How do I handle this potential situation?

Anonymous

October 8,2021 at 10:29AM UTC

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How do I handle this potential situation?

I am in the process of interviewing to try and leave my current job. I have been called back for round 2 for both interviews of jobs I would like, but job 2 is the one I want over job 1. My fear is that job 1 will come back with an offer first because job 2 has three rounds of interviews.

Should that happen, how do I communicate to job 2 that I want to join their team but the timing is such that if I don't make an informed decision, I could lose job 1 in the meantime? Is that completely unprofessional?

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AnonymousOctober 8,2021 at 11:17AM UTC
I had experienced a similar timing dilemma experience twice. What I did :
case 1. Tell my preferred company that I have another job offer that I must accept by x date, and asked them about their timelines. They got back to me the next business day with offer.
Case 2, At the end of the interview, when I knew that I liked them, I told them that I was at the last interview with another company but would like to be considered for the position if the timing is workable. They sped up the process and introduced me the following interview, right after the first interview. I did not get the offer.
The learning is that it is not unprofessional to let them know that you are in an application process with other companies. If they really like you and if the process is not too rigid, they will make room for you. It actually shows that you are professional and enthusiastic to join them.
Nannapat SageOctober 8,2021 at 1:33PM UTC
Hi. It's normal to let companies know that you are interviewing and are in the final stage of the process.
It's not unprofessional because it's your choice to choose. You just let Job 2 know if you receive the offer from job 1 and if they can fasten the process. You can also tell them that you like Job2 and still want to be considered for the role.
If people in Job2 love you, they will fasten the process. If they still want to interview more people, there are chances that you will be competing with 4-5 other candidates.
Amy GeffenOctober 12,2021 at 5:15PM UTC
Agree you need to tell them you are interviewing for another job but really want this one. If you are not sure you will offered Job #2. then take Job #1 and get started. If the offercomes from Job #2 youcan write a nice letter to the company to pull out...it cn be done. I have donethat for several of my clients.
AnonymousOctober 12,2021 at 6:50PM UTC
I agree with the others; it's not unprofessional and it's not uncommon to be in-stream with multiple companies at once, and to make them aware of your timeline/other offers.
Unfortunately, the second employer may not have the ability to speed up the process enough to make a decision in time for you to respond to the Job1 offer, which will leave you with the decision on whether to accept (and potentially rescind acceptance) or decline (and risk not having any job!). Although Amy notes below that you can try to graciously renege on your acceptance of Job1 if a more attractive offer for Job2 materializes down the road, be aware that for many employers [including mine], having rescinding an acceptance will likely be a bar to hiring you in the future.
Also be aware that it's standard to ask for time to consider an offer - at least a weekend (if the offer is made on a Thursday or Friday) but some recruiters might give you longer - a week, for example. If there are benefits to consider/compare, or negotiation on the salary, that can string things out, too. That may give you time to play out the Job2 interview process. Just some food for thought :)
Paulla Fetzek, MSEdOctober 13,2021 at 1:04PM UTC
As others have wonderfully, answered - it's not unprofessional at all. I had to look for this, but here's a link to an Inddeed.com article on how to handle the situation: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/telling-interviewer-you-have-another-offer
All the best!
Robyn WickOctober 15,2021 at 7:44PM UTC
I'll speak having been on some hiring committees where candidates disclosed this information to us - it was much appreciated. It can help move the process forward in a more expeditious way.
Nic Frick | Career Coach for New MomsOctober 15,2021 at 10:28PM UTC
As a former recruiter, please just tell company #1 that you're really invested but they need to move quickly because you've gotta make a decision. It's usually very appreciated.