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Timing the upcoming so-so employment, with the 2nd offer later...


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So I have one company that is acceptable to work for, likely to hire me within 10 days, not really my first pick. I have another more desirable job/company that may take about a month. (My estimates are approximate, but I know the companies tendencies a bit).

 

Any insight into an ethical way of getting job #2, while not telling #1 to wait after they (if they) offer me a position? I don't want to get stuck in job #1 for 1-2 years and then reject #2; however I don't want to tell #1 no, and end up empty handed. I am cautious on the ethics of taking #1, and quitting a month later if things pan out, that's also not really how I work people. The pay is about $10k annual difference, and a bit of difference in prestige too. I think we call this type of thing a quandry.

 

We are speaking of ~$50k technical design type of jobs just FYI.

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I assume the other job pays more. But I would make the decision based on the following factors: How marketable are you/ is your field of work. If you do turn down this job for #2 and you don't hear from #2, are you confident you'll find another job quickly? Are you currently employed or unemployed? If unemployed, can you afford to turn down the first position offer?

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This is so funny because I am actually in the same situation as yourself. I am set to interview this Wednesday for a job I am almost certain to obtain, but not my dream job. It does pay less, however the experience I would gain from it would apply to the type of position I'm seeking. However I am also starting to get calls from another company that may potentially want to interview me, but it has more competition and it is unknown if I can get that job.

 

The way I see it, as the first job I am almost sure to get, it known to have a high turn over rate due to it being a sort of "stepping stone" job and as such, does pay less than what the market has to offer. Thus I will be taking the job. However I was asked if there were other companies I was applying for, I had informed that yes there were and that at this time they were the ones ahead with giving me the interview, so they are aware of other possible job offers, however not that they would be ditched for someone else in my dream position.

 

I think of it this way, if I did have a very quick turn over, they are likely to have other candidates that they had recently hired that could fill in the spot that they had just interviewed, so in essence I would not be putting the company behind too much, as it is an entry level position. I understand it is not the most ethical thing to do, but at the same time, given how the job market has been, you have to do what is best for your situation.

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I think of it this way, if I did have a very quick turn over, they are likely to have other candidates that they had recently hired that could fill in the spot that they had just interviewed, so in essence I would not be putting the company behind too much,

Yes that is one way to see it.

 

For more detail, yes the pay is greater with job 2, for me it is really 4 jobs lined up, max to min pay among the 4 jobs is $20k difference at this point. The main issue is the career development/prestige of the higher paying jobs, proximity to home, etc, for me it is a big gap.

 

I'd been looking actively for a long time, I had a 5% interview rate, i.e. 5% of the time I would have any contact prior to getting a "No," from a company. Then I discovered an information leak as to where I was applying, to my disordered ex wife. It appears she had been sending correspondence to their HR depts to scare them off, fiction, but scary to them. After sealing that leak, I have had 3 out of 4 contact me with some sort of test, etc. Facinating, the evil of (wo)man! So now I have about 20 some companies in my region who's HR dept may have received a scare off letter and tagged me as suspect/weirdo/dangerous ex-wife, etc, with me having kids here that I cannot move away. Oh, well, it takes more to sink me, have nothing to hide.

 

I have income, am employed, but due to market reasons and recent degree, it is best for me to shift careers sooner than later. I think I will allow the top 2 jobs to have me if they offer, even if I get employed by the bottom 2 for a couple of weeks. It is not too reasonable to altruistically surrender $20k per year because one has latched first, wish there was a better way. Good luck Contact1, let us know how it goes.

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georgia girl

Here's how I see it (and I'm a CEO of a small company with about 50 employees and we employ a great deal of different skill levels):

 

 

Interviewing is like matchmaking and taking a job is like dating. You are NOT married to a job. Instead, you are free to pursue as many jobs as you'd like and in fact, matchmake with as many employers as you seem interested. Here are the catches, though:

 

 

1) Be careful changing jobs too often. If I see a resume/CV where the person has a track record of staying in a job for only a year or two, I'm a little cautious. You may still get an interview, but I'm going to ask you why you change jobs so frequently. I've yet to get an answer that fully satisfies me but someone I did hire told me that they had been underemployed and were simply trying to build up their career/income. I was impressed by the honesty.

 

 

2) In small markets, be careful that employers don't share that they've received your resume. I know, we're not supposed to talk about the resumes we've received and generally, I don't. But I can tell you that there are a number of prominent employers in my area who openly discuss these things in social situations. In one way, it helps me know who is looking and who I may be interested in. In another way, I find it a little concerning when I hear one name mentioned too often.

 

 

Having said all of the above, if you have two potential employers for your new skill set and you have two sets of interviews. One offer may come as much as a month before the other. I see no harm in taking the first offer if it comes, but extending your potential start date until after the interview with the second company. Then, when you interview with the second company, I don't see any harm in letting them know that you already had the interview set up but that you are very close to fully accepting a first offer. Play them off against each other just a little bit. It will help you get your best deal (be careful not to overplay your hand). That's exactly what they are doing with you and any other candidate they have.

 

 

Then, if the second offer comes through, again I see nothing wrong with calling the first employer and honestly (and I stress honestly here) telling him/her how much you appreciated their offer, that you didn't think that this offer - your dream job - would come through and now that it has, you've soul-searched and need to decline the first offer. Again, you're just dating here - not married.

 

 

I've had this happen to me as an employer and while I was mildly ticked in the beginning, the reality set in and I thought, "Well, good for you. Wouldn't we all want to be in that same position?" I've also had people use my interview/offer to negotiate a better deal with their current employer.

 

 

It's all fair in love and war. This is what employers are doing everyday. If you give up all of your leverage, then you minimize your opportunities and your opportunities for your best deal. But, be honest and candid. When folks are with me, I'm totally okay that they are shopping around.

 

 

Good luck!

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Thank you for your detailed response.

 

I have not been hired by either yet! Second question, since you seem to have insight into these matters. 10 years ago I was set up (framed up) for a civil rights violation lawsuit for financial gain, brutal claim. A camera randomly recording the area exonerated me completely. The media only cared about the claim, did not address the clearance a week later... Any insights into how this affects HR, i.e. likelihood of discovery, any techniques to clear the matter up? There are no other skeletons in the closet, finding skill matching employment has been a challenge. If I present the matter and evidence to interviewers, too much info, I know... then they will plainly agree that there is nothing here. If I am silent, who knows.

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This is exactly why most jobs come with a 90+ day probationary period. That time is not just for you to learn the job, but also for you to decide if it is the right fit for you. Your employer is also deciding if you're grasping the job and fit with company culture during this time. There is nothing wrong with deciding during the probationary period that the job isn't right for you or that you'd rather leave for a better offer as long as you put in proper notice and wrap up what you can.

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Thank you for your detailed response.

 

I have not been hired by either yet! Second question, since you seem to have insight into these matters. 10 years ago I was set up (framed up) for a civil rights violation lawsuit for financial gain, brutal claim. A camera randomly recording the area exonerated me completely. The media only cared about the claim, did not address the clearance a week later... Any insights into how this affects HR, i.e. likelihood of discovery, any techniques to clear the matter up? There are no other skeletons in the closet, finding skill matching employment has been a challenge. If I present the matter and evidence to interviewers, too much info, I know... then they will plainly agree that there is nothing here. If I am silent, who knows.

 

Only my opinion here but if it was 10 years ago and the issue was a "splash in the pan," meaning it got some media coverage and then died down, I wouldn't mention it. If he/she is interviewing you and don't mention it in the interview, they likely have either decided it isn't worth their time to discuss or they don't know about it. No sense giving them a red flag during the interview. You're competing here and you don't want to give your fellow candidates a leg up on you.

 

 

Now, as a potential employer if I was interviewing you and then became aware of it after the interview, here's what I'd likely do: if you were my first or second choice, I'd call you and ask for an explanation. If you were third, fourth or fifth (and I often don't interview five candidates), I probably wouldn't call you. Why? One or two is going to take the job. Thus, my work here is done. While I may be curious, the likelihood is that I really don't need to do any extra homework and I don't have time to go following up on something that has no bearing on the decision.

 

 

But, like I said, if you were one or two I'd call you and ask you. My advice in that situation is just to be honest and UNEMOTIONAL in your delivery. So, if they ask, you say something like, "I'm glad you called me and gave me the opportunity to explain. As I'm sure you expect, it wasn't all as it may have seemed. The incident was reported as this (then do the details) and I was accused of (that). However, what most people didn't know that there was actually a video of the incident due to surveillance cameras in the building. The surveillance camera showed (this) and I was completely exonerated. This was a stressful time and damaging to my career, but I have now completely moved past it. As a result, however, I have learned (this valuable lesson)."

 

 

What I would be looking for is for a response that wasn't full of emotion or indignation. I want to know that someone I'm proposing to hire can keep his or her head in a stressful and challenging situation. And I want facts. Don't malign someone else's character - just tell me the evidence which supports you. I want to know the outcome, particularly because you were completely cleared, and I'd want to know that you turned this bad situation into a learning opportunity. That makes you eminently hirable. Good luck!

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Thanks gg,

 

The case hit TV and local news for a brief flash. But... checking my full name and city name in google gives 4 first page hits of that matter. We are talking about a much lesser version of a "Furguson, MO" type of incident, quite a bit less impact or injury, otherwise similar. I am blessed that the minority population and employer remained supportive of me afterward 100%, I am no racist. But simple googling, a decade later, is still first page.

 

I fear that HR's consistently checking first page google by name/city, and are just turning to the next guy. In the meantime I am crafting some internet techniques to replace the content, there's some grey area techniques to move it to third page. I am half tempted to get the attorney that represented me then to write a letter with evidence references, designed for HR staff's reading, but like you say, I am hesistant to "Too much info," just like a date, etc. We are talking about 40 applications just 2 interviews, over 9 months. And the enraged ex wife had sent out correspondence to some entities to reduce my employability (with spooky intense exaggerations about me). I have the ex wife problem stopped with secrecy now, but the other...

 

is just to be honest and UNEMOTIONAL
Yep, emotion in check 100%.
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