Interviews, job offers - clashing?

Bismarck

I know the "odd" feeling....they've not asked for any references....got the interview based on my CV and there have been no agencies involved so I know they've not muddied the waters....they know nothing about my health or anything! How do they start a personnel file from my CV?

The company is quite big globally with one UK centre and hundreds of employees....will wait and see what the offer says and try not to let it impact on my interview tomorrow....any news on your jobhunt?

therealdessie

Bismarck wrote: »

I know the "odd" feeling....they've not asked for any references....got the interview based on my CV and there have been no agencies involved so I know they've not muddied the waters....they know nothing about my health or anything! How do they start a personnel file from my CV?

The company is quite big globally with one UK centre and hundreds of employees....will wait and see what the offer says and try not to let it impact on my interview tomorrow....any news on your jobhunt?

Well if they're a brand name, maybe that's how they do things, but still weird! I guess you must have ticked all their boxes. Good luck today anyway!

As for mine: apparently of the six people sent in, I am the only one selected to come back for second interview. That said the company have gone out to at least three other agencies, I know because they all called me about the job - so I could possibly have some competition... yikes!

Cloudane

I wouldn't worry about it. It's rare enough to get one job offer, never mind two! And on the spot as well (basically never happens)? I admire your confidence

They usually take at least a few days to make a decision. If they do offer it, it's perfectly acceptable to ask for a couple of days to think about it or even to tell the truth and say "I've got another possible job offer in the pipeline so can you give me a few days / a week to explore my options". Any reasonable employer wouldn't expect an answer straight away, and if you do get two offers (lucky!!) and play your cards right you might even be able to pit the employers against each other for a good deal

Bismarck

therealdessie wrote: »

Well if they're a brand name, maybe that's how they do things, but still weird! I guess you must have ticked all their boxes. Good luck today anyway!

As for mine: apparently of the six people sent in, I am the only one selected to come back for second interview. That said the company have gone out to at least three other agencies, I know because they all called me about the job - so I could possibly have some competition... yikes!

Well, you mention other agencies contacting you...one agent put that as a reason for not signing on with too many agencies...apparently it makes you look desperate....what are you supposed to do thought when they act as gatekeepers?

As you said yourself, tick their boxes and make sure it's you they want...if you do that then it shouldn't matter that you've got competition! I often think about your dating analogy and feel like I'm two-timing now that I've got a partial match!

Good luck in phase 2!

macaroni

I got offered my job on the same day as the interview - some firms ( very few) are actually very well organised and get all the interviews done in the same day and manage to make a decision that day too !

therealdessie

Bismarck wrote: »

Well, you mention other agencies contacting you...one agent put that as a reason for not signing on with too many agencies...apparently it makes you look desperate....what are you supposed to do thought when they act as gatekeepers?

Yes, they've tried that line with me too. The bottom line is no agency should ever put you forward for a role without your permission, and they should always tell you who the client is: so there's no possibility of you seeming desperate. However that said I have heard Reed send out batches of CVs on a "speculative basis" so that can sometimes have a negative effect, but I'd imagine it's a small risk.

As another agency put it to me, they don't want to feel they have to compete for your attention. If they know you're looking at a number of agencies then they have to work that much harder to keep you on side and find you relevant jobs; and of course they risk not getting to you in time with new positions and therefore losing their fees.

The agency who told me not to sign up with too many has failed to find anything relevant for me since I joined up with them, so I'm glad I didn't take their advice The other thing is, one of the agencies I'm signed up with has the job I'm going for - and hasn't contacted me about it; I'm tempted to contact them and pretend I'm interested to see how they reply. What they need to bear in mind is that in some positions they'll be placing someone who will later need staff for their teams, so it pays for them to treat you with respect. I have no problem with pointing out to the ones who don't that I have a choice of agencies to work with when I need staff

Savvy_Sue

We always try to phone the successful applicant the same day, and we don't contact any remaining 'plausible' candidates until we've had a reasonably firm 'yes' from our first choice. However we tell everyone that we'll be in touch within a couple of days, so that they don't KNOW we will contact them the same day if they are our first choice.

Our latest round of interviews saw our first choice turn us down, but our second choice appears brilliant, and it was very close. And I once had someone ask to wait a week while she went for another interview, she even said which job it was she was applying for, and I knew someone working there. I was not surprised that she was offered that job but astonished when she decided to take ours! We were paying less and I think had longer hours, we were also further away from where she lived. When I asked why she'd accepted our job, she said she thought the other one would get boring, whereas ours certainly never did!

LittleVoice

If the Friday interview leads to an offer on the spot or before the result of Monday's is known, accept an oral offer with reasonable, not over-the-top, enthusiasm.

I would not add "subject to your written confirmation" or words to that effect but would say "and I look forward to receiving your letter confirming the offer".

That gives you time to go through with the Monday interview and see how hopeful that looks.

On the other hand, as they are both part-time jobs, could you do both or do the required working hours clash?

blue_haddock

On a least 3 occasion i've been offered the job right there and then on the spot. These were slaes jobs though so i guess i'd convicneced them of my skills and abilities in the interview so had done enough to be offered the job.

Bismarck

How does this leave you with negotiating the renumeration package though? How far can you play one against the other if your sat with 2 job offers in your hand (I've also been accepted by HMRC but they're not able to place me so I'm on non-committal reserve list that lasts for 6 months but where you're encouraged not to hold out for a posting)...so, as you can see, with mouths to feed and bills to pay it's getting quite complex....

Another thread a while ago appeared inconclusive about whether you should talk money etc when you're trying to talk yourself into a job....now I could be reaping the problem of not having talked through the package at interview stage...