Should You Tell One Company Youre Accepting Another Offer

Should You Tell One Company Youre Accepting Another OfferShould You Tell One Company Youre Accepting Another OfferMake sure youll be welcome if you wind up back on their doorstep.Once youve received a job offer you plan to accept, one of your duties is to let your other prospects know, if you havent already.How much should you tell them? Read on for advice on how to handle this delicate communication.If Its Early Enough, Dont BotherSandra Lamb, a career expert and author of How to Write It, takes a number of factors into consideration when advising her clients on writing this type of letter or placing this type of phone call. Her first consideration is determined by where the job candidate is in the bewerberinterview process. If the employer hasnt yet picked finalists for the position, theres no need to advise the organization, she said.Bidding War ScenariosUnsurprisingly, informing companies youre taking an offer can result in a bidding war. As a rule, Lamb advises clients not to pa rticipate in the game, since It often leaves both organizations feeling a bit manipulated, she said.Not all career professionals agree. Jordan Rayboy, president and CEO of Rayboy Insider Search and a member of the Pinnacle Society of executive recruiters, has no qualms about counseling his data storage professional clients to negotiate the strongest possible offer if they have multiple options.You have more leverage to negotiate a stronger offer if you have multiple options, Rayboy said. I dont think theres anything unethical about trying to negotiate the best possible offer for yourself.Firm? Put It in WritingJob candidates typically call, rather than write, to let recruiters like Rayboy know theyve accepted another offer. Thats because high-stakes recruiting is based on relationship building, Rayboy said.But if a job candidate is absolutely sure about accepting an offer and nothing will change her mind, it makes sense to put it into writing, Rayboy said. Dont share details such as why youre taking the offer or why youre not taking an offer from the company youre writing to simply state that your decision is final, ask the company to please respect your decision and to please withdraw you from the interview process.If youve got everything you possibly wanted, thats the way to go, he said.If You Want to PlayJob seekers might be faced with a dilemma if they want to work for Company A, but Company B makes them an offer first. In this scenario, if you want to give Company A a gelegenheit to make a competitive offer, it makes more sense to discuss it in a phone call, Rayboy said, given you are starting a negotiation process.He suggests that candidates in this situation say something along the lines of this Ive received an offer, but youre my No. 1 choice, to alert them of your preference and educate them enough about the circumstances to make a decision.Dont reveal too much about the offer, until Company A decides to make a competitive offer. Then be prepared to d iscuss the details of what makes the other offer attractive, including salary, opportunities for growth and how well the other offer matches what youre after for example, if its customer-facing or internal.Leave on a Positive NoteHowever firm your decision to accept the offer, make sure to leave on a positive note that you are looking forward to a possible future positive relationship, Lamb said.She provided this example Craig, it was truly a wonderful experience interviewing with X Company. I particularly enjoyed meeting you and You have a terrific team, and one that offers a great opportunity. I look forward to our business paths crossing at some point in the future I wish you every success with your new product manager.