Ok. Lets say you are out of work and you have apps in at two companies. You have interviewed at both and passed both and are now at ‘that stage’.
Job #1 is Temp, no paid time off, no benefits, but once in you can apply for full-time, if they have a posting for full time and if you have the skill set (they don’t have any FT openings now). Its a 50 hour work week for a short time and then whatever scheduled hours they choose after (no way in hell its 9-5). They may hire you perm, they have hired some people perm in the past, but bottom line is no guarantees.
Job #2 is standard 9-5, full benefits, full-time, permanent, and lets face it: You just want to work there more.
Assume you get a green light on Job#1 and a start date. But you are still up in the air on job #2. And you prefer job#2. But Job#1 beats the hell out of unemployment. Assume for the sake of argument that neither one can go out of business; going concern is off the table.
How do you address Job#2 to let them know you are thinking of them that you really really want to work for them, but that an opportunity elsewhere has come up and that you really need to know where you stand…?
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Seeking Advice Please**
If job 1 is temp work, take it, and if job 2 comes through, quit job 1. The job 1 people would be crazy to think someone is going to turn down a full-time position with benefits in order to keep doing temp work with no guarantees. I bet it happens to them all the time.
Yep, this exactly. It’s a jungle out there, start looking out for yourself first. Of course, you’ll likely never work at company #1 again, but that’s a small price to pay for a job you’d really like to have.
Even if it’s a small industry, I think as long as you’re gracious when you quit job #1, you’ll be fine.
Hypothetically, if Job 1 were a real, permanent position, you could call Job 2 and tell them exactly that: “This company is my top choice, and I’m very excited about the possibility of joining it. I have another offer on the table, though; when should I expect to hear something from you?” Or something. That’s not unprofessional at all and might actually help you.
But since Job 1 is a temp job, yeah, treat it like one.
This is a no-brainer. Take job #1. You don’t have to say anything about it to the people at job #2. If an offer in job #2 comes through, just quit job #1. In these economic times, grab the job in hand until you get a better job.