In this job market, it feels like I need to take the first job offer that I can stomach.

19 Comments

1. AnonymousApril 21,2023 at 1:07PM UTC

   I would never mention it. It speaks to the employers fear that you would do the same to them if they made you an offer.

   With that said, I would absolutely keep looking for better opportunities. I usually wait 6 months to update my media and resume to keep things fluid.

2. Barb HansenApril 21,2023 at 3:21PM UTC

   Yes, I have been in the position of taking a role that wasn't a great fit financially and then continuing to job search. I've done this three times in my career.

   I did not update my LinkedIn or my resume with what I hoped to be temporary jobs.

   I did not tell any of the potential new employer that I was just hired by another company.

   My "I need a job so I'm going to take a job that's both lower paying and off-course for my "perfect" career path jobs lasted between two weeks and three months. None of those roles are on my resume. I worked my 8 hours for those companies, I did my job searches during lunch and after hours (on my personal devices), and I scheduled interviews during lunch hours, early in the morning or later in the afternoon (and then worked my 8 hours accordingly), so my job search didn't affect the company I was currently working for.

   There is no shame in taking a job because you have bills to pay or for any other reason, and equally your work history is yours to do what you wish to do.

   Good luck in your current job search!

3. AnonymousApril 21,2023 at 4:49PM UTC

   Everyone has at least one job they took to have a job, or a job they took but hated on their resume. It builds character, and surprisingly, you do learn something about yourself and some additional transferrable skills.

4. AnonymousApril 21,2023 at 6:28PM UTC

   I would say to always keep your eyes open and your resume updated for what may come along, whether or not you are actively looking. As far as LinkedIn, with the last couple of roles, I haven't updated right away. I wait for it to settle a bit for deciding if I really want to advertise where I am/what I'm doing.

5. AnonymousApril 21,2023 at 8:11PM UTC

   I have done this at least three times, and it all depends on the job. At those times, the job was outside my career objective because I was having difficulty finding something in my field, and they were all in retail sales. If it's something like this, where there is always high turnover, then it isn't as damaging as a professional position and on your stated career path. One job was selling cars, which I hated, and in the two years I was there, they went through four different managers, one of which was a tyrant. They knew that I was doing something outside my comfort zone and career objective, but I presented myself as someone who could do the job because of prior positions I had in corporate and retail sales. Since the companies are more interested in ensuring they meet their short-term goals rather than keeping long-term employees, they didn't care if I passed through on my way to a better career fit.

   You are doing an excellent job of keeping your options open and your pipeline full. Good lunch on finding the right position.

6. AnonymousApril 22,2023 at 3:20PM UTC

   I don’t say this easily ,

   there was a time where I would never ethically do this, but over the past 30 years, being in recruiting and being a job searcher employers are so broken that I recommend doing whatever is in your best interest, even if it means continuing the interview process and taking a job with another company after you’ve been with another company for a short time. It has to be all about you the way the world works these days .

7. AnonymousApril 22,2023 at 5:33PM UTC

   I couldn't agree more with this comment!!

8. GirlBossanova934974April 23,2023 at 12:44PM UTC

   I would never tell another employer I just accepted another job elsewhere. At that point and time, their incentive to interview you just went way down. It should also be said It became popular in the last 3-4 years for employees to jump ship from one company to the next company without much thought other than a salary increase. Now these same employees are either be laid off and/or have serious regrets. The grass is not always greener across the street. I would make the most of each position you were employed at or worked at. Most of the time, there is a silver lining in each cloud. Some pluses might be: skillsets that can learned on the side, skillsets that can be learned on the job, employer paid education, a chance to work in a different industry, connections to people who will help you move up later on etc. Some jobs may pay less up front while offering you generous opportunities to save lots of money in insurance premiums, transportation expense, and benefit costs. Best of Luck!

9. Rosa E HearnApril 23,2023 at 12:46PM UTC

   I have been there. In the 2008/2009 downturn when no one was hiring, I took a 30K pay cut in a lower level position, but I only took it believing in myself that I had the opportunity to grow. The company was mid size and the owners were hungry to make it into a large corporation. I knew if I helped them, I would get rewarded. 15 years later, I surpassed all my expectations and more. So it was worth the chance.

   I also suggest doing your resume in years. Instead of adding both month/year at this company.

   As far as adding it to your resume as a lesser role, don't ever be embarrassed. This just adds experience to your never ending skills. Learning is never a bad thing and you speak with confidence of what you learned.

   Title don't mean anything, it's about how valuable you can be to your new employer.

10. AnonymousApril 23,2023 at 2:13PM UTC

    I think it depends on where you are in the interview process with the other potential employers. I actually went through the identical experience and opted to update my LinkedIn and Resume regardless, so there would be no gap on my resume and also I still think it's easier to find a job when you have one. Better to say that the new place is not turning out as you expected, if you don't stay at that job for that long. The job market has been so nuts and unpredictable lately, I don't think there are any right answers anymore - just judgment and how you frame the story. Good luck to us all...

11. Lisa MarieApril 23,2023 at 2:23PM UTC

    These things happen to the best of us at some point.

    1) Take any job you choose to keep your head afloat financially.

    2) Do not tell any potential employers that you just started a new position. That is Noone's business but your own... IF they ask - simply say that you are "looking for your next best opportunity," which is *definitely not an untruth*

    3) You don't have to update your LinkedIn profile or make any formal online announcement about a new job *the moment* you begjn a new role. Sometimes new roles do not work out for whatever reasons (you are soon offered your dream job, or the job/culture is not what you were told). A recruiter once advised to wait until at least the first 90 days to even update/ post on LinkedIn about new roles ;-)

    4) You can/should update your resume with the new role - but keep a separate version from your *main version* In the event you decide not to stay at the lesser role, you will still have your main resume to keep applying for the job you truly desire, but when the time comes to move on (if you have stayed for a while) you will only need to add your final set of accomplishments to the alternate version on which you added the lesser role.

    5) Chin up, keep looking, do what's BEST for you, because *most* company's really don't care about individuals, and will terminate you at the drop of a hat.

12. Anna NerenbergApril 23,2023 at 2:50PM UTC

    I’m in this sand boat, and I REALLY wish that I had taken the first opportunities that were $40/50K salary decreases. I’ve never been willing to accept a job and continue looking, because I thought it was unfair to the employer. But everyone that I’ve spoken to does it. And I’ve learned the truth that companies aren’t looking out for us. We don’t need to feel guilty about looking out for ourselves.

13. AnonymousApril 23,2023 at 3:37PM UTC

    I am in a situation that is similar to what the original poster shared, and it is refreshing to see so many people advocate for job searchers to keep their own needs front and center since that's what the companies are doing. I was going to make the same comment as a few that I read here, but everyone in this thread already hit it out the park!

    I also like the comment someone made about it being a matter of how you tell the story. I had a staffing firm recruiter tell me that very same thing.

    Best wishes to everyone on their career journeys!

14. AnonymousApril 23,2023 at 5:40PM UTC

    In general you should always be looking for a new role even if you are happy in the one you are in. Best is to wait at least 30 days before changing your linkedin or if your offer letter has a 90 day clause in it do it in 90 days. Then you have nothing to explain. Be professional and when you get to the end game just remember you should still if you find a bigger badder better role give the losing company 2 weeks notice. It's a small valley as they say and if you don't then it could hurt you later on. Everyone at the moment is on clearance and in some industries you are lucky to find anything at all that is open or available. 4 months is not that long for looking at the moment most are seeing 6 month time frames to find a new role.

15. AnonymousApril 24,2023 at 11:29AM UTC

    I haven’t read all the comments, but I have gone through the job search, applying and interviews the last couple of months myself. I’ve turned down offers, removed myself from interview processes, and ultimately accepted the offer I found most attractive. However, here’s what I learned during the last 6 weeks: Research! I noticed the companies offering the salaries in the higher range either were newer, just had layoffs (I had to really dig to find that info), or had sketchy reviews on Glassdoor or other sites. Compensation doesn’t always have to equal money. It can be a good livable wage plus insurance benefits, plus opportunities for growth within the company AND stability-when I say stability, I mean you know that you won’t be in this situation again a year from now and the company is reputable and has been around for a long time and is established and doing well.

    I’m no expert on all this, but I definitely did my due diligence and I also helped others find jobs in the last year that are thriving, so I figure I’m on to something ??‍♀️

    I hope you are able to find something soon and get what you need without having to worry about leaving or job jumping because that can be stressful too.

16. AnonymousApril 24,2023 at 9:50PM UTC

    You hit on something that I was wondering how to navigate: finding out about recent layoffs that haven't been publicized. Can you share any tips?

17. AnonymousApril 24,2023 at 11:00PM UTC

    Sure thing! So the way I found out was by going on the company’s LinkedIn page, going to their people tab, then randomly looking at profiles and scrolling through their activity. Seemed a bit weird at first, but then I noticed a trend of going 6-8mths back of peoples pages showed me things like either mass exits or layoffs or promotions. Also, trends on their Glassdoor reviews too also helped as well.

18. AnonymousApril 25,2023 at 2:42PM UTC

    Thanks for the LinkedIn suggestion; I will try that angle next. I've used Glassdoor as well. In fact, that site partially influenced my decision to leave a role two months after moving from temp to perm. Nearly every single review about the company stated that there were either mass layoffs or periodic exoduses. Sure enough, I saw a revolving door take place - at least two people per week! - before the ink had even dried on my permanent paperwork. Since I was placed there by a firm, I didn't review the company's Glassdoor profile until *after* I became alarmed by the departures. (Note: I'd always investigated companies beforehand. ) I was curious to know why so many people across all titles, levels of tenure, and departments were suddenly leaving.

    Like the original poster, I am currently feeling uncertain about the job market and am beginning to feel like I need to just take the next role that comes my way for the time being. However, I am tired of joining companies that have high turnover or that expand too rapidly and subsequently have to lay off because they cannot afford the extra human capital, as was the case with my most recent employer.

19. Rebecca MillikenApril 25,2023 at 11:42AM UTC

    I've learned to look out for number one. There is no loyalty in the job market to good employees. If they decide to lay you off, they won't think twice. I have had to learn, as many women do, not to feel guilty for putting my own needs first. Do what you have to do to keep yourself financially above water. You don't owe the employer anything but to do a good job while they're paying you.