Job Interview Tip: What To Do If You Got the Offer, But It's Not From the Company You Wanted

It’s a little rough-and-tumble right now in the job search, and it’s not uncommon for a candidate to receive a job offer that’s not quite the one they wanted. Often, the candidate then feels like there’s a decision to be made, but it’s not the decision they think. Candidates weighing a job offer aren’t weighing it against the offer from the company they really want to work for—because it’s not there. Even if you think it’s a done deal because of your verbal discussions with the hiring manager, it’s never over till the written offer is extended. The real decision to make is not whether to work for this company or that one, because you can’t know if that other company is going to come through for you or not. The only decision you have is whether or not you want to work for this one. Do you want to work for that organization or not? The good news: There are things you can do to slow down the process involving the current offer, and speed up the process on the one you want. Here’s how: You tell the manager you still need an offer from, “I’m super excited about this job…when will I expect to see the written offer?” If he says, “We’ll have it to you on Wednesday,” you can say, “Great. I’ll look it over on Thursday. Will it be alright if I get back to you on Friday?” Meanwhile, you tell the manager who has extended you the offer, “I’m very excited about this opportunity, but I do have another company who has extended a very good offer that I also need to take very seriously. I’d like to compare the offers and consider employment with your organization based on that and the conversations we’ve had.” You’re telling both parties that you’re in love with them until you make a decision about which one you’re going to go with. At that point, you accept the one before you decline the other. If you can handle this situation in this manner, you’ll avoid what could become a very sticky situation for yourself in the job search.