. I’d be willing to do that so I’m going to the interview.
It seems a little strange to me too and like I said normally I would turn down this job, but we are looking to move out of state and at least one of us needs a job in place before we do that. Our lease is up here in a couple of months and I don’t want to turn down a position, however strange, and find that nothing else pops up between now and when our lease renews, leaving us to choose between moving with no jobs in place or staying here for another year at $200 more a month for rent with our shitty, shitty, shitty neighbors. In my best case scenario Company B offers me the position and I start in the middle of June, but if Company B decides to hire someone else instead and I turned down Company A for the chance at a job with B then I have no job at all.
Yeah, this has happened to me a couple of times. I find it stressful.
Since you haven’t had an interview yet, you have to proceed like you don’t have either job.
Honestly, if you really want B and they offer you a job after you accept A, just quit. Tell them it wasn’t what you expected or whatever. They won’t like it but tough shit.
I had two offers a couple of years back. One was a crappy consulting firm that specialized in offshoring and the other was a Fortune 500 insurance company. Same money. Comparable titles. Both shitty jobs.
Well what really turned me off about the outsourcing firm was that they wanted to know if I was going to accept before they put the offer together. I’m like “it doesn’t work that way. You make me an offer and if I like the salary/bonus structure/vacation/benefits then I consider if I will accept it or not.” They said they didn’t want to go through the process of making an offer unless I was serious about working there.
Since the other company didn’t have an offer yet, I said “fine, I’ll accept if your offer is reasonable.” A couple of days later the Fortune 500 company made me an offer so I told the first company “I’m taking another offer…or quit…or whatever…I’m not working for you.”
Definitely do the interview. You might ask for the criteria on moving up., and how long it takes to do so. It is easy for someone to verbally promise all sorts of stuff, but if it isn’t in writing it doesn’t count. The interview isn’t the time for that. But asking is appropriate. If they are evasive, that tells you a lot.
There are two reasons for a company to press someone to decide instantly. The first is to keep them from accepting any other jobs, which is understandable but not your problem. The second is if there really is an immediate need - but if the job is just a stepping stone on the way to a better jobs this isn’t likely. I’d go with Rachellelogram’s advice. Asking for a fast answer is not unusual, but there is some leeway for delay. In my experience the amount a salesman pushes for an immediate commitment is directly proportional to the likelihood the deal is shady.
There is an alternative. If they are really pushy, accept the offer (verbally) say you can’t start for a week, do the other interview, and unaccept it if you get the job.
Be aware that in big companies nothing is official until you get the paperwork, since there are levels of management who can kill a deal.
And since it looks like you’d have to do an interstate move before you could start working for them, that also works to your advantage – you have a clear reason why you can’t actually start the job for X number of weeks. And while unaccepting the job will probably burn that bridge, if you’re not excited about the company, I doubt it will matter that much. It’s not like you’d be asking them for a reference or putting it on your resume.
Honestly, I have this issue too – I’m more honorable/like to keep my word if I’ve given it/less mercenary than companies are. I have to remind myself “it’s just business.” If you start a job and then quit a week later, sucks for them, but remember they’d do the same to you if there was any advantage to them to do so. Look out for your own best interests, and don’t worry about theirs. Most places consider the first three months an unofficial trial period, anyway. Remember that the trial goes both ways; you’re checking them out too.
I didn’t get that a move was involved. If there was, I think more time to decide should be expected, since it is possible that an SO would have to coordinate.
People have backed out on me. One large and respectable company reneged on offers during a major bust. I agree that backing out after agreeing isn’t the best thing to do, but it is a lot more supportable when there has been pressure.
We’ve known that we own our own careers for decades - even more so when you haven’t even worked for the company expecting loyalty yet.
My interest sort of waned when I walked into the “lobby” that consisted of a big empty room with a receptionist behind a shitty desk and an old electric fan. The interviewer checking his email every two seconds didn’t sweeten the deal.
I’m kind of in a similar situation now. I have a verbal offer from a small boutique strategy firm but it’s been stringing along for weeks while he’s waiting for some client contracts to sign. It would be an ideal job and I’m fine waiting a couple months if I have a firm start date. But I can’t afford to wait around for 4 months and then have it fall through. But I also don’t want to call up my contacts and ask for a job that I’m never going to take either.
I don’t think that’s necessarily true. At least not for professional corporate jobs. Typically the first three months are an onboarding period where you learn your job. Now if you don’t know it at the end of three months, that’s another matter. But it’s very expensive and looks really bad if a manager hires someone and lets them go 3 months later.
