I often get asked why a person didn’t get an offer, even after what felt like a great interview. But recently, I’ve been seeing a different type of question: “I got a job offer, but it’s not the job offer I want! What should I do?” Interesting dilemma.
Although for many readers who come to this site looking for answers, any offer at all would feel great. But deciding whether or not to take an offer can be excruciating. Here are some of the ways your job offer can leave you wondering what to do.
Good offer or bad offer for YOU?
While I know most of you are still caught in the waiting game and hungry for any job offer at all, for those of you in the following situations a whole new misery begins:
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Timing problems
You get an offer for a job you’re less interested in before your preferred job offer comes through. Assuming it ever does come through. So how do you handle a poorly-timed offer without leaving yourself without any job at all?
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An offer without commitment
You get an offer, but it’s not what you hoped for. Instead of coming through with the whole package, they want to try before they buy. And so maybe they suggest a consulting stint first, to see if there’s a fit. (Except when you hear this, you have the fit!)
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A different job completely
You interview for one job, but they decide you aren’t qualified for that one. Still, you made a good impression on them. And so they offer you a lower level job (at lower level salary of course.) Is it bait and switch or is it opportunity knocking?
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Salary, salary, salary
They love you and tell you how much they want you to be part of their team. But they come to you with an offer so low your eyeballs freeze up in disbelief.
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Bait and switch for real
You get the offer for the job you want. But they decide to change the scope of your responsibilities, adding some things you were not counting on doing.
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Simultaneous offers
Within a few days of each other, you get two offers. But neither of them is your dream job. How do you compare them? Which one will be best for you in the long run?
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Your boss counters –
You get a good job offer. And when you tell your current boss, they start looking for a way to keep you. How do you decide whether to stay or go? Is there a point when it’s too late no matter how good the counter offer is?
An offer in hand vs a big maybe
Of course there’s no way I can tell you what to do of it’s not the job offer you want. Or how to decide which, if any, offer to accept. Jobs are basically 2-dimensional until you are in them — and can tell if they are good or bad for real. For instance, here’s an example of what happened to one of my clients, Megan.
After a long and truly frustrating interview process, Megan found herself in the enviable position of having a solid offer in hand. But she had her eye on a different one. A dream job. And the clock was ticking for an answer to the first one.
Job number two couldn’t give her an answer in time. So she wound up having to say yes to the first one, since she couldn’t afford to be without a job much longer. Well, the twist to the story is that the job she accepted turned out to be so much better than she had imagined. And there’s no guarantee the job she dreamed of would have been anything more than that … a dream.
So often we get caught up in an idea of something. Not that I’m telling you to always settle. But there can be so many unknown factors at play when it comes to making life decisions — like accepting a job. When it comes right down to it, all you can do is make your best guess and then roll with it.
Ways to look at “not THE job offer”
This is a time to put ego aside and think strategically. If it’s really a crummy job that’s one thing. But please … before deciding, think about any new skills you might learn. Connections you may make. Interesting areas of the business you might get to deal with (even tangentially).
Sometimes a job can be an interim step to a new direction you’ll enjoy more. So if the offer isn’t quite what you expected, take a deep breath and consider your entire career — and not just a moment in time.
Then again … maybe you’re absolutely sure that the offer stinks. And holds no possibilities for you to creatively carve new paths for yourself. If so, don’t be afraid to let it go if at all possible. After all, this is your career — and future.
So what makes a job good?
In my post What Makes a Job Good? we examine more ways to look at a job and determine if it’s right for you. This can be just as useful when thinking about jobs to apply for or even new career paths. Take a look at the comments too. I have the smartest readers!
One more thing you might try…
In case you’re interested, a reader offered his own tips. John, after a long, drawn out interview process, was asked to come in as a consultant first and see how it worked out.
Although he was tired of being strung along (or so it felt) and wanted an offer NOW, he made a smart move and let them try before they buy. And he wound up getting an offer!
“Try before you buy.” I’ve done it.
Having done it many times myself, starting as a consultant or free-lancer can open up all kinds of possibilities. If this seems like something you’d like to try, my suggestion is don’t wait for them to bring it up.
And if they seem interested but hesitant, think about making your own offer. Propose a “try before you buy” arrangement as a way of getting your foot in the door.
Again, not saying this will always work out for you. But sometimes this can get your foot in the door — and eventually under your own desk.
Good luck with your decisions. And finding a job that’s right for you!
About the author…
Ronnie Ann, founder of Work To The Wise and Work Coach Cafe, bases her real-world advice on her many years as an organizational consultant where she helped interview and hire people, added to a certificate from NYU in Career Planning & Development and her own adventures as a serial job seeker.
More posts to help
Is Your Online Reputation Hurting Your Job Search?
Job Search Blues: Will I EVER Find a Job?
15 Job Search Tips To Help You Get a Job
How To Mentally Prepare for a Job Interview
12 Things You Need To Know BEFORE a Job Interview
Job Interview Nerves? Tips for Before, During & After
18 Practical Tips to Help You Ace Your Job Interview
15 Things I Look for When I Interview People
12 Ways to Stay Sane After a Job Interview
They Reposted the Job. Should I Kiss It Good-Bye?
So What Really Happens After a Job Interview?
⇒ EXTRA: 10 Reasons You Didn’t Get the Job Offer
Sorry for the delay Gigi. Unfortunately, I usually am not able to answer comments the same day. 😉 Curious what you decided. Hope it went well!
It would have been fine not to bring it up unless they did. Usually, I find the truth to be best if asked – especially since sometimes they find out anyway. It makes your negotiations more awkward to have this happen, but if you’re a strong candidate and can convey that this is the job you wanted anyway, you should be ok.
So if you are willing to share…how did it go???
~ Ronnie Ann
More than happy to share – it’s a wonderful ending! Right before I walked in for the 2nd interview at Company B, I received a call from another recruiter. I did not take the call, so I was able to use that to my advantage when Co B asked what was happening with my search. I didn’t need to say that I lost out on Co A because I was able to talk about Co C already being the next possibility for me. And the happy ending is that Co B offered me the job at the salary I wanted. They wanted me as much as I wanted them! I was honest, but selective, in promoting myself .
Although my job search is over, I enjoy getting the Work Coach Cafe emails and will continue to follow your quest to help others. Thanks for replying. And sometimes it makes things clearer in your own mind when you write it down, so I encourage others to post here.
I am going to my second interview for Company B. They knew I was interviewing with Company A. On Friday I learned that Co A has gone with another candidate (my headhunter said it was money). When I am in my second interview today with Company B, do I tell them that I am no longer in the running for Co A?
Hi JS!
Wow. That sucks. Could it have hurt for the person to treat you with respect? After all, one day they may be coming to you for a job. 😉
No excuse for that kind of behavior – especially since you are someone they liked and may want to come back to when the freeze is off. Only thing I can say – and this is not to excuse the rudeness – is there’s no way to know how bad things are there right now. For all we know, the HR person is getting fired or is spending his/her days delivering lots of bad news. But still…no excuse.
Thanks for sharing! Hope another BETTER job comes your way soon. Maybe you lucked out in the end. 😉
~ Ronnie Ann
I agreed to salary, relo, and a start date. I waited for the written offer. After two days I called and was told the job was on “hold.” When I called HR, the HR person acted as if were trying to sell time shares instead of a person who had been told an offer was coming.
Thanks DC Jobs. Nicely said. And all too true! Although I must admit I’ve made it almost that complicated my entire work life. I like to call it research now. 😉
~ Ronnie Ann
Reading this post gives me extra appreciation for how complicated the current job market has become. For some the offer marks the end of their search for others, a new starting point.
Thank you Karen! Really appreciate your kind words. Also good to know your clients are definitely coming up against bait and switch. Yes…knowledge can be a most powerful ally in the interview process.
Hi Jonny! Of course each situation is different and I am not answering EVERY one of your questions ;-), but if it’s any comfort…I was consulting to a major company a couple of years ago and a woman started in a key job for a new department. Everyone was really excited about her joining the company and a lot of the plans had been worked around her availability.
Within 3 or 4 weeks she gave notice and went back to her OLD company (a vendor for my client), at a much higher salary. Although it certainly ticked people off, they also understood and would probably have done the same. I believe they still have a good working relationship and do business together. Now I know that is not the case everywhere, but with the right relationship skills in many cases it can be achieved.
But seriously…there is nothing gained by worrying now!! If the time ever comes, you will have more information then than you do now and you just make the best choice at the time.
All we can do ever is make our best guess, and then throw ourselves fully into what we are doing – and if we need to undo something…well, things like that happen in business and life. Just do your best to keep relationships going where possible.
Also sometimes a job that seems like less now, turns out to be more later, so don’t jump too quickly. Good luck getting the job you want – or one that you can turn into one you want though what I call job morphing!
Job Morphing: 20 Career Tips to Help Improve Your Job and Career
~ Ronnie Ann
I am certain that others share my fear… my fear is that I begrudgingly accept my 3rd choice job offer and I start working there. Then a month in to my new job; lo and behold, I get a job offer from my dream job/dream company… my #1 choice. Now, will there be a professional way to exiting this job to accept your dream job? Will it depend on what you have signed with your current company… at will employee or non-compete or whatever else is out there companies make you sign and you never bother to read? Can these companies sue you? Or can you just make up some excuse and give 3 week notice and leave? Or be honest and tell them you got a dream job offer and you just have to take it? My worry is… will there be some legal thing that we could overlook that may prevent us from leaving to take our dream job? Thanks.
Love this! It’s so comprehensive and so simple…and I think it’s brilliant that you refer everyone to other related articles to tie it all together. 🙂 Happily, I know a few people who can benefit from this right away. Their common complaint is the bait-and-switch, which job seekers need to be extra aware of…that’s why you have to walk in there knowing exactly what the job entails. Better safe than sorry.
Karen, The Resume Chick (on Google or Twitter for questions, comments or violent reactions)