Job offer advice
Good job offer advice from the Marketing Headhunter. I'd say something about a bird in the hand, but I think we already determined that I don't like to touch raw poultry.
Anyway, I've had candidates decline our offer and then want to revisit. The hiring manager is left thinking " what changed?". It's like telling someone you'll go to the prom with them because you didn't get asked by someone better. How do you make the original asker feel good about the situation? And is it possible that your perception of your marketability isn't consistent with reality. I hate to talk about it on those terms, but there it is...we all have to be real with ourselves though, don't you think? It helps if you think about your skills as a package you are offering to a hiring company versus offering you, yourself. If they say no, it just means they are looking for a different package.
It's a tough situation for the job seeker which is why I like the Headhunter's advice to document what you are looking for up front. This makes you think it through. It becomes real when you put it on paper for yourself and it makes compensation not the main issue in making a decision. It allows you to put the compensation issue aside (does it meet my compensation needs; yes or no) and make decisions based on what you love to do, where you want to be, who you want to work with (or more grammatically correct: "with whom you want to work").
Great advice.
Comments
Anonymous
November 10, 2006
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November 10, 2006
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November 10, 2006
randomguymike-you are one funny guy (OFG). I can't be unbiased about your situation. But I can tell you that LC is actually smart for doing what they are doing (if they trust you ...which I would assume they do). Of course, they are in the business of doing what is best for them. I'm all about being up front (let me just say that up front...haha), but there is some stalling you can do and not make it too obvious. Think thoroughly about whether you are their dream candidate. They are acting as if they are in the drivers seat which may or may not be the case (but them acting that way is a power move). If you allow them to do that, you are putting them in control. Consider that you may be in the drivers seat. If you can work out the timing stuff, the Headhunter's advice may not apply...you could be looking at more than one offer. Try to get there if you can. If you can't then you can't. But since the Headhunter's advice was about isolating $$ as the issue and you are really talking about the work and the company (and not who will pay you the most), it's a different situation. At the same time, if you tell LC no, then consider that you can't go back to them and try to get an offer back right away (you could certainly try though based on how you leave it with them...it's that whole drivers seat thing). This is not official advice (because I don't want to feel bad if this doesn't work out and I don't know enough about you to be able to assess the situation), but it seems to me that if LC knows about the other companies and LCs recruiters are good, they think that those other companies may like you. I think that kind of gives you the upper hand with LC. I'd hate to see you turn down LC and not get anywhere with the other 2 though. I'm not sure "follow your heart" is the right advice here either (though it's served me well, I've pretty much navigated my career with one offer in hand at a time). Just make sure you let all companies know about your timeline. I'm guessing that DC might want to light a fire under someone...I'm just saying! : ) I'm going to ask Harry (the Headhunter) to jump in here too if he'd be so kind...since he's a third party recruiter (who I'm guessing is very accustomed to helping people work their way through the hiring process at multiple companies), he likely has some advice/insight on this situation that I don't.Anonymous
November 10, 2006
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November 10, 2006
Here's my problem with LC....I would NEVER tell someone to "end it" with other companies they were interviewing with. (Yeah, Heather. I know I just ended that with a preposition. ha) I want everyone to win. If our company isn't the best for them, or it isn't the right time, I'm okay with that. I want what is best for the candidate as well as what is best for us. Ideally, I want someone to want to come work for us. (I'm hearing an old Cheap Trick song.) I like knowing that other companies are interested in you. (It's kind of like dating.) If you're good, they should be. What I don't like is someone playing the "Um, yeah, I have another offer" game to get me to move faster than I can. Basically, I want honesty. And I've played the honesty cards on both sides of the table. I've called DC and said, "LC is making me an offer and they aren't my first choice." And it worked out. Then again, I just had a dream candidate ("DC") for an opening that isn't quite open yet (and he knew this) but he couldn't wait anymore. I was honest with him. I told him exactly where we were, he told me exactly where he was. Chalk it up to timing, but it just didn't work. As for the original question....again, it's like dating....turn me down and then come back? I'll be wondering. Most of all, I'll be wondering if you weren't playing both sides and really wanted the other company to come through....but they didn't. Which not only makes it seem as though we aren't a good fit for you, it makes you seem self-serving and dishonest. (Which, by the way, also isn't a good fit for us.) But if you're honest about where you are in the process (we all need a job and have a dream and are looking for certain things in life)....if it works, it works. If it doesn't now, but works later...then that's cool. But it's close to impossible to come back after turning us down after we've made an offer. By the way, I'd also be terribly interested in how the whole DC, LC, PSC thing works out. All the best! debAnonymous
November 10, 2006
Harry- you rock. It's about evaluating the opportunities. Great way to frame the decision. Deb-hehe...I'm not the grammar police, trust me. I just figured out the difference between it's and its. I like the way you present the company perspective. I also like the honest approach. I at least appreciate that LC is trying to play poker. But yeah, you are right..f you are just open with everyone, nobody gets ticked off. Not being up front can present a separate set of problems. I hope that doesn't leave randomguymike without an offer though. I agree that we defnitely need to know the outcome. Of course, I am rooting for DC to come through!Anonymous
November 10, 2006
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November 11, 2006
Since I don't know jack about recruiting (well, apart from having applied for internships and part-time jobs) I'll focus on what I do know: "...make decisions based on what you love to do, where you want to be, who you want to work with (or more grammatically correct: "with whom you want to work")" "who you want to work with" is a perfectly grammatical subordinate clause in modern English. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Your may prefer a different way of phrasing it but that doesn't make it wrong. Same goes for ending a sentence with a preposition. I assume the reason for avoiding it when possible is that it makes a sentence harder to parse, but that doesn't make it incorrect (or, more precisely, ungrammatical). I case you don't believe me, take it from a real expert: More about...who? http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001437.html A story up with which I will no longer put http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001702.htmlAnonymous
November 11, 2006
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November 13, 2006
VIcki-I really hope it's not like dating. I'm great at the job hunt stuff, the dating stuff not so much : )Anonymous
November 15, 2006
Well, I know some folks were curious, but it appears my story may end rather anti-climatically. DC was supposed to get in touch with me Monday or Tuesday, but as of end of business Wednesday nada. So, I'm guessing no news is bad news. Meanwhile, LC is dragging things out, which is actualy good. They say they have an offer waiting for a VP's signature, but now think I may be a better fit for a different position and are going to get back with me at the end of the week with details. This should delay things long enough for me to meet with PSC. I guess PSC now gets promoted to the best available option. To be honest, I'm very bummed about DC, but to continue the dating analogy: Even though I got stood up by my dream girl and am sitting alone at a nice Italian restaurant, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy the nice bottle of Chianti I ordred. Maybe after a couple of glasses PSC will even look like DC. I'll keep the readers posted when the story has an ending, though. Hey, maybe I should start one of these blog things :-). I guess I've also figured out the answer the next thread, maybe people blog to avoid hijacking other people's blogs.Anonymous
November 15, 2006
Don't count DC out. Maybe she just couldn't find the restaurant. You are welcome to share your stories here any time! Gives us someone to root for!Anonymous
December 17, 2006
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December 17, 2006
Random, I'm thinking that you may be happy with your decision yet. Once it sinks in. As for the weather out here in DC land...I'm counting this year as an anomoly. I am finding out all the things that I really did need in my survival kit (the radio, the bettery free flashlights) and that I didn't know I'd need (air mattress). Of course once I go buy a generator, we won't ever have another winter like this again.Anonymous
May 20, 2008
Good job offer advice from the Marketing Headhunter. I'd say something about a bird in the hand, but I think we already determined that I don't like to touch raw poultry. Anyway, I've had candidates decline our offer and then want to revisit. The hirin