If you're wondering how to best answer when a recruiter or hiring manager asks you if you have other job offers, the answer is...
Answer honestly. If you've got other job offers, tell them. If you don't have any offers, don't invent them. Ani Filipova, COO for the Treasury and Trade Solutions Business in Asia for Citi says, "If you don’t have other offers - don’t invent them. This is the beginning of a potential new working relationship and you don’t want to start with lies. The world is small, competition fierce, recruiters talk to each other."
You don't want recruiters talking like this about you: "He/she...
...about their job offers."
What do LinkedIn members think? Broadly speaking, they lean heavily towards (honestly) telling hiring managers / recruiters you've got other offers on the table, when asked.
For a bit more nuance though, please read on. The easy answer is to say respond honestly, but there's still a few things to keep in mind.
Let's break down how to answer based on two basic scenarios first.
▶ Scenario 1
You're already in the thick of an interview process with a company and you get asked about what other offers you might be entertaining.
John C. Abell, Head of Editorial Trust and Major News at LinkedIn comments, "I was once in Scenario 1 and decided to share the offer with the place I wanted (this was an internal poach, and I wanted to stay in the role I had). Of course, my company was transparent to both entities but even if not I think I would have applied this rule: Use the counter (or as was the case for me) a generous new offer to get my current employer to match."
Singapore-based Careers Coach Angel Kilian says having multiple offers is one of the best positions a candidate can be in and "a good problem to have!" when it comes to negotiating with a company. "Disclosing that you currently have another offer on the table helps to nudge the organisation to speed up. If they are keen on you, they can do something about it, from speeding up the interview process, updating salary expectations, and rethinking how they can be more competitive," Kilian comments.
▶ Scenario 2
You're just kicking off discussions with a recruiter and they ask you what offers you might already have in the works.
Personally when faced with this situation while job hunting in the past, I've answered the question only when asked rather than volunteering the information without being prompted. My main rationale for this approach is I don't want to come across as a braggart and would rather the focus be on my skills and experience as opposed to what other companies might be interested in me.
The other reason for this is because during the early phase of talking to a recruiter or during those first communications with a hiring manager if you're blabbing about how many other offers you have it might actually be a bit of a turnoff. Why? The job hiring process takes some time. A recruiter or hiring manager knows this and if they think you might already be in an advanced stage with other companies and they know they can't speed things up, they might start looking elsewhere.
Case in point was the hiring and onboarding process I went through with HSBC. From the first interview to my first day on the job took four months. Four months! Do you think a big, lumbering financial institution would have cared in the slightest what other offers I might have had, particularly if they knew the process on their end wasn't going to go any faster? No, not at all.
A good basic rule of thumb here is to ask the right questions during the early interview process before talking about other offers. Questions such as, "how long does the hiring process usually last for your company?" is a good one.
☑ For *any* scenario
Don't just be honest, but be open. Jeffrey White, Tokyo-based Talent Acquisition Manager at Moderna comments, "Almost always, being open about your interviewing processes with other companies will be beneficial to everyone involved. Of course you don’t need to share the company names, but that could also be advantageous in certain situations. It’s also how you deliver this information, which can give a positive impression. You should do so as a courtesy to them, to help them have the best chance to offer/hire you."
White says this approach provides the main advantages of indicating you are seriously considering a change, creating some urgency with the hiring manager/HR, giving the impression of being open, honest and considerate, and giving recruiters confidence when they know your timing and how to best align with other processes.
Being open also comes into play during the later stages of an interview process when you've got other offers on the table. It is completely reasonable to let a hiring manager know that you've got offers on the table at other company you're genuinely interested in working at, particularly if the interview process has slowed down or stalled for whatever reason.
That said, you better be sure you are considering the other offer seriously and not just using it as leverage to speed up the process elsewhere or put pressure to move things along. Because if it doesn't work out, you've just shot yourself in the foot.
New Delhi-based Executive Coach Neha Parashar says, "If you are actively out in the job market, it is fair and expected that you are interviewing with other companies too. It's ok to say so, but never mention names of other companies. However, if you were a passive candidate who was sought out by the recruiter, do not fib about interviewing with others yet and (get) called out (on) your own bluff."
Don't bluff. Imagine recruiters holding the best hand in a game of poker and you've got a nervous tick that gives you away. Would you try bluffing this poker granny?
I think not.
It can be tempting, but don't do it. The risk in this case isn't really worth it.
▶ Main takeaways
Of course there's always exceptions to any rule, except for the "being honest and open" ones.
💬 What hard-earned advice you have about how to talk about other job offers with a hiring manager / recruiter?
💬💬 Are you a hiring manager or recruiter? What insights and advice can you share with potential candidates?
