Juggling Job Offers

It happens like this all the time. The job search is dry. No offers are in sight. As a matter of fact, there are hardly any openings to pursue. You feel as if your job search has come to a screeching halt and you don’t know what else to do. Then all of a sudden, the phone starts ringing. Interviews begin to get scheduled. And before you know it, you are juggling multiple opportunities. This juggling is no easy feat.

One of life’s trickier situations occurs when you have accepted an offer for a job you really don’t want only to receive a call to interview for a job you think is much better. You are supposed to begin your new job in three days. Do you accept the interview? Do you stick with the employer who has extended a firm offer? The old “bird in the hand” saying comes to mind.

There is no way I could offer pat advice to all the variations of this problem in the context of this blog. But let me speak purely from a recruiter’s perspective. I really don’t want to onboard and train an employee that is not totally jazzed about my company and this particular job. I would rather go back to the candidate pool and try again. So, don’t try to protect me. Do what is right for you. But know one thing for sure. You have burned a bridge with my organization. Should your “better offer” never materialize, don’t come back to me. This ship has sailed. Following your heart is risky but it is better than settling. Settling does no one any favors.

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