Parallel job application etiquette
May 30, 2011 9:50 AM Subscribe
I have a job offer with a deadline, but I'd like to apply elsewhere. How should I manage the process?
I'm currently unemployed and have a job offer from Company A which I must reply to within two weeks. I've just noticed a great job on offer at Company B, and I want to apply to this too. If I get an offer from B then I'll probably go there, but if I don't then obviously A is preferable to no job at all. My question is, which of the following options should I take?
(a) Accept A's offer straightaway and, if I get an offer from B, then drop out and join B instead?
(b) Write in my covering letter to B that I need them to interview me and make me an offer within two weeks, and explain why.
(c) Apply to B, and then phone them to advise them about the two-week thing? (In which case, how long should I wait before phoning?)
(d) Ask A to extend their two-week deadline, and explain why.
(e) Do none of the above, and just hope B interview me quickly.
Both companies are big ones (thousands of people). I'm based in the UK, and the jobs are in IT.
I'm currently unemployed and have a job offer from Company A which I must reply to within two weeks. I've just noticed a great job on offer at Company B, and I want to apply to this too. If I get an offer from B then I'll probably go there, but if I don't then obviously A is preferable to no job at all. My question is, which of the following options should I take?
(a) Accept A's offer straightaway and, if I get an offer from B, then drop out and join B instead?
(b) Write in my covering letter to B that I need them to interview me and make me an offer within two weeks, and explain why.
(c) Apply to B, and then phone them to advise them about the two-week thing? (In which case, how long should I wait before phoning?)
(d) Ask A to extend their two-week deadline, and explain why.
(e) Do none of the above, and just hope B interview me quickly.
Both companies are big ones (thousands of people). I'm based in the UK, and the jobs are in IT.
Ha, I was in a similar position recently. In general I would say don't mention that you have an offer on the table to Company B: they may just pass you over altogether if you already have an offer on the table. The best thing may be to just apply to B and wait a few days. You said it's a big company, so they may not even get around to your application in two weeks. If you hear back from them soonish, then you can make yourself available to come in and interview as soon as possible.
posted by gchucky at 9:55 AM on May 30, 2011
posted by gchucky at 9:55 AM on May 30, 2011
I agree with Leon. Trying to explain to either A or B is a good way to get yourself eliminated as a candidate. If you take the A job (not to be confused with the A train) and then get the B job, you might look like a flake, but A Inc. won't have invested a lot of time in training you. If this happens, don't tell B Inc. about your previous job.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:55 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 9:55 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Take the offer from A. If you get a better offer from B later, take that and say goodbye to A.
posted by J. Wilson at 10:34 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by J. Wilson at 10:34 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Choice A. If you haven't even applied to B yet, you have no idea how long they're going to take to screen candidates. I've been through a half-dozen interview processes in the past 12 months, and the turnarounds ranged from 2 weeks post-application to rejection (2 person shop) to 2+ months. It's not just that B may or may not pan out, it's that you have no idea how long their process will be.
posted by deludingmyself at 10:52 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by deludingmyself at 10:52 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Employers have no qualms about treating employees as a commodity, hiring and laying off when it meets their business needs. Employees should treat employers the same way.
a.
posted by theora55 at 11:28 AM on May 30, 2011
a.
posted by theora55 at 11:28 AM on May 30, 2011
Take offer A and stick with it. Or don't take it and risk not getting B too.
If you ever have a managerial position you will make have decisions like this every day.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 12:07 PM on May 30, 2011
If you ever have a managerial position you will make have decisions like this every day.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 12:07 PM on May 30, 2011
To offer a counterpoint to gchucky, I was also in a similar position once: I applied to A and B at the same time, A replied quickly with an offer expiring in two weeks, but I heard nothing from B. The jobs were in different cities, so I found option (a) unappealing. Instead I chose something like (b) or (c): I told B that I'd love to work for them but I had to make a decision before A's offer expired. They called me the next day to schedule interviews, and I ended up working at B for several years.
This happened in an environment where I knew companies were somewhat willing to compete for employees. I expect this approach would be riskier in more of a buyer's market.
posted by Serf at 1:02 PM on May 30, 2011
This happened in an environment where I knew companies were somewhat willing to compete for employees. I expect this approach would be riskier in more of a buyer's market.
posted by Serf at 1:02 PM on May 30, 2011
Definitely apply to company B. If company A has given you two weeks to make a decision, use that time, you aren't obligated to take the position right away.
If company B is responsive and gives you an interview in time you can then assess where things are at the end of the interview. Find out what their normal procedure and time frame is for making offers. I know that I've been in the position of hiring where the potential employee needed to make a decision on another offer in a few days and it did speed up the decision making (n.b. we were a small office without a lot of bureaucratic hoops, the real danger was we wouldn't focus on the decision for a week to actually extend an offer). I can honestly say I don't think a competing offer ever significantly altered the decision of whether we would extend one, only the speed and potentially how much we offered if we really wanted a candidate.
posted by meinvt at 4:33 PM on May 30, 2011
If company B is responsive and gives you an interview in time you can then assess where things are at the end of the interview. Find out what their normal procedure and time frame is for making offers. I know that I've been in the position of hiring where the potential employee needed to make a decision on another offer in a few days and it did speed up the decision making (n.b. we were a small office without a lot of bureaucratic hoops, the real danger was we wouldn't focus on the decision for a week to actually extend an offer). I can honestly say I don't think a competing offer ever significantly altered the decision of whether we would extend one, only the speed and potentially how much we offered if we really wanted a candidate.
posted by meinvt at 4:33 PM on May 30, 2011
(a) and half of (d)
Company A is trying to avoid competitive bidding for your time, and staff leaving quickly is the price they should pay for this underhanded trick.
But it's also worth trying to string out deciding with Company A for as long as you can. I wouldn't say why you need to delay the decision; they'll likely figure it out anyways but confirming it removes any possible alternative explanations. Importantly, it can't hurt to ask for an extension halfway through the decision period, and if you get it, so much the better.
posted by pwnguin at 10:49 AM on May 31, 2011
Company A is trying to avoid competitive bidding for your time, and staff leaving quickly is the price they should pay for this underhanded trick.
But it's also worth trying to string out deciding with Company A for as long as you can. I wouldn't say why you need to delay the decision; they'll likely figure it out anyways but confirming it removes any possible alternative explanations. Importantly, it can't hurt to ask for an extension halfway through the decision period, and if you get it, so much the better.
posted by pwnguin at 10:49 AM on May 31, 2011
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posted by Leon at 9:52 AM on May 30, 2011