You can stall a job offer, ask your dream company to hurry up and decide and still keep everyone ... [+]
As a job seeker, you want to have multiple job leads in play at all times because you won’t get every job, and not every job offer will meet your criteria. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is only interviewing for one job at a time, instead of filling your interview wait time with productive job search activity. However, juggling multiple job leads also means you have to coordinate multiple hiring timelines, and some employers will decide faster than others. What if you get one job offer, but are oh-so-close to finding out about the job you really want?
A job seeker came to me with this exact happy, but tricky predicament:
- She had one job offer in hand and another job where her interviews had just completed;
- The job offer was for a long-term temporary, hourly position;
- Her first-choice job was a permanent, salaried position.
How could she stall the job offer without jeopardizing it? How could she get her dream company to hurry up and decide? What if she holds out for her first-choice job and ends up losing both?
Here are four steps to stall one job offer and get another one to move faster. Keep in mind that all communication should be voice-to-voice, either phone or live. Never negotiate by email, and asking for more time is absolutely a negotiation (read this primer on becoming a fearless negotiator)! With voice-to-voice communication, you see and/or hear how the other person reacts, and you can convey the right tone.
1 - Confirm the timelines for each job in play
Note that timelines is plural because there are multiple deadlines you need to know. When will your first choice decide? You might be finished with your interviews, but others may be further behind, and the company may want to wait for everyone before making a decision. When does your second choice need you to start? If the start date is far out, you may be able to negotiate a longer time period to get back to them. Ask each company what their specific timelines are—don’t assume.
2 - If your first choice can hurry up and your second choice can wait, actively manage the decision process to culminate at the same time
Tell your first choice how much time you have to decide on your job offer, so they understand the urgency. You don’t want them to think you’re giving them an ultimatum, so be polite but firm. For example, you might say, “You’re my first choice so I have negotiated another week to respond on the other offer. At the same time, I don’t want to give up a sure thing if this might not work out.” Your first choice should understand your need to look out for your career prospects—if they don’t, think about whether you should be so interested in them….
3 - Reiterate your interest in the job offer you do have
You want to slow down the other job offer, but you still might accept it, so you need to show gratitude and genuine interest in the job. Don’t look like you’re hesitating. Be enthusiastic about the offer, and give a logical reason why you need more time that has nothing to do with your interest level. For example, you can explain that you already scheduled additional meetings this whole week and you wouldn’t feel right about cancelling them. The other company will want that same courtesy so shouldn’t push back too hard. Or, you can ask for additional information about the offer in order to decide—e.g., questions about the benefits package.
4a - If the job offer has a firm deadline and your first choice can’t decide faster, you can accept your second choice and still feel good about it…
Just because you accept your second choice doesn’t mean you settled for less. First of all, you land in a job sooner, which means making money sooner and gaining experience faster. You can improve a job over time. Maybe the temporary status will convert to full-time. Maybe you can renegotiate your initial compensation to go from hourly to salaried. Maybe you’ll decide that this job is fine as is, and you can focus on personal goals and interests. I spent a couple of years in a malaise trying to change my existing business, when I really needed a life change more than career change.
4b - …Or you can hold out for your first choice, and refine your job search accordingly
If you decide to turn down the second choice to hold out for your first choice, you might not get that first choice, so you need to continue your job search while you wait. Given that you turned down one job offer, you may want to refine your search criteria so that you don’t pursue jobs you don’t really want. This particular job seeker may want to stop looking at temporary or hourly positions and only focus on permanent, salaried jobs. Or she may want to look only at temporary positions that are short-term and allow her to leave quickly should a more suitable position arise.
A job seeker with multiple leads in play is always in a positive situation
When you juggle multiple leads, it’s difficult to keep everyone happy (including yourself) but it’s always a positive situation to have more options than fewer. What a confidence booster to have more than one company interested in hiring you! Don’t forget the positives of this overall scenario, even if the particular details stress you out.
