Two job interviews with the same company. How to manage?

October 5, 2021 1:17 PM

Remember the sitcom trope? The one where the character accidentally sets up two dates at the same time? He went back and forth between the two dates. It never went well for that character. I have 2 interviews fortunately on accident with my dream company. One job I really want & the other, I would take it to get into the company. The 2nd is a great job but in my old field. My interest is much less for #2.

The last question I asked here about job hunting, you were very generous with your constructive criticism. This time I have really good news. The #1 company I wanted to work for interviewed me for a really exciting job. In fact we got so far as a fairly detailed salary discussion in which she said topping out the salary band with a signing bonus would most likely be possible. That’s job #1. It’s a sales enablement role heavy on training and development. It’s perfect. It combines my sales knowledge from my previous career with my employee training knowledge. This combo is not typical for this kind of company and all of it directly applicable.

During the conversation I mentioned a sales activity that I enjoyed which I thought would be relevant to job #1. She then proposed that I look at a job as a sales manager type job. I’d be responsible for managing a sales force of 15 people. I’ve come to the conclusion fairly recently that I’m not a great manager and don’t really enjoy it. It could be that I didn’t enjoy managing the team I managed or the specific work we were doing. It’s entirely possible that I could thrive in a sales management role, but I fear that to some extent that might pigeon hole me in a sales career track which is not why I returned to rad school. That’s job #2.

Job #1 is the job I’m most interested in. I explained to the interviewer for job #1 that I would be happy with both roles but definitely leaned towards the role we were discussing at that moment. I told her I would speak with the sales manager role hiring manager. Regarding #2, I didn’t mention my doubts about managing a team. Somebody wrote about being in a similar situation with academic roles a while back. I looked it over but understand that academia is an entirely different culture. I like the way they put it, “how do I interview for two jobs in the same university without alienating either departments. In my case, I was referred internally from one hiring manager to another so that is completely clear. I have no reason to believe that I was referred to job #2 because I wasn’t the right fit for role #1.

https://ask.metafilter.com/303330/Two-interviews-two-departments-same-university

I had a similar situation with grad school. I applied to two universities in the same consortium of several schools and ran into problems when both schools initially turned me down thinking that I was interested in the other school.

I would absolutely take role #2 if I was not selected for #1. If anything, it would be great to get my foot in the door with this company. Additionally, I really need a job. How can I handle this without alienating either dept?

posted by Che boludo! to Work & Money (7 answers total)

Maybe frame this in your mind as interviewing to see which position is the best fit for you, rather than mentally framing it as as one being dream job and one being second best that you’d accept as a last resort. Keep your mind open, job #2 might feel perfect once you’ve talked to them about it! And really listen to them both about what the jobs and duties are, rather than applying your own preconceptions. Titles can correspond to vastly different actual roles in different companies.
posted by music for skeletons at 1:25 PM on October 5, 2021 [2 favorites]

Fortunately, industry is not academia.

Very bluntly, any company that turns down someone for two jobs because two departments think that the other department is more interesting is a company that is so entrenched in bizarre bureaucracy that they are not worth working at.

At every company I've worked at, it's been possible - and not uncommon - for candidates to receive multiple job offers. In those cases, usually the two offers have been presented without salary specifics (or perhaps only generalities), then the candidate picks the one they're interested in, and the salary negotiation completes with only one job on the table.

In cases where two offers are not presented, the two departments will cooperate - generally with the help of the candidate - to figure out which department presents an offer. Both departments dropping their offers would be absurd.

Tell your recruiter what you're telling us, and be honest with your interests. There's no reason to preemptively take yourself out of the running for either job - do what's best for you.
posted by saeculorum at 2:12 PM on October 5, 2021 [3 favorites]

Take first the job that's offered. I assume they know if you'd applied to 2 different jobs in the same organization, and decided they think you're a better fit for #2 if need be, or its possibility there's some other conversations happening behind the scenes between hiring managers. You will never know - hiring is such a process and 90% of it has nothing to do with you. If you are offered #2 and haven't heard back from #1, it might be fair at that point to ask - "i'm not sure if you're aware, but I've also spoken to X & Y people about opportunity Z. Before I commit here I'd like to see where we are in that process as well, so I can make the most informed decision" and go from there. I can't imagine one company giving 2 separate competing offers to the same candidate, and if they did thats a level of disorganization I'd consider avoiding.
posted by cgg at 2:18 PM on October 5, 2021

There's really not much to it in this situation. You're in a good spot. No one will be alienated by the fact.

Be honest that you are also interviewing with other departments, but this will come up more or less naturally in discussions with the people for whom it matters. It's not an embarrassing secret you need to get out of the way up front. Dodge questions from job #2 about what your first choice is ("I am very excited by but also intrigued by " is sufficiently honest. Expand with the parts of #2 that appeal to you if necessary.)

If #2 offers you a job first you can probably call #1 and say "I have a job offer, are you close to a decision" but #2 won't wait very long. So there's a possibility you'd need to decide on #2 without knowing, one away or another, about your preferred job. Same as if were at a different company.
posted by mark k at 2:42 PM on October 5, 2021

If it's for different departments, as you said they are different jobs, I'd say go to both. No need to volunteer that information, but no need to fib either.
posted by kschang at 1:16 AM on October 6, 2021

Make sure you have a good story about why you applied for the two differnet jobs and why you would be interested and a good fit for both of them. Be upfront about this.
Often HR and hiring managers want to believe that you are really and truely interested in the job and not just applying desperately. Help them to acheive this understanding.
posted by jazh at 3:49 AM on October 6, 2021

OP said "During the conversation I mentioned a sales activity that I enjoyed which I thought would be relevant to job #1. She then proposed that I look at a job as a sales manager type job."

So, you have been invited by the company to look at two different jobs.

So if you have further interviews for Job #1, the stance you have taken you should continue. "Both roles have appeal, but I lean towards Job #1 and this is why I am a great candidate for that job."

Job #2 interview; "Yes, I am interviewing for Job #1, and the interviewer noted that Job #2 may also be a fit. I feel I am a good candidate for Job #2 because.. . I feel I could be successful in both positions, and am happy to work with your teams on where you feel the best fit and biggest need is where I can help."
posted by rich at 7:51 AM on October 6, 2021