<p>Hope everything is going on well with your life.</p>
<p>I have a issue that I would appreciate some helps.</p>
<p>I am looking for a job and thankfully got one offer from company A , since I submitted several applications and went through interviews with different companies. Last week , company B told me that they are seriously considering me. I told them I had an offer with deadline to response, so if they can speed up the decision, I would appreciate it.</p>
<p>Now, that company B is asking to see the details of the company A’s offer, I don’t think it is right to do so, plus, company A mentioned they prefer me to keep it’s offer confidential. I am not sure how to response the company B’s request, any advice?</p>
<p>Right now, I like both company equally, maybe a little more to A.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your sharing, suggestions or advice.</p>
<p>It is not right for company B to ask. It would be a violation of confidentiality on your part if you complied. Company B could use that letter to have your offer rescinded by Company A. It obviously puts you in an awkward position. The “sweet” way to decline is to tell company B that you decline because you are respecting Company A’s confidentiality exactly as you would protect their confidentiality should they make you an offer. </p>
<p>And of course don’t even tell B verbally who A actually is.</p>
Company A made this decision very easy for you - they said they want it treated confidentially so it’d be unethical for you to share it with company B and your very soul would be flushed down the toilet if you broke that confidence. Okay, that was a little dramatic but you can simply say to company B “sorry, company A requested that I treat the details of their offer confidentially”. Company B can then decide itself what it wants to do whether that’s to decide yes or no on you, set it’s own offer salary for you, etc. If they make you an offer and the salary is lower than company A but you think you really prefer company B you could go back to them and say “I’ll need at least x as a salary” without that x necessarily being equal to company A’s and without saying company A is offering you around that amount.</p>
<p>I’m sure company B has run into this response before so it’s probably no big deal and actually shows your ability to be ethical with company information.</p>
<p>Thanks, NJres and GladGradGad, Thanks for the quick responses.</p>
<p>Here are my if’s:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If I told them I want to keep A’s offer confidential, then, I lost my barging powder with B late on…I mean I can’t user A’s offer to counter B’s offer anymore, right?</p></li>
<li><p>I am hoping B can offer me a better package, I was thinking to just tell them that I have an attractive offer but not actual details, will that make B decides not to bother with me any more? Both A and B are big companies.</p></li>
<li><p>Very regretfully, I accidentally leaked the name of A to B, and A and B are big competitor’s with each other, not sure, what effects will that be? B just gives up on me?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You were asked by company A to keep their offer confidential. SOOOO keep it confidential. Do not use it as a bargaining chip, do not discuss it AT ALL with company B. </p>
<p>If these companies are competitors, it might be a small world in your profession. You do NOT want folks in your field to think you don’t understand what the word CONFIDENTIAL means. </p>
<p>Make a decision about companies A and B without using one offer as a bargaining chip.</p>
<p>Agree with all advice already posted. If you get an offer from B and it is lower than the offer from A, you can decline their offer politely, saying you have to go with the best offer you received. If they are serious about hiring you, they may make another offer. The details should remain private, of course.</p>
<p>“Right now, I like both company equally, maybe a little more to A.” - Why not accept offer from company A? The important thing is to not mess around so long that you somehow loose both offers.</p>
<p>We had an excellent engineer on our staff that we were going to bring over on a buyout. He, like many of us, interviewed at other companies and he received an offer from a competitor. He brought that back to us and we offered him more money. He took that offer to the competitor. When we found out, we tossed him and he’s basically not welcome at our company. He went with the competitor and they shut down that part of their business a few years later. The higher-ups here know the higher-ups at the other two companies where this work is mainly done. You do not want to get blackballed in a small industry.</p>
<p>That company B wanted you to tell them about company A’s offer is a negative point for me.</p>
<p>I have been into situation like this several times. Just keep in mind, you own the process, not anybody else. You do not have to show anything to anybody. I personally would never show or even mention for that matter company’s A offer to another company. This is between you and company A, company B has nothing to do with it, They asked only because you got them involved into your business with company A by mentionning that you got an offer. Now just say the truth, say that company A did not allow you to share. In either case, rules for me were always clear. Do not volunteer any information that were not solicited and never be untrue. I try to keep my mouth shut for as long as I can. Any information could be abused and that is exactly what happened here.</p>
<p>"How was this information abused? " - What do you mean by that? The OP volunteered information that she got an offer. Now, other company is requesting to see this offer, it is an abuse. If OP never mentioned about an offer, company B would never requested to see it, correct? Not sure I understand the question.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t think that just asking to see the offer is “abuse.” Based on what you said, I thought you meant that Company B was somehow using the information about Company A’s offer to change their offer, or lower their offer, or something like that. I would call that abuse, but I don’t think just asking to see it is anything more than asking to see it. Not abuse.</p>
<p>^Asling is an abuse because it is understood that it puts applicant into uncomfortable situation. So, again, for the future, never volunteer any information. For now, do not show anything and say that Company A did not allow to disclose. However, they should not be asking why. If they do, I probably would not consider company B anymore, whole situation does not look like a good start. Anyway, I have had tons of job interviews and currently at my job #9. As I said I have been into situation with multiple offers and sometime I did not make correct decision, you can never tell untill you are with company for several years. Best of luck! To have at least one job offer in this economy is a huge accomplishment. Congrats!</p>