In the current market, you may find yourself in a position where you’re weighing up multiple job offers. The question is whether you should be transparent about these other offers with the companies and/or the recruiter representing you, or is it better to keep your cards close to your chest?
Multiple job offers and missed opportunities?
From the candidate’s perspective, keeping silent about other offers may be viewed as a safe way to manage the process to avoid potentially uncomfortable conversations. You could feel pressure being applied to take a particular offer, worry about the back and forth of negotiating or being seen as greedy, particularly by the employer whose offer you end up choosing.
However, you may be selling yourself short by cutting the potential employer and / or recruiter out of the loop as they will now be missing critical information when making decisions about when to make the offer and what’s in it. In today’s candidate short market there is a high likelihood you could have the offer matched if not improved, whether that be salary, a higher position, better hours etc (after all you are selling your time and should try to get the best value you can for it).
Transparency
In our experience and belief, if you have multiple job offers or are close to cementing another offer, it’s in your best interest to communicate this.
Being transparent with what you have on the table across the board can open negotiations and potential benefits for the candidate by just having that conversation. At the end of the day, you don’t know what an employer will offer until you let them know where you’re at and what they’re up against.
Win or lose?
There’s always the possibility that the employer can’t match another offer and may say it’s the absolute best they can do, and so be it, but at least you know one way or the other what their true offer is.
OR, the employer could return with some other benefits that you weren’t aware of that could be of great value to you like; a car park for a city office or project, extra annual leave, personal income insurance, covering the cost of further education, provided meals etc.
Recruiters are there to benefit you; they can go back to the employer to discuss what you are more interested in, other offers you have, and gain feedback on what else may be available. They can help take the worry out of the negotiation process on the candidate’s behalf, who may be concerned about how the employer will take it. A recruiter is good at keeping the relationship intact and making it a positive interaction acting as the intermediary and adding value to the situation.
Long-term relationship building
Another consideration is the six degrees of separation. If you’ve been shortlisted or receive an offer from a company but pull out/decline last minute for another offer they had no idea you had, the company may feel unfairly treated and that their time has been wasted. For most of us there will come another time when you’re looking for another role, and you may not want to burn bridges.
The Takeaway
If you’re weighing up multiple offers, our advice is to be as open as possible with all parties. Having that conversation and being transparent can open negotiations and benefit you for all the reasons discussed above. Revealing your hand politely earns respect and shows the value you have to offer. By being open, you’re not just thinking about the here and now, you are also setting the foundation for a good working relationship to carry your career forward in the long term.
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