<p>I was laid-off a month ago and gave been job hunting since although I still have a few weeks left before it becomes critical as I received severance pay.</p>
<p>I have gone on a handful of interviews and 2nd round interviews and done numerous phone interviews so I feel encouraged that there are opportunities out there for me. Of the places I have interviewed with so far, there is a definite front runner and I was called in for another interview there next week. My biggest fear in all this was receiving a good offer but not the offer I truly wanted and having to turn down an offer without another one in hand.</p>
<p>Today that happened- I received a good offer with a very cool company and I like the position and I really liked the people I’d be working with but it has some negatives which may not be big negatives for someone else but if I am honest they are big for me. 1) the commute is 10 miles further than I have now and includes a toll road and with the traffic in this area and the price of gas, this is a big concern. 2) they’ve been very honest that late nights are not uncommon and long workdays are the norm. Couple with being further from home this becomes a big issue as work/life balance is very important to me as is being involved at home with my 2 teens still at home (oldest in college). Lastly, while actually not a negative to me, it involves travel up war zone areas which concerns my husband and kids and long trips away would be a negative.</p>
<p>So I know this isn’t the job for me if I am looking at all the pieces and being honest but as the primary breadwinner and insurance carrier it is very hard to hold out for a better offer. The company I love is a neat position, 1 mile from home, some travel as well and a great company with neat perks - it isn’t perfect and they may ultimately not want me but I have some other options that may play out too.</p>
<p>Anyway, sorry for writing so much, what I’d really like is some ideas on a well thought out decline of the offer so I can keep the experience positive for the company in the event plans change in the future. I have some rough drafts written out but know there is a great wealth of experience here and know I’ll get great ideas!</p>
<p>Are you currently collecting unemployment? If you decline a reasonable job offer, your unemployment checks will most likely stop coming in.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation - I got a verbal offer from a company that was at the bottom of my choices. I was not expecting anything so soon, and since there was no written offer, I started a lengthy, carefully worded negotiation. In the end,* I *did not declined their offers, it was them who decided that they did not want to negotiate any longer. While this was going on (about 2 weeks), I got another offer from a company where I consulted.</p>
<p>If you are pretty sure that one of the closer to home companies wants to hire you, but the process is dragging on due to formalities, you can disclose to the hiring manager that you have an offer in hand, but really want to work at their place if given such choice. Be honest and make sure that you do not sound like you are using them to up the offer number 1. If they really want you, they will find a way to speed things up (that’s what happened in my case).</p>
<p>Something like this happened to my daughter during on-campus recruiting. She had an offer in hand for a job she didn’t especially like and was waiting to hear from a company where she had interviewed for a job she liked better. She e-mailed the company that she really wanted and said almost verbatim what Bunsen Burner suggested that you say. They told her when they would be done interviewing candidates and when their decision would be available.</p>
<p>The decision would arrive a couple of days too late to meet the other company’s deadline, so she also contacted the other company (the one that had already offered her a job) and said something like, “I’m really interested in your offer, but I’m waiting to hear from another company within the next few days, and I would like to have the chance to compare the two opportunities if that’s possible. Can you extend your deadline another couple of days?” They agreed to do this.</p>
<p>In the end, she got the offer from the company she preferred and accepted it. But it took a lot of delicately worded and polite e-mails to get to that point.</p>
<p>The point here is that you can always ask. The worst they can say is no. And “no” is no worse than what you’re facing right now.</p>
<p>That’s a good idea too. I already have another interview scheduled with the company I really want - did 2 phone interviews then an extensive 4 hours interview this week with 4 different people and the one Tuesday is with 3 additonal people. This all seems positive but of course for this dilemma the timing was off but I think I can go back and try something like this as you’re right, the worst they can do is say no. I think my concern though is that if I do just turn them down, even without another job offer in hand, how to best say “I don’t want you but I don’t have anything better yet either” whereas it seems it would be a lot easier to say “I have decided to take a position with another company.”</p>
<p>I don’t know much about job hunting but what if you told the company you really want that you have an offer from another company but that you’d much rather prefer to work for them. Might speed things up a bit.</p>
<p>Dying to know what field you’re in, since you seem to be the only person I’ve heard of in months who is having no trouble finding employment. The typical story is someone whose unemployment has run out and hasn’t had a nibble. So–lucky you to have such a dilemma!</p>
<p>If you want to decline, I think you can be honest and say that the commute, plus the long hours plus the international travel make the job, that you would really like, not a good fit at this time, given the two teenagers still at home.</p>
<p>If you don’t think you can delay company 1 or speed up company 2, accept the company 1 job but tell them you’ll start in several weeks. Hopefully in that time company 2 comes through, and you can tell company 1 that after really thinking about it for a while, you’ve changed your mind.</p>
<p>Thanks all! I thought about doing that Notrichenough but I don’t know if I’m comfortable going that route. I am going to ask company A for a delay and let them know I am seriously considering their offer but want to explore another offer as well. I am hoping that by approaching it correctly I can get a breather on letting them know and keep it as an option should I need it. If they push my hand I’ll likely just decline up front and take the risk.</p>
<p>Very true younghoss! While I would like to plan on being with my next company for many years, there is no predicting that would happen with any company so I’m not locked into anything!</p>
<p>MommaJ - I’m in HR Management which honestly is NOT a field you would expect to have leads available right now but I think I am fortunate I have a versatile background, a well recognized professional certification, and am in a market that isn’t as hurt overall by the economy.</p>
<p>But because of the market I am concerned about shooting myself in the foot by declining a good offer - this negotiating and advocating is not my strong suit and is new to me in this context but I’m learning!</p>