Have a job offer but also an upcoming second interview, what to do?

100eyes

Hello,
I'm not sure if anyone has been in this situation, I know this is a first for me! After a second interview for one company I have received a job offer, however in 1,5 week I have a second interview for another company. Both jobs are very attractive to me and I would be quite keen to still go to the other second interview. Ideally I'd like to be upfront about the situation with the first employer and ask them if they would be willing to wait for my decision until after the other interview, but then I'm wondering if there are any considerations I need to think about in this scenario, what's the best way of going about this? Does anyone has any suggestions on how best to approach this or experience with this situation?  
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks

[Deleted User]

Are you coming from this employed or unemployed? Considerations are as soon as you accept a job or even close to it other applicants may well be informed they have been unsuccessful and end up the circle second best. Go to second interview, it may be deep down you find you don't want the job after all. Or you accept you are in for a bit of stick from the person/company you turn down however well intentioned it started and difficult it become .

Marcon

100eyes said:

Hello,
I'm not sure if anyone has been in this situation, I know this is a first for me! After a second interview for one company I have received a job offer, however in 1,5 week I have a second interview for another company. Both jobs are very attractive to me and I would be quite keen to still go to the other second interview. Ideally I'd like to be upfront about the situation with the first employer and ask them if they would be willing to wait for my decision until after the other interview, but then I'm wondering if there are any considerations I need to think about in this scenario, what's the best way of going about this? Does anyone has any suggestions on how best to approach this or experience with this situation?  
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks

Many people have been in your situation - and how you handle it is really down to what you want to do. If you can spin out the acceptance process for the first job, you can then (quite legitimately) tell the second job that you have an offer and will need to give a firm response to that offer within a period of [however you long you think you can wait]. 

Slinky

Can you get the second company to pull your second interview forward?

Sandtree

What is it that is stopping you accepting the first offer if the job is very interesting to you? As an outsider, and as it will probably be to the 1st company, it sounds like there is something you prefer about the second company. Now maybe they are offering more money or maybe the job is more interesting in which case the first company can consider if they can do anything on the money side or if they really want to take on a candidate who'd rather be elsewhere?

I unfortunately am in the almost identical position right now but the 2nd job is potentially offering 25% more monies however its a first round interview I have later this week. Company one in my case appear to have created the challenge as they waived the interview that was set up for next week (which would have helpfully kept the two processes aligned) and gone straight to offer.

[Deleted User]

Sandtree said:

I unfortunately am in the almost identical position right now but the 2nd job is potentially offering 25% more monies however its a first round interview I have later this week. Company one in my case appear to have created the challenge as they waived the interview that was set up for next week (which would have helpfully kept the two processes aligned) and gone straight to offer.

...or fortunately, depending which way you look at it.

AskAsk

what do you see as the advantage of going to the other interview when you are already happy with the job offer you have?

Sandtree

[Deleted User] said:

Sandtree said:

I unfortunately am in the almost identical position right now but the 2nd job is potentially offering 25% more monies however its a first round interview I have later this week. Company one in my case appear to have created the challenge as they waived the interview that was set up for next week (which would have helpfully kept the two processes aligned) and gone straight to offer.

...or fortunately, depending which way you look at it.

In reality a little bit of both... certainly fortunate to have an offer in the current market... slightly annoying that the processes havent been able to be kept aligned and so potentially in a position of turning down a role on the hopes of securing the higher paid one. At least finding out what the higher paid role actually is will at least answer other questions and help decide if its time to put the brown pants on.

100eyes

Deleted User said:

Are you coming from this employed or unemployed? Considerations are as soon as you accept a job or even close to it other applicants may well be informed they have been unsuccessful and end up the circle second best. Go to second interview, it may be deep down you find you don't want the job after all. Or you accept you are in for a bit of stick from the person/company you turn down however well intentioned it started and difficult it become .

Thanks for your response. I'm currently unemployed. I already know that both jobs will be a good fit for me. The thing is that this second company, my first interview with them has been in March before the pandemic when I was still employed and looking for change. They have regularly been in touch with me since (they couldn't hire for the role remotely), they have been very good at communicating with me and I would definitely want to meet the again. 

100eyes

Marcon said:

100eyes said:

Hello,
I'm not sure if anyone has been in this situation, I know this is a first for me! After a second interview for one company I have received a job offer, however in 1,5 week I have a second interview for another company. Both jobs are very attractive to me and I would be quite keen to still go to the other second interview. Ideally I'd like to be upfront about the situation with the first employer and ask them if they would be willing to wait for my decision until after the other interview, but then I'm wondering if there are any considerations I need to think about in this scenario, what's the best way of going about this? Does anyone has any suggestions on how best to approach this or experience with this situation?  
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks

Many people have been in your situation - and how you handle it is really down to what you want to do. If you can spin out the acceptance process for the first job, you can then (quite legitimately) tell the second job that you have an offer and will need to give a firm response to that offer within a period of [however you long you think you can wait]. 

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking that going to the second interview I can get a leverage on either of the jobs, and maybe on the salary conversation too. I just hope they will be open to waiting 1,5 week for me to make a decision. I don't have a sense if that's long or not.

Sandtree

100eyes said:
I just hope they will be open to waiting 1,5 week for me to make a decision. I don't have a sense if that's long or not.

It is certainly fairly long and potentially very long depending on the nature of the engagement etc. Did you discuss with them when they'd want you to on board if you/they were successful?