Should I accept this job offer?

November 6, 2009 6:17 PM

Should I accept this job offer? I have an interview scheduled for another job. But it's no sure thing...

I was laid off recently, but my skill set is one that is currently in demand. I've had a number of good interviews and still have a couple scheduled in the week ahead. The good news is I was offered a job today. However, both of the interviews outstanding are for jobs I would prefer over the one offered.

In the old economy I would be more comfortable in asking the company that offered me the position to wait a week and hoping the other companies could rush the process. But the reality of 10.2 percent unemployment is staring me in the face. Also, I live in a state where if you're on unemployment insurance, which I am, one is legally bound to accept any job offer presented. It's also an At-Will state.

My current plan is to accept the position that was offered and still interview for the other positions. If I'm offered another job, I'll most likely take that one and resign from the first one. I know that's tough on the company that spent all that time and money hiring and training me. But I feel I have to watch out for my own career in this economy.

Is that kosher? What alternatives do I have? Any hiring managers have experience with this?

posted by anonymous to work & money (11 comments total)

My current plan is to accept the position that was offered and still interview for the other positions. If I'm offered another job, I'll most likely take that one and resign from the first one. I know that's tough on the company that spent all that time and money hiring and training me. But I feel I have to watch out for my own career in this economy.

It happens all of the time. I wouldn't think twice about it.
posted by jgirl at 6:34 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]

I don't know about your field, but it'd be very not-kosher in mine.

Why not ask for a week to decide? If they say no, you have to decide now, then you can always go ahead and accept it right away.
posted by bluedaisy at 6:52 PM on November 6

My current plan is to accept the position that was offered and still interview for the other positions. If I'm offered another job, I'll most likely take that one and resign from the first one. I know that's tough on the company that spent all that time and money hiring and training me. But I feel I have to watch out for my own career in this economy.

A friend of mine did just this (granted it was a few years ago) and has not suffered for it. Plus in this economy it will probably be easy for the company you dump to turn around and pick another qualified applicant quickly.
posted by grapesaresour at 7:23 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]

Have you considered calling the other two companies and saying "I have a solid offer on the table, but frankly I'd rather work for you; can we move the interview up to tomorrow?"
posted by davejay at 7:48 PM on November 6 [6 favorites]

I've been on the hiring side of this, and while the person who backed out of the position suffered little consequence (I forgot her name a week later), it pissed us off, is very poor etiquette, and really put us in a huge bind. While you may be in a different situation, as someone who is hiring, I would have been willing to give someone I wanted a few days or a week to decide.
posted by thebestsophist at 8:44 PM on November 6

This just happened with a job opening on my team. The candidate called the recruiter and the recruiter called me. I told her to take the other job. While the candidate was on my shortlist, I wasn't sure she'd be my final choice. In this economy, I told her to take the sure thing.

Call the other two hiring managers and see what's up.

If you can negotiate a two week lag before your start date, do that. It's better to lose a candidate before they work their first day. Once you're an employee and quit, it's going to be a worse situation for the hiring manager.
posted by 26.2 at 9:03 PM on November 6 [1 favorite]

The reality is this: it's unethical to take the job and quit a week later, and you know that. That said, that's exactly what I would do.

Ignoring the economy for a second, there is, always has been, and likely always will be an enormous imbalance in power in the employer/employee relationship. For the employee that job can mean the difference between sleeping indoors or in a cardboard box. For the employer it is a mere annoyance to lose someone valuable. You gotta look out for yourself. That doesn't make it right, but I'd rather be employed than right.

I would attempt to resolve this through reasonable avenues, as mentioned above, by contacting the companies you have yet to interview with yet and ask to accelerate the process. If they can't accommodate you, accept the offer and go from there.
posted by cj_ at 9:44 PM on November 6

I recently accepted a job offer despite having two job interviews lined up that I fully expected to get offers from. This was after I had already accepted another offer from a different company only to have them turn around and pull the offer after I started asking detailed questions about their health plan and benefits. Pretty slimy of them, but I was glad I did not cancel the job interviews I had lined up the following week.

I look at it as Plan, A, Pan B, and Plan C. Don't close any doors of opportunity until you're certain a job offer is a good job offer and you're happy with the company and the job.

If you're having trouble choosing between job offers, then do a Pros/Cons list and determine which job is better for you financially, easier commute, impact on family life, etc.

Lastly, being legally required to accept any job offer sounds very fishy or perhaps you are mis-reading the language. Until you're on someone's payroll there is no way for the state to know that you're receiving a legal income (i.e. not under-the-table) so there is no way they can prove you were offered a job. No one can force you to accept a job you do not want and your unemployment insurance should not be affected because of turning down a job offer.
posted by camworld at 6:56 AM on November 7

Lastly, being legally required to accept any job offer sounds very fishy or perhaps you are mis-reading the language.

It's not fishy. Unemployment benefits aren't offered so you can rethink your life and find the ideal job. They are offered to provide income while you find other paying work.
posted by 26.2 at 7:13 AM on November 7

Companies will hire you and lay you off at a moments' notice. You may treat them the same way.

Stall the company making the offer; tell them you have a pending offer and and are weighing your options, or tell them you can't start right away. Call the hiring manager at the preferred company, and ask if there's anything they can do to expedite the decision.

The fact that you have interviews is a pretty good sign that even if you don't take/get either job, there will be other offers.
posted by theora55 at 4:16 PM on November 7

Companies will hire you and lay you off at a moments' notice. You may treat them the same way.

Some do; many don't. Regardless, "everyone does it" is not an ethical argument.

Like cj said, you know that taking the job and immediately resigning for another one is wrong. Don't do it.

If you're not swayed by ethics, think practically. If someone did that to my organization, I'd be furious, and I would talk about it. If your industry is small or reputation-sensitive, it could come back to haunt you.
posted by Susan PG at 1:29 AM on November 8