need advice on business etiquette (related to a job search)

[ebm1224]

long story short(ish):

i worked in property management as a leasing agent for a few years while i took some time off school/went to school part time. i worked for a really prestigious company during part of that time. then i left that company to go back to school full time to complete my degree. i finished in december and am now job hunting (i have a position at the moment but it's a short term assignment ending in a few weeks).

i started seriously looking about a week ago and lo and behold i had interviews with 3 companies last week. the position would be the same as what i did before finishing school (i'm not quite qualified for that next step) but the companies are all large and growing and there is opportunity for advancement. one of the companies is the prestigious company i worked for before.

i have received 2 job offers already today (one from the company i've been with before and the other from another company that is equally as prestigious). i am supposed to hear back from the 3rd company sometime today too.

my dilemma is that i hadn't expected things to move so quickly and i don't feel ready to make a decision yet. i put in several resumes over the weekend with companies that focus on other aspects of real estate. i enjoy property management (the field of all the companies i've met with already) but i'd like to see what other directions i can go in real estate before committing to something (i feel like i will need to stay with whatever company i choose for at least 2 years).

i explained my hesitations to the two companies that have offered me jobs today...but i think i did it in a really awkward way.

what i need advice on is how to go about saying "i need to think it over" while still being professional and courteous and not burning any bridges. what is the standard amount of time that is ok to think something like this over? if i accept the offer and get a better offer between now and when i start, can i recind my acceptance? is that legal? and is it professional/acceptable? also if you have any advice on what the hell i should do with the whole situation that would be great. i don't want to reject all the offers and be left with nothing. but i also don't just want to take the first offer and wonder "what if." at this point i have tons of resumes out there and i'm hoping i get called for some more interviews. i'd love to have a good broad range of interviews to get a feel for other areas of my field.

thanks guys!

[NotBadForAHuman]

Congrats on getting two offers already, that's great!

The offers should have had an expiration date on them; most offer letters say that the offer is good until a certain date, so you have that much time to think about it. Have you gotten the offers in writing yet or have they only been verbal so far?

In general, if you're hesitating, unless it's something you think the company will negotiate on it's probably best not to let them know you're hesitating.

You *can* accept and then back out, and yes, it's perfectly legal, but in general it's a pretty shitty thing to do. As a hiring manager I have had people back out at the offer stage, which sucks but is understandable, but backing out after you've accepted is definitely unprofessional and uncool. From the company's side, it can be a pain in the ass to find the right candidate and often this means they have to go back to the drawing board.

If you don't think any of the current offers you have will work for you and there's not a ton of pressure to get something immediately, then turn the offers down and move on (because you're right, you want to make sure it's a good fit). But turn them down gracefully and gratefully.

[Book]

I have absolutely nothing to back this up with, but I would say you have at least a couple of weeks before you have to give an answer, and if I were you, I would take the time. Any reasonable company should understand your need to look around. It's almost one of those situations where, if they can't understand, is this someone you want to work for?

I don't think I would accept anything unless you really want to take it. Having said that, I've seen people accept, go all the way through the hiring process, work for a couple of months and then leave again, presumably because they found something better.

This is your life, don't settle. You are obviously a wanted commodity, you don't need to rush into the first thing available.

[jswbach]

I'm involved with hiring every new person who comes to work at my company, and we always appreciate honesty. I know we'd rather hear "I've received multiple offers and need a little more time to make the best decision," than to have you start right away and then quit a few weeks later. Once a company has invested time and effort into you, they definitely feel slighted when you leave. We put expiration dates on our offers, but we've also heard back from candidates who didn't accept at first, but who decided later we were the best fit and they came to work for us. All that being said, if you let a job offer expire, that job might not be waiting later!

[ebm1224]

notbad, yes it's just verbal offers so far. one of them i know needs someone immediately (they'd want me to start in 2 weeks). the other offer i actually don't know how urgent it is.

[ebm1224]

jsw, that's a question i have. i was given the advice by a contact who's been in real estate for years that "property management companies always needs leasing agents" so i shouldn't jump at the opportunity for a job doing that..esp since i'm a bit overqualified for that position at this point. and that's sorta how i'm trying to think of it...i can always get a job leasing if something else doesn't work out.

my only concern is how it will reflect with the company if i turn them down once and then apply again later...assuming hte position is gone by then...if i applied for a different location or something would they feel slighted like "oh you were too good for us before but not now?"

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Also about backing out after accepting, at many companies once you accept they shut down the process and if you back out they may have to start from square 1 again and put out a new job announcement. Depending on the company, it may be too late to offer the job to the runner up at that point depending on their process. So yeah, don't accept and back out, not professional and not cool.

If there wasn't an official expiration date on the offer letter, ask for one.

[LRB]

"when do you need to know?" is a valid question, as is "can I have two weeks to think it over?" -- and then, get in touch with the other places to which you've sent your resume (at least the ones that truly interest you) and let them know that you have two offers to which you need to respond, and ask what their time frame is for when they plan to make a decision. Words like "I'm very interested in your company, but really don't want to turn down an offer if you are not hiring right now," or "if you anticipate it being weeks to months before you're ready to fill the position," or whatever, are all perfectly fine.

If the other places aren't willing to move quickly to grab a hot prospect like yourself, you might do better to take one of the offers you already have, bide your time there for a year or two, and then move into other aspects of real estate. I know a year or two can seem like forever, but it's a flash in the pan compared to your whole career.

Good luck, and CONGRATULATIONS!

[msuroo]

notbad, yes it's just verbal offers so far. one of them i know needs someone immediately (they'd want me to start in 2 weeks). the other offer i actually don't know how urgent it is.

NotBad is spot on with everything. Regarding a company needing you to start immediately - don't let that pressure you into making a decision you don't really want to make. If you need 2 weeks to make a decision, tell them that. If they want you bad enough, they'll wait.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Also, the year or two you spend at another company will make your resume look better and it isn't that long. Your resume will just look even better to those places you are waiting on now 2 years down the line with more experience, and if they are on the verge of hiring you now, you're even more likely to be hired then.

[AprilMay]

I find that it is always best to get a job offer in writing, that way it is formal and official and it is hard for the company to back out or change something on you. Most job offers are good for at least a week with a set deadline. Some are more, a few are less. If you feel that you need more time to think, be honest with the company and tell them you have multiple offers and are trying to decide which company would best fit your needs. Getting hired when you are a desired employee is about how you fit with the company, not who wants you and will give you the most.

[ebm1224]

wowza. so i asked one of the companies (before posting this) if i could have til wednesday to think it over. this is the company that needs someone asap. the person said he needed to check on how soon they would need an answer. and he just called me back and rescinded his offer. ouch. i guess that's how it goes but...wow. that quick? i have to say i'm a little insulted by the way he said it too. made it sound like i was ungreatful for the offer or something. i'm sure i'm being overly sensitive here. oh well, i guess it wasn't the right job for me. just gotta focus on how lucky i am to be in this position esp in that i don't NEED to find something right away and have a little time to make sure it's the right job for me

[LRB]

Yikes! Well, that was poor behavior on that company's part -- how are they THAT desperate for a new employee that two days is going to make or break their ability to hire you? Honestly, you wouldn't want to work in that environment anyway.

[NotBadForAHuman]

Honestly, you wouldn't want to work in that environment anyway.

Definitely have to second this - totally sketchy!

[jswbach]

jsw, that's a question i have. my only concern is how it will reflect with the company if i turn them down once and then apply again later...assuming hte position is gone by then...if i applied for a different location or something would they feel slighted like "oh you were too good for us before but not now?"

That's a legit concern, but as someone else said, do you really want to work for a company that is that pushy or is that desperate? When it has happened to us, it depends on how the candidate handled it. The person we hired approached it like, "I wanted to make sure that the position I accepted and the company were the best fit for me, since I'm looking for a career and not just a paycheck. It took me longer to complete my research than I expected, but I'm now 100% certain that I was meant to work with you." That person still works for us 5+ years later!

[Lachy]

ebm, I can understand being a bit overwhelmed by how fast things are moving, but what is it that these places don't offer that another might if you hold out? From your description of them they're everything you're looking for, I think. Are you really holding out because there might be something better, more interesting, or are you just a little panic frozen?

[ebm1224]

lachy that's a good question - and something i've been trying to figure out. what i have figured out so far is that i do enjoy property management. but i've never worked in any other areas of real estate (commercial, industrial, single family residential, or even just more on the financial side of things or the reasearch side). i guess i think that if there is a good time to try those things out, it's now since i have time to look and don't *have* to find a job immediately. so it's possibly a grass is greener scenario. but it's more like "i like grass, but maybe i'll like mulch better...or sand...or...."

jsw, thank you for that advice. if i do decide that i need more time to research i think i will use that phrasing almost exactly...i think it says exactly what i want to convey.

we'll see what happens tomorrow. didn't get any calls today and i'm supposed to get back in touch with the other company on wednesday. i also leave town late wednesday night for almost a week. i think i'll just follow my instinct on wednesday and see where it leads me. thanks for all the advice and congratulations guys. i know it's kinda silly to be complaining about having too many job offers - i am really lucky. sometimes even good stress is stressful

[Bean]

Firstly - awesome to have the offers on the table.

Not having to move immediately also means that you can and should take your time to find a job that feels right.

Slightly different working conditions here in SA, but in my experience, if you don't like the fit and the culture of the people you are working with, rather go and look for something else - you will be better off in the long run.

Always, always, get the offer in writing. Also, in my experience, take your time to consider the offer and the job carefully. I found it helps to actually make one of those old fashioned lists of the pros and cons of each offer - on a piece of paper. Then you look at it and decide whether the pros outweight the cons or if any of the cons are a showstopper.

Looks to me like you are clearly on the way up in terms of qualifications and so you need to be sure that whatever offer is made, there is clear opportunity for advancement to utilise the skills you are developing.

Good luck on the hunt. :-)

[Lachy]

That's cool, ebm, I was just playing the devils advocate and asking the question, glad to hear you thought about it. It's awesome you've got time to weigh up your options and even take a second pass if you want to. Good luck to you and I hope you find something you love to do!

[Luffy]

Another tactic you should investigate is asking for a signing bonus. Even if they don't offer you one they may take a few days to come to that decision buying you a little time to make your decision. Also if they agree to give you a signing bonus then... BONUS!