How do I use a job offer to hurry another employer through their hiring process? (interview, unemployed)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am currently unemployed and lets say I am about to get an offer for a 6 month contract position.
I also applied for a permanent position a month ago and hoping to be interviewed next week. The hiring manager is juggling with HR to schedule but I believe she likes me and called me a high potential candidate.
The permanent position is a much better commute in the morning and afternoon so this is my preferred choice.
How do I play this right? Lets say I got an interview next week and got the contractor offer. How do I make my preferred company say "yes give him an offer NOW"
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,082 posts, read 80,118,318 times
Reputation: 56871
Quote:
Originally Posted by helionprime
Yikes, so my only option is to accept the contractor job offer then quit if I get the permanent one?
Yes. I have had applicants "push" and have also had them delay acceptance of an offer, due to the hope of a better one. Despite the tightening up recently, we still get more than one qualified applicant and it would take truly exceptional unicorn to cause us to change our hiring schedule/process just to accommodate that person.
I am currently unemployed and lets say I am about to get an offer for a 6 month contract position.
I also applied for a permanent position a month ago and hoping to be interviewed next week. The hiring manager is juggling with HR to schedule but I believe she likes me and called me a high potential candidate.
The permanent position is a much better commute in the morning and afternoon so this is my preferred choice.
How do I play this right? Lets say I got an interview next week and got the contractor offer. How do I make my preferred company say "yes give him an offer NOW"
Thanks
The best you can do is call the hiring manager and explain to him what's going on. Be honest. Tell him his company is your preferred company. I'm not saying this will work, but it's the best you can do.
Trust me, if a company really wants you, they can push you through the HR process within an hour if they have to.
I was in a situation not too different than yours. Long story short, I got them to email me the offer letter on a Saturday 2 days after my interview after I told them I wasn't going to reject another company's offer if I didn't have an offer letter in hand.
Yikes, so my only option is to accept the contractor job offer then quit if I get the permanent one?
It's not necessarily a bad thing. The contract position should completely understand why you'd take a perm position as opposed to staying in theirs. You could also not accept the contract position, and hold out for a perm position.
I agree with other sentiments here. Unless you're very well established with the group, or a high potential candidate, they will likely not change their hiring process to accommodate. This only happened to me once, when I was working a contract to perm job. I received another job shortly after from a government agency that dragged their feet. I was already established a few months into the new position at this point, and the employer didn't want to go through the entire process of replacing me, so they offered me a full time position and comparable salary to stay with them. I've also had another company compete for me in terms of salary, and actually outbid the other offer, but I passed because they had a pretty poor reputation.
Otherwise, whenever I have brought it to a potential employer's attention that I have another offer lined up already, they generally tell me they appreciate the heads up, but if the other offer comes in first, best of luck!
Yikes, so my only option is to accept the contractor job offer then quit if I get the permanent one?
No, pass on the contract job. Contract jobs come and go. I'm contact for them in e-mail almost every day. You are after a permanent position, put your attention on those. You want a good commute and permanent, then focus on those positions and do your best to prepare for them. Do your best to network with those working and hopefully the hiring manager at the permanent positions.
The best you can do is call the hiring manager and explain to him what's going on. Be honest. Tell him his company is your preferred company. I'm not saying this will work, but it's the best you can do.
Trust me, if a company really wants you, they can push you through the HR process within an hour if they have to.
I was in a situation not too different than yours. Long story short, I got them to email me the offer letter on a Saturday 2 days after my interview after I told them I wasn't going to reject another company's offer if I didn't have an offer letter in hand.
Every situation is different. Even with in-demand skills, companies move at their own pace. You can only try to hurry things along if you actually are late in the process after interviews and waiting to hear the next step. But forcing them to give you an answer is likely going to force an answer of "no" because they have their own process don't seem to care about losing out on someone. Which is why it takes 3-4 months to fill a position.
Given the OP's scenario, it has been my experience to focus on what you are actually after and target that. Rarely are there two situations which are equally good.
Unfortunately today's employers don't care if they miss on the market's best candidates. They think there is always someone better around the corner. Accept the contract role if they offer it as long as they don't have any weird clauses restricting your movement in the agreement.
When you tell a company that you have an offer do you tell everything as in salary and the company you’ll be working with ?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
