Accepted new job, when to stop interviewing elsewhere?
I signed an offer letter and they’re conducting my background check. I expect to pass, but who knows. Of course when it rains, it pours, and suddenly I’m getting lots of invitations to interview. When do I stop interviewing? Once I start with this company, there is the 90 day probationary period. I’ll want to put in extra hours to learn my work and impress, do I still squeeze in time for interviewing elsewhere?
Judy Hutchinson
International Education Specialist.
140
02/20/20 at 1:29PM UTC
All the advice above seems right on to me, as both an employer and employee. If you continue interviewing though, during your probationary period, I think you'd want to be very, very careful. Employers want to see that their new hire has bought into the company. It sounds like you're in, and you should know if there's a background check issue--if you think you're free and clear, I'd continue until you actually start the job. Anyway, congrats on the new position and all the best.
Anonymous
02/20/20 at 5:06AM UTC
Congratulations on your job offer. Believe it or not, just last week I was faced with the same dilemma and opted to turn down the interview after weighing the pros and cons. I think it's a good idea to have something on the back burner, but I read a great article in Forbes, albeit published five years ago, but it spoke to me and aligned with my value system. Here's the link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecenizalevine/2015/07/14/is-it-ever-ok-to-accept-a-job-offer-and-continue-to-interview/#6f5bee3c3f03 .
It is totally up to you, but just be aware that once the background check is in progress, your foot is pretty much in the door. You said that you already signed the offer letter, which is like giving your word. But if you feel something might come up during your background check that might hinder your chances of employment, it might be a good idea to keep interviewing until it is officially announced that you've indeed got the job. If it's a job that you can really see yourself doing five years from now, I say commit and if it doesn't work out for some reason you can always initiate a new job search. I live in a small enough city where anything could get communicated and that's another reason I made the decision to turn down other interview opportunities. At the end of the day, let your decision be something that you can live with. All the best to you!
Anonymous
02/19/20 at 8:30PM UTC
Agreed with the advice above -- I would continue interviewing! Also, congrats on the new job! Please keep us posted with how it goes. Also curious, how did you find this job?
Anonymous
02/19/20 at 8:34PM UTC
thank you! i applied to a linkedin job ad
Anonymous
02/19/20 at 8:51PM UTC
Great, congrats!
Lynne CoganCareer Coach for Realizing Professional Dreams
871
02/19/20 at 3:59PM UTC
Congratulations on your job search success and all the opportunities coming your way.
Excellent advice from spobjecky.
I would like to add one little piece to what she wrote regarding taking good notes about the interview requests. Not only will this give you an idea about industry trends, but researching these companies as time permits, could help you decide how to proceed when it's time to make your next career move.
If any of these employers seem to be places where you would like to work, network into them by making new connections on LinkedIn. Develop relationships. Help them as you can. When the time is right, you will be in a great position to seek out a new job before it is posted. (The vast majority of jobs are never posted.) If you decide to stay with the company that made the offer, no harm. You've made new friends--maybe friends who would like to work with you at your likely new employer.
Sharon PobjeckyBox-Bending Education Strategist
85
02/18/20 at 1:47PM UTC
This is what I’ve experienced, too! You should continue to interview until you get the final go and a start date. Then you should give yourself a good two weeks to get to know your new job, your boss, the commute, the culture- indeed the full 360-degree landscape. But once you’ve decided to stay, you should “put your interviewing to bed” and concentrate on being the best you can be for the new company. Here’s one more thing to do- take good notes on who, what, and where you’re getting interview requests. Look for patterns that will help you create an overview of your industry-it’s trends.
