How to navigate a job offer and other prospective interviews? (interview, employers)

[joblessinca]

After getting laid off a couple of weeks ago, I interviewed with a Company A and got a job offer. Obviously, I was happy to have scored an interview and the interview matched my skill set perfectly. However, during the interview, I learned of a few things that sort of put me off. The company is relatively new. As in, started a few weeks ago new. The job duties itself seem pretty demanding. There are no benefits. And to top it all off, they're offering me a lower salary than what I originally asked for. I'm going to try to negotiate and see how it goes from there.

Now I have another interview with Company B in a couple of days. This position is with a more established company in the same industry. The job duties match my skill set for the most part, but there are some aspects that I'm not too familiar with. I'm imagining that the interview process will be more competitive so my chances are kind of iffy. Still, I'd like to try my best and see how it goes. There's no information about pay and benefits, so I can't really gauge those factors. But the fact that this company is a lot more established in the industry I'm looking to advance in, the only way I wouldn't take this job is if the pay was even lower than what Company A was offering me with no benefits as well.

Okay, so here's my question. How should I go approach this situation? Is it bad if I accept the Company A's offer while waiting for an answer from Company B? How terrible would it be if I were to leave Company A after getting a better offer from Company B? I don't want to jeopardize my chances of either job, since I would be open to working at Company A if I don't get an offer from Company B.

I've asked around and scoured the internet for answers for people in this similar situation and I honestly hear different sides. On one hand, some will say that by accepting a job at one company and then leaving abruptly for another offer is basically screwing the first company over. Others will say that employers don't show much loyalty anyways and wouldn't hesitate to sack you if they wanted to, so all is fair. (I have first hand experience with this)

What's your opinion on the entire situation and what would you do if you were me?

[babysladkaya]

1. If you say the other company is more established, how come there is no info on the benefits? Don't they have a website, most established companies list benefits, maybe not in details such as telling you exactly how much will come out of your pocket in monthly health insurance premiums, but at least, you can get a good inventory of what they offer.
2. How many days do you have to think over the offer from the company A? If you have some time, then interview with company B and if you like it a lot, don't be shy to mention that you are very, very interested, and when is the next step happening because you have another offer and you need to give answer soon. Don't be afraid to push them, if they really like you, they will move things along faster.
3. If, however, you need to decide on job A like right now, then go ahead and accept the offer. It's best of course, if B comes up with an offer and you have not started working for A yet, I had two candidates this year pulling out of the offer for another opportunity, honestly, I did not take it personally as a manager because first and foremost, I want people to feel that they are a good fit and if they don't feel this way from the start, maybe they are better off elsewhere. However, if B is taking its sweet time, and you start with A, and then B comes along, it's also OK to leave-in this economy, you have to be on a lookout for yourself.

[Hemlock140]

You may be able to delay the decision on the offer long enough for the 2nd interview. If they really want you they may increase their offer to get your commitment. It's a gamble, though. If you were their top pick but others were very close, they may force your hand or even withdraw the offer. Employers like to hire people that really want to be there, over people that are looking for the best deal they can get. If you accept and then quit before you start, you will indeed be burning your bridges with that employer, but it's done all the time. It can backfire if the second offer is made and accepted but you don't pass their background check.