Due to long interview processes, I'm in different stages with companies / states. I found out recently that I may be getting an offer from a company that would have been my third choice but is hiring within the month.

23 Comments

1. Erin VegaJanuary 4,2025 at 7:03PM UTC

   What would be your plan if you accept third offer but than are offered the job you really want?

2. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 1:56PM UTC

   You leave ,,, no plan is needed , no explanation needed. It’s really weird you are asking this question. She need to EAT and pay the bills … the job making her jump through hoops might never come through. So , yes the only thing to do is accept , and then leave if the better one come up… companies have ZERO qualms about firing someone for their “bottom line” ,, goes BOTH ways.

3. Erin VegaJanuary 10,2025 at 11:37PM UTC

   Geez us, calm down. It was a simple question.

4. misskelleypJanuary 4,2025 at 7:39PM UTC

   Take whatever acceptable job is first offered to you. If something better comes along, you can simply tell the accepted job that something you'd already interviewed for came to fruition, you're sorry, but the new one is a better fit - and just hold off on posting anything on LinkedIn etc until the dust settles.

5. TriciaJanuary 4,2025 at 10:33PM UTC

   Accept the 3rd choice. You’d have a huge regret if you didn’t take the first offer while holding out for the other job and then only to find out you didn’t get the job. Life is unpredictable and it would be better to have a job than no job at all.

   if you do get an offer for the one you want, follow the protocol of giving your two weeks to start the new job.

   Don’t post anything on social media about accepting the job until you know if you got your first choice or not. It will be fine, accept the position and be proud that you got an offer.

6. AnonymousJanuary 5,2025 at 12:33AM UTC

   It’s not a good idea to accept a job if you are only going to back out. Especially if you’re in a niche industry as the word will get out. However, timing is everything. Take what is offered as you need income and insurance. Nothing is guaranteed as this market is horrible right now and highly competitive. Figure out the priority of your living circumstances. Hoping everything works in your favor though! Good luck!

7. AnonymousJanuary 5,2025 at 2:45PM UTC

   Yes, take the job. You never know where it may lead. You also don’t know if the #1 job will ever happen. If the better offer comes along, you can always take it. Don’t worry about leaving after a short stint. It happens often and much more frequently than before Covid. Good luck.

8. AnonymousJanuary 5,2025 at 2:48PM UTC

   You need the paycheck - go with that.

   You don't know you will get an offer from the dream co., which will never be a forever company they don't exist anymore.

   It's always appropriate to be taking care of your career. To continue interviewing is prudent. Everyone should be interviewing!!! No one should be complacent in their roles.

   If a company has asked what your job search looks like, and if you've received offers, only then would you let a company know. Until you start a job, no need to share.

   You can let the next company know you will be leaving the one you just landed at when they say they will conduct the background check.

   You should always do what's best for your career - leaving co will be a part of that going forward.

9. AnonymousJanuary 5,2025 at 5:17PM UTC

   Exactly. Forever companies do not exist anymore. Tenure at a job of 10+ years can negatively reflect on you. Companies tend to want people to continue to reinvent themselves, learning and growing. Staying at the same place for more than five years can stagnate a career. The more ingrained the job is in high tech, the more accurate this is.

10. AnonymousJanuary 6,2025 at 4:49PM UTC

    You accept the offer you have in hand and IF the "better" one comes along, you resign for what you can say is simply a better fit for you. Update your linkedin after 30 days. You are not obligated to share anything with your network. It's not unusual for a new employee to not update their linkedin right away.

11. Maggie SoldanoJanuary 7,2025 at 2:53PM UTC

    There’s no such thing as a forever company.

12. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 5:16PM UTC

    Don't wait to make a decision if you have an offer unless you can speak to them about your wanting to make a long term decision and having an extra 2 weeks to decide because of timeline. Let them know the choice is not about money but about opportunity for the long term. Reach out to your favored company and let them know you would like to have a timeline understanding for their decision and let them know you expect and offer that expires by X date and that you are not pressuring them but if you are no longer in consideration you hope to know.

    As for broadcasting that you are somewhere new, don't do this until you pass the probation period or 60 days so as to assure that you are fully embedded and the fit is right. Good luck.

13. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 7:50PM UTC

    First if you are unemployed definitely take the offer. Second the other company that you are very interested but to be transparent you are expecting an offer from someone else. Lastly you can update your LinkedIn with new comp or not, same with your resume but I would not put a big post on LinkedIn about starting a new role.

14. AnonymousJanuary 9,2025 at 1:23PM UTC

    Never share your new company until you are out of a probationary period.

15. Michelle StewartJanuary 9,2025 at 5:08PM UTC

    It has been a lot of years since I was in this position, and I was early in my career, but I was very up front with the two places and let them know I was interviewing at several places and followed up to let the one that was a better fit (but not necessarily the one I wanted more) that I was extremely interested in joining their team. I got that job offer about 2 months before I heard from the other place. Luckily, or sadly, depending on how you want to look at it, I didn't get the other job so I didn't have to worry about making the choice. But one thing I was told was take the job that is offered because you can always leave. However, this was prior to so many social media announcements. Do you know if this place makes a big deal of hires on LinkedIn or any other place the other jobs might be able to see? And nothing says you HAVE to updated your LinkedIn until you feel like you are ready.

    TL;DR - take the job, and still hope for the other.

16. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 5:00PM UTC

    Thank you and the company makes a big deal out of hiring new employees. Not only on LinkedIn but in publications as well. The other companies are in the same industry so they would think I'm not continuing in their process. I appreciate your advice about taking a sure thing as these days even if something feels like a perfect fit, you don't know the reality until starting working there. Right now I need a paycheck.

17. GirlBossanova934974January 10,2025 at 2:06PM UTC

    First off, your LinkedIn profile belongs to you and you alone. I would never change my place of employment on LinkedIn until I was working at a place for 30 days plus. You should take the job offer you have in your hand. There is NO such thing as a forever company or forever job. The forever job that you accepted today could be a nightmare upon just one manager leaving at the forever company or the forever company bringing in some incompetent management clown. Believe me. I have seen the clowns come in and destroy organizations. The smart people all ran out the door in a few weeks or few months time.

18. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 5:05PM UTC

    Thank you and sadly that's true about forever companies. It's difficult as I'm staying with my family while job searching and they only had one position until they retired. They want me to find a role and stay there. I've had that happen in the past where a change in management made a previously enjoyable workplace, dysfunctional.

19. Tami L CannizzaroJanuary 13,2025 at 4:04PM UTC

    I understand! My dad did the same, working for the same firm until retirement with the gold watch or whatever. Sadly, he passed up on other opportunities thinking it was "safer" to stay when in reality he would have made more money if he had moved - yet that wasn't common practice at the time. I took a job with what I thought was my "dream" company, possibly forever company, right out of grad school. It was great for a while, until I learned I needed to look out for MY best interests. And that meant going to another company. THEN I realized what I had been missing. While I really did love the first company and learned a lot, looking back I wish I had understood that it's best not to get emotionally attached because of what I thought I wanted, or what my dad did or didn't do, or wanted for me. Dad actually came around to my way of thinking once he saw the opportunities for advancement that came my way. Just food for thought.

20. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:05PM UTC

    i would accept the offer and if a better one comes along. Then take the one you really want. It’s better to have your third choice vs waiting and not getting what you want and having nothing.

    Also, no need to update LinkedIn until the dust settles and you have your destination-

    You need to put you first - not what others and what a company thinks. I’ve seen several people post well after the fact that they started on day x with such and such company …

21. Dawn McDonnellJanuary 12,2025 at 2:12PM UTC

    My advice, having given it to my own daughter recently is - continue to go on those interviews. Take the offer that may not be your #1. You never know how things can play out.

    if the other offer comes than leave.
    It’s brutal out there. Until the offer is signed and documented - you maybe in a better negotiating space.
    Companies would not care unloading you. Trust me.

22. AnonymousJanuary 12,2025 at 7:12PM UTC

    It's very hard to know from the outside if a company could be your "forever" company. In my experience, when a company really wants you, they make the process move along as quickly as possible (read: you might seem to like the company a lot, but the feeling might not be mutual; one person may have veto power with hiring; you really can't know what goes on behind the scenes).

    Like many have said, once inside you could get a new boss, mergers happen, all sorts of things.

    Bird in hand is worth two in bush.

23. AnonymousJanuary 12,2025 at 8:25PM UTC

    Personally I don’t post a new role until 4 weeks in to ensure it is the right fit and then the post is also more intentional and interesting as you have something to say. Took this approach after being in a similar situation as you but decided to try to love the 2nd choice company but turns out it was bad like super bad-manager sexually harassed me and lacked integrity beyond that with some of the work asks being straight up dangerous. I left as soon as the first choice made the offer and don’t list that nightmare role of 5 weeks on my resume. That said don’t tell company you are still interviewing and only accept the second choice role if you are willing to give it a fair chance.