Juggling Job Offers By Nick Corcodilos

After job hunting for several months, you just received a written offer from Superfluous Systems, Inc. It's a decent job and better than your current one, but it's not as exciting as two other jobs you're interviewing for, with Better Systems Corp. (you're in the final stages) and Dream, Inc. (you're about to have your second interview). Offers may be imminent from one or both.

The Superfluous job would be fine with you, but you'd like to hold out to see what happens with the two other companies. The trouble is, Superfluous wants an answer by the end of the week, and neither of the other companies will be ready to make you an offer by then.

No one said juggling is easy.
This is a point where many job hunters get confused and rattled. Should you take the sure thing and cancel your other interviews? Or, should you let it go in favor of the uncertain but more attractive "two in the bush"?

This is also the point where people begin to question their ethics. Would it be okay to take the Superfluous job, then quickly leave if one of the other companies delivers an offer? How can you juggle staggered job offers?

Deal with reality.
The job hunter's first tactic is to ask Superfluous Systems to extend the offer deadline. But, if Superfluous gave you a reasonable deadline (a week or more), you risk creating the perception that you're unenthusiastic about the job.

The second common tactic is to try to get the other companies to accelerate their decision process. Good luck. Unless you know you're the front-running candidate, you risk alienating the employer you'd really like to work for.

The reality of the hiring process is that companies decide slowly, but want you to make a decision quickly. What's your best bet in this situation? Reality. Deal with the facts and ignore "what could be".

Make one choice at a time.
The reality is that you have one offer and one offer only. You thus have only one decision to make: Would you accept the offer from Superfluous as it stands, if there were no alternatives? Since Better Systems and Dream, Inc. don't exist as opportunities until their offers are on the table, leave them out of your decision process.

If Better or Dream then make an offer, you must address a new choice: Is the new offer so compelling that you should rescind an acceptance or leave a new job so soon? If it is, then do it.

(Some employment contracts may limit your freedom to rescind your acceptance or to quit without consequences. If you're in doubt, consult an attorney.)

Ethics.
Is rescinding an acceptance ethical? Yes, I believe it is, as long as your acceptance was made when other options were not available and you're making the switch for compelling reasons that will make a material difference in your life. Do I think it's a nice thing to do? Of course not. It's a very crummy thing to do to a company that just hired you. You will have to live with your decision and your action. It could affect your reputation. But, life hands us painful situations sometimes, and we have to deal with them.

In reality, there's little difference between quitting on day one or after several years. It could prove just as troublesome to the employer and just as awkward to you at either point. The reality is, the same market forces will stimulate your resignation today or next year. Cold as it sounds, your decision must be based on your own judgment of what's best for you. It's the same judgment a company makes when it downsizes and lays you off. It isn't mercenary; it's pragmatic. In both situations, there's a price, but there's also a benefit. Be ready to accept both.

Deal with staggered job offers by focusing on the one(s) you have in hand. Don't let a future possibility affect how you evaluate a current reality.

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