Ginny writes:
I graduated from graduate school 9 months ago and have been looking for a
good career supporting job since that time. I interviewed with Company A last
week and it went very well. This is my first choice for employment and I am
almost certain that I will be offered a position. I will find out in 2 weeks. If they
do offer me a position, it will be conditional based upon passing a security
clearance (which shouldn’t be a problem) but will take a minimum of 6 months.
Three days after my interview with Company A, I was offered a position at Company B to start immediately. This isn’t my top choice of job for my career but it is with a good stable company with good benefits and salary.
My dilemma is this: Do I accept company B’s offer and then resign if Company A’s offer comes through in 6 months? Personally, I believe this to be ethically reprehensible. But Company A’s offer isn’t in stone, and I don’t want to be left unemployed for potentially another year.
My mother taught me to believe that the bird in the hand is worth two in the bush… meaning that the job offer in hand is a lot more valuable than one that may come down the road some time — especially one six months away. So, if I had no further information, I would accept the offer from Company B.
That said, of course, I think you have some alternatives. I would inform my contact at Company A that I had another job offer and while I preferred to work for Company A, I could not afford to wait six months for a job offer. Perhaps there is room for a compromise, such as conditional employment, pending the final background screening. If Company A is not willing to work with you on a compromise, I would accept Company B’s offer and see what happens. In six months, you might find you really enjoy the work at Company B. And if Company A does decide to hire you conditionally, be sure to politely decline the offer from Company B so as not to burn any bridges there.
Learn more about negotiating job offers in the Salary Negotiation Tools section of Quintessential Careers.
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