I'm in a bit of a bind here. This week I lined up two interviews on Monday morning. Company #1 is here in town, #2 is on the west coast.

Tuesday I interview at company #1. Wednesday morning they offer me the position and want me to start the following Monday. Wednesday afternoon I interview with company #2. #2 wants to fly me out for a full-out interview, but it will be at least a week, maybe 2 weeks to book the trip etc.

So there's now the possibility that #1 will pass on the job offer in the time I take going to #2. And there's no guarantee that #2 will even make me an offer. What should I do given this situation? I loved #1, and would gladly take the job, but I made a commitment to interview with #2 before the offer was made and regardless I would like the opportunity to look at both places.

Would it be professionally acceptable to call #1 (which, btw I am working through a recruiter on) and let them know the situation, even though during the interview I let them know I would need 2-3 weeks to make a decision? (as I feel the recruiter may be pushing me artificially), or should I just keep my mouth shut on it and go to #2. Or third possibility is call #2 and cancel the interview and take job #1?

8/16/2007 10:18:25 PM

I guess first question to ask is if you were offered both jobs which would you take? If the answer is job #1 then this is easy, just call and cancel with #2 and just let them know you got another offer closer to home and are gonna go with that. If the answer is job #2 then is it worth the possibity of landing neither for the chance at it?

8/16/2007 10:27:10 PM

honestly I don't know. I want to interview with #2 to see what the dynamic is, to know what the salary/benefits would be, and to have a basis for comparison.

There's nothing BAD about #1 at all, but #2 may have a better offer (or not, I won't know until its over)

8/16/2007 10:28:59 PM

To me it'd come down to location.

Do you WANT to move? I moved 5 hours away from Raleigh and hated it. 9 months later I'm back and will not leave again. Escp. if NC is your home state, that's a big, big decision to move drastically far away.

8/16/2007 10:34:02 PM

i would tell company 1 that you need more time than 1 week to get your affairs in order

i'm curious as to why you are labeling them company 1 and 2 when you've already previously posted both company names also...

there will always be more jobs though - go after the one you think you want to do - nobody can answer that but you - also i though with 2 you would almost definitely be moving out there to near their campus (personally that's a deal breaker for me)

8/16/2007 10:37:29 PM

Either way I'd be happy. The location on the west coast I love, but I would rent out there and work/live there for 5/10 years and probably move somewhere else permanently.

If I stay here I would buy a house immediately and again probably stay for 5-10 years before moving on. Either place has its advantages. I kind of want to move, kind of want to stay.

^I only posted the names on chatterbox for you basically. No big secret, but I don't think it's very professional to make their names fully public.

[Edited on August 16, 2007 at 10:39 PM. Reason : .]

8/16/2007 10:37:40 PM

where on the west coast?

you said you would rent out there, if it's silicon valley or something like that, you should read this
http://tinyurl.com/28pw5e

[Edited on August 16, 2007 at 10:56 PM. Reason : heads up]

8/16/2007 10:54:11 PM

Have you at least asked if you could have a week to think about it? I wouldn't let them know the entire situation, but I would just say you need a week to get a few things in order/take a vacation.

8/16/2007 11:01:16 PM

^^Seattle. I've been there for a few weeks before, loved the city and surroundings. I'm not trying to compete in the millionaire races, just bank enough to buy property and settle down somewhere when I do find it to be that time.

^No, I haven't said anything yet, I guess my big concern is whether or not to contact them directly or to go through my recruiter to do so.

8/16/2007 11:11:14 PM

Quote :

"I would rent out there and work/live there for 5/10 years and probably move somewhere else permanently"

I said the same thing before hating my life some 6 months after moving. Visiting somewhere & moving your life there are 2 different things. Seattle, however, is probably the coolest place I've been to in the USA -- but I still wouldn't move away from everything I have here. I'm just pressing this because I was exactly where you are and *despised* my decision. It's an expensive one to make.

8/16/2007 11:24:58 PM

I've lived on the west coast twice now on a whim and loved it both times. I don't have any problems meeting new people and I really love finding new places to go out and do things. Definitely no hangups with moving or being homesick, but I definitely agree, I would be much more worried had I not been to Seattle previously.

8/16/2007 11:28:53 PM

Quote :

"I wouldn't let them know the entire situation, but I would just say you need a week to get a few things in order/take a vacation."

8/16/2007 11:28:58 PM

8/16/2007 11:37:02 PM

ah yes, west side. cute.

8/16/2007 11:37:54 PM

hey look, someone thinks theyre in chit chat

8/17/2007 8:45:00 AM

Tyler, I personally would say take the job that's been offered. Better to be making some money now, and then plan for your future once you've started working. If this job at company #1 doesn't work out, you'll still be able to move on in a few months or a year or so. There will be plenty of other opportunities if this doesn't work out.

Besides, if company #1 doesn't want to wait for you, and company #2 doesn't offer you a position, you'll kick yourself for not taking the opportunity that was in front of you.

8/17/2007 8:51:53 AM

Was there any discussion during the interview as to when you would be available to start? Have you already told them that you are available immediately? I have never had a problem saying that I needed three weeks between jobs (two weeks notice + one add'l week to get my affairs in order).

8/17/2007 8:52:31 AM

Quote :

" I still wouldn't move away from everything I have here. I'm just pressing this because I was exactly where you are and *despised* my decision. It's an expensive one to make. "

it all comes down to the person.

im the exact opposite. i had a job offer in raleigh and a job offer somewhere else. i chose moving away and im extremely happy with my choice. i love meeting new people and discovering new areas. i couldnt imagine living in the same place for my whole life....theres just so much out there to see.

8/17/2007 8:57:43 AM

Will job #2 give you any more info up front to help decide if you want to pass on job #1? I understand they can't give you a concrete number on salary until an offer but have they given you a good idea of what the range is?

We try to accommodate schedules of people we are interviewing but if they ask us for 2 weeks we continue looking as if they turned down the offer. We can't afford to have positions open. Its very possible we will find someone else in that 2 weeks.

Unfortunately what happens here is that we take too long doing HR stuff and the person accepts another position in the meantime

8/17/2007 9:38:24 AM

personally, i would be upfront about everything--if i were the HR person involved it's what i would want and it can only reflect well on you as a person. yes, it could result in losing the job, but i would be "disinclined" to want to work for a company that was not willing to wait a week for me to fulfill a prior obligation

8/17/2007 9:40:44 AM

Yes, I told #1 after the interview that I would need at least two weeks to make a decision and take care of previous responsibilities.

8/17/2007 11:25:32 AM

Quote :

"The location on the west coast I love, but I would rent out there and work/live there for 5/10 years and probably move somewhere else permanently."

#2 better have a significant increase in pay. The cost of living over there is so much higher than here.

8/17/2007 11:29:00 AM

It depends do you have to have a job now? and do you want job #2? If you are happy with Job #1 then take it and call job #2 and say you have just accepted a job and will not be interviewing for their job. I had a same situation like a week ago. I took job #2 instead of Job #1 because it was what i wanted. I had to turn down job #1 and wait to hear from job #2 to see if I had gotten it luckly for me I did.

8/17/2007 11:43:06 AM

^^I can live in either place for ~ the same out of pocket expenses.

^Nope I don't have a job right now, hence why I do want to make sure I have something on the plate at the end of it all. And I don't know which one I want, hence why I want to go through the process with #2 to be able to make up my mind

8/17/2007 11:54:27 AM

I guess if #1 is going to be unreasonable on the terms of the acceptance, you can always accept their offer, and then take the interview with #2.

Ethics say you should commit to at least 6 months, but if they put you in a corner in regards to
accepting the position, I think you have the right to take some liberty with that second company.

Personal opinion.... Congrats on the offer, btw.

[Edited on August 17, 2007 at 11:57 AM. Reason : .]

8/17/2007 11:57:16 AM

I'm in a very similar situation right now. Job #1 interviewed me on Monday, offered it to me on Tuesday, and I accepted on Wednesday. Job #2 called later on Wednesday to schedule a phone interview for Thursday, which went well so they proceeded to ask me for a full interview today (Friday). Not sure how I'm going to handle it yet because I already accepted Job #1 but my name won't be on paper with the company until Monday. Job #1 sounds great, but Job #2 sounds even better with job mobility in the future to switch between companies and locations. Immonoassay research associate vs. junior validation engineer.

8/17/2007 11:58:03 AM

give #2 a chance. talk to #1 let em know they're priority right now but you want to look at your options. besides, #1 is through a recruiter. If they're sincerely interested in you they can wait two weeks or a month. if #1 doesn't want to wait, then you shouldn't be so excited to work for them.

8/17/2007 12:14:55 PM

^^ I wouldn't worry about it if you haven't signed a piece of paper yet then its not to late to change your mind.

[Edited on August 17, 2007 at 12:41 PM. Reason : n]

8/17/2007 12:23:39 PM

what happened to linemodern?

8/17/2007 12:40:26 PM

still going strong, i just stepped down from my position

8/17/2007 1:27:03 PM

Quote :

"Who does #2 work for? - Austin Powers"

Ya I have to agree, make sure you are ready to move...if you are in doubt try for the local one first and then the out of town one after. There will be more opportunities away from your area because there's jobs everywhere and sometimes it's easier to find them if you relocate.

But IMO if I was single again and didn't have responsibilites I would relocate to exoctic places for jobs for a while that pay good and have fun things to do like Cali. Save some $$ and then move and settle down somewhere else like the NC area.

8/17/2007 2:13:10 PM

Noen,

With the offer of job #1, make the necessary COLA (Cost of Living Adj) to see how much it would be comparable to Job #2 on west cost.

Use:
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

Example: For a $65,000 job in RTP, the comparable salary is $115,446 in San Francisco.


You could call job #2, and say along the lines of:

Quote :

" I understand it's out of the norm to discuss compensation at this point of the interview. I assure you that money is not my single motivator, but a necessary consideration for such a career move. In the interest of saving both my time and yours, can you give me a ballpark figure/range so I would know whether it fits my needs."

I've done this before, and it immediately saved both me and the employer a lot of time.

[Edited on August 17, 2007 at 2:17 PM. Reason : .]

8/17/2007 2:17:22 PM

^Good call

8/17/2007 2:20:54 PM

^^ One advantage of having the SF vs RTP is that with almost twice the compensation. You could put more into your 401k or IRA that are tax deferred. Assuming you get a comparable offer.

8/17/2007 3:07:14 PM

thanks guys for all the advice!

I actually worked out a deal this morning that I think will make everyone happy. I guess we will see come Monday morning!

8/17/2007 3:09:41 PM

Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.

8/18/2007 4:41:25 AM