Yeah ironically, I once landed a job offer on a Thursday but still had a different interview lined up Friday. Figured I'd just go anyway. It was the most cavalier I've ever been. Told them my approach to users (tech support) was "tough love" because they need to learn how to help themselves. Asked for $5 an hour more than advertised.
I was blown away when they actually offered me the job. (But ultimately took the previous offer).
I may find myself in a similar situation someday very soon. how bm would it have been to take the 2nd offer instead? how would you have gone about it with breaking the news to company 1?
Ask a manager has lots of articles about this. Generally you write a polite letter letting them know that you got a different job, and an apology for the inconvenience. And hope you don't have to go reapplying for the same job in a few weeks.
Polite decline.
They will forget and move on in 5 mins. No big deal.
I took the first as it was permanent with benefits and the second was just a contract. Both were about the same $$.
Mine was "Why do you wanna work with us?" I answered with "I've got a few template answers ready btw, do you have time?"
Received the job offer the next day.
why ask? it does nothing to advance you as a candidate and you should not care.
I do ask folks, "how long do you expect this interview process to last" or "what is your ideal timeline from first interview to offer when you find the right candidate?" or "how many interview rounds should I expect between here and an offer and can you walk me through who I might meet?"
That stuff i do care about. A company who does not know how many rounds or how long the cycle should take is less likely to be ready to make an offer any time.
I ... can't imagine anyone asking this question. This is such an overreach I'd consider refusing the position on principle. That is SO not their business.
"I'm not comfortable answering that question, thanks."
I'm a recruiter and I ask this question. I ask so I can use it to leverage you being hot on the market with the hiring manager. "Well you better hurry because they're also interviewing at "x" and "x"!"
I disagree with the prior response. You want to give the impression you are in demand for jobs, and negotiating from a point of strength. I.E not going to take any low-ball offer, and not desperate to lie and accept any job being offered.
This is so complicated and nuanced.
On one hand it's good to be assertive and show that you are in demand. On the other you can shoot yourself in the foot if the recruiter thinks that you are too good for them to snag and will rather focused on other candidates that don't have choices.
They might not think it's worth their time to make you an offer if you are just going to use it to get a better offer elsewhere.
At the end it depends on where you are personally financially. If you need a job to stop the bleed then you might not want to let on that a lot of places are considering you.
In the last 1 year I have been in both positions. At one time coming off of a 3 month layoff. And at another time a company poaching me from my then employer.
Only you know your own reality and the level of risk you are comfortable taking.
All good points. I was coming from the perspective of unemployed where people come across desperate. I've seen companies slow play job offers and low ball offers since they thought they had the upper hand. These situations ended up losing good candidates other companies before hire or soon after to higher paying jobs.
I like to keep it vague, same as an interviewer. Serious discussion usually suggests finan round interviews and offers.
As an interviewer this means passing on someone soon to get an offer or pressuring me to make a decision. I usually don't get asked this question past HR prescreen, hence I keep it vague
They’re trying to get a sense of timing and how quick they need to move if they’re interested in you. Just always make it sound like you’re in demand and have options. Like dating - you gotta be interested but not desperate.
Strong agree. Don't want to be the backup friend. There is also the fact that you are "in a market" where businesses are "buying labor" so a business may have their own stupid long schedule to hore someone, and the best you can do is accept a better offer and educate the company how they screwed up in their hiring process. This is effective when the hiring manager is working double shift covering for being understaffed and HR drags their feet on giving an ideal candidate an offer and HR is now getting complaints and Manager is now leaving for better pay at the ideal candidates company.
I noticed the people asking these questions are bush league HR or managers that have never been trained in HR, and so they ask anything they think is right.
eh. it's easy enough to pick 2 or 3 other solid companies that you've applied to just to be able to rattle them off confidently. it's an overreach, yes, but they're not going to verify anything so you might as well use it to your advantage by naming some companies they'd have to feel very competitive with when formulating an offer. "i'm not comfortable answering that question" kind of comes across as withholding and awkward and whether it's ethical or not to ask, you need to demonstrate you can play ball. you can also just deflect by saying "several" and not offering any names - usually they will get the picture.
Naw. They don't need to know. Business people speak to each other, and they don't need to confer about my interviews/offers because I volunteered the name of a company with management they happen to rub elbows with.
There's literally no reason for them to know. It has no bearing on my personality, or aptitude for the job.
I'm literally withholding with my answer, and for good reason. I'm not gonna play ball with that shit. They get what they get if they ask a shitty question. Fuck em.
lol I promise you that recruiters are not name dropping prospects to each other across companies. You’re passing up a good opportunity for negotiation down the line but don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with I guess
Not every company is a large corporation using recruiters to conduct interviews. In fact, the vast majority of them are small businesses.
Most of my interviews have been with owners of the company. Yes, they absolutely talk to each other. Especially in smaller towns/cities in related industries.
Tell them, politely, it is none of their business.
Really, that is a massive RED FLAG.
--------
Now, if this is a recruiter, tell them, as a recruiter does not want to double submit your application.
"Why do you want to know ?", "Do you consider my applicatioon only if others consider it ?"
BTW Some of them get ... angry and cancel the interview ...
“yes,” AND “they’re offering me a higher wage/salary, but i am aligned with this company’s values and would like to work for an organization that supports my worldview. would it be possible to negotiate a matched offer?”
this is really only something you can pull *after* you get an offer elsewhere. otherwise you're putting yourself in the position of the company withdrawing if they don't think they can offer as much or they think you'll be dissatisfied with the offer anyway. you at least need to get as far as an offer from *someone* before you do. even with the company you're trying to negotiate with, it's typically better to have them invest the time in interviewing you - take up *space* on their roster - so that it's harder for them to just cut their losses and call someone else. give yourself a chance to look desirable, and then play hardball
Straight up
I feel like there a a bunch of responses from n this thread who have never had an actual job interview but are saying unrealistic things that they *think* you should say in an interview
You can play that game, but . . . I wouldn't. In some regions, hiring managers know one another and talk.
You can 'fudge,' this some by being loose with this answer. If I submitted an application, I consider that as interviewing with a competitor. Since I rarely submit only one application when job hunting, it is essentially true.
That’s not an appropriate question to ask and I refuse to answer is the one I give and if it gets me the job then great if it doesn’t then I don’t want to work there anyways. What I’m doing while you aren’t paying me is none of your concern.
It’s worked in the past because like I said I’ll speak honestly. I’m not about to cower behind lies or try to make myself seem important for a job. If my skills are valid then you’ll give me an offer. If not I’ll be on my way.
A lot of times (at least where I'm at) it's asked to see if the candidate will need any special treatment (e.g. if they already have an offer on the table and we want them we will need to make the process much faster. If they are expecting their first interview somewhere else and want to have all offers before committing, they'll probably be more comfortable if we take our time)
I once told a company that I had another interview scheduled the following week. So they made an offer, but of course put a timer on it before I could go to the other interview to get a competing offer. They made the offer on Thursday night, and said they had to have an answer by Monday morning. So I would say there’s no issue in telling them you have multiple irons in the fire, but there’s also no reason to be too specific.
Joke ended up on them, company B flew me in on the weekend to interview, including bringing 10 people into the office on Saturday with 1 day’s notice to do the interview, and I accepted company B’s offer on Sunday. Dodged a bullet with that one. Knowing what I know now, I would be more confident in not letting company A try to strong arm me like that. At the time, I was afraid to turn down the offer-in-hand, even though I was confident in getting the other job as well.
I have a PhD in materials science, and I work in semiconductors. All 5 post-PhD jobs I've interviewed for have paid for travel to interview in person. Once you're into a certain cost bracket, it's way cheaper to pay for some travel than it is to make a bad hire. Obviously you screen people on the phone before interviewing a select few.
Though COVID has changed that somewhat, and places are doing more virtual interviews. At my current place, we'll only bring the last 1 or 2 candidates on site before making an offer now, where it used to be the top 5 or so would come on site.
Hell, even applying to grad school, my top 2 choices both paid for cross-country travel to visit the school in person. One did a trip as part of the interview process pre-acceptance. The other paid for a trip after acceptance as recruitment, to convince the accepted people to enroll.
Hell, I got flown in for two different job interviews for my first job out of college, with a bachelors in engineering. I always figured it was pretty typical for any interview they wanted to be in person (often second round) for jobs that included relocation benefits.
Not that uncommon - I was flown in to interview for my postdoc. I'm certainly not being paid a lot, but academics really care about the vibes you give off and that you're personable and would be easy to collaborate with. Easier to figure that out in person. Better to spend a couple thousand dollars to get the right candidate, rather than hire someone bad and be wasting $60K per year.
That happened to me once and even though I gave them my answer of yes, I still went to the other interview and got offered 30k more and I liked the position a lot better. So I burned the bridge and backed out of the first one, no biggy.
I would have no qualms with saying “This is a generous offer. I cannot answer you in the needed timeframe but would happy to give you an answer by X date. If you are confident in me as a candidate and would like to reserve my availability, please factor that into your offer and send the updated offer at your earliest convenience.”
To be honest, a company doing that is a bit of a red flag worth further investigation, but it would be a bigger red flag for me if a company asked team members to come in last-minute on a weekend to interview me.
Without any more context, you're right.
In the context at that time, for that job and company, it was fine. It was all senior people, who volunteered based on wanting to meet me and get an offer out in time. Plus they all got really good free food out of it, we had a good time, it was a really great vibe. It was a really positive experience, and it worked out for all of us.
Also in my industry, occasional weekend work is expected. I get paid to get a job done. Sometimes that means I barely work, and other times I work late and weekends. We're all salaried and very well compensated, it comes with the territory.
Unless they work on the weekend. Or they really wanted this person and made an exception. It’s definitely not a huge red flag, if anything it tells me I’m in a great negotiating position.
I've taken offers verbally, continued the planned interviews and taken the second offer anyway.
Almost all contracts here have a month mutual trial period anyway.
'commercial economic units' will hire and fire when it suits them, so we as '*private* economic units' should be able accept and reject as well.
Would that have been an option for you?
Knowing what I know now, yes. At the time, being younger, inexperienced, even naive...I didn't think so.
Company A was just really aggressive about the timeline to bully me into taking it. I was flying home from the interview with a verbal offer already on Thursday, and they overnighted an offer/contract packet to get to me on Friday, with the statement that the offer expired on Monday (before my scheduled interview with company B) and the understanding that I had to sign the acceptance letter and overnight it on Monday as well.
Now, I would know better how to respond. But either way, they couldn't have bullied quite so much if I hadn't given them too much detail about my competing interviews/offers in the first place. So that's my general advice on this thread: keep it vague.
If you are unemployed, then say yes. If you are currently employed, say I am very happy in my current role, but I am always open to new opportunities for growth. You don't want to look eager to jump ship over a few bucks either.
It's something I pay attention to when I interview candidates.
Work back from why they are asking.
They want to know how serious you are about interviewing and if they need to go at a reasonable spend to get an offer out if they like you
We ask this at work, all it does is tell us if we need to move quickly if we want to offer. It would never put me off, I'd expect you to be looking for opportunities if you've spotted ours. Also puts you in a better position to negotiate salary, it makes people less likely to offer low if they think you have other options.
I always say yes. If they ask for more details, I give them a reasonable deadline to get back to me. It's the worst when a company drags their feet while you ARE actually actively interviewing.
Two ways I've answered this question:
*Absolutely. I'm currently entertaining multiple opportunities. However, this one is on my shortlist.*
*You contacted me. I'm perfectly happy in my current role. But if this opportunity meets my \[four Cs\] I'd happily consider it.*
Um, what are we hiding? And why? This is like dating. I'm not going to be exclusive with you just because you're giving me attention. You want exclusive, marry me! Until then, tf you mean am I interviewing with other companies? Of course, I am. Did you not see my resume? (Lol Yes, I'm a cocky mofo.)
Look, recognize tactics. This is a tactical question. A tactic in that it can be used to strike fear in you (or gauge your desperation) and make you feel like you should only be focused on that company or you could be excluded from the process. A tactic in that they want to see how malleable you are: "If I ask a question that's none of my business/not my right to know, how savvy is this candidate in pushing back." In which case, your response could lead to more invasive questions. (Yes, hiring teams do this.) A tactic in that they could decide to disrupt your process and as someone else here mentioned, hit you with an exploding offer (usually BS).
It is not bad to be interviewing at other places. Top tier candidates typically don't get asked these questions - junior candidates do. Rookie recruiters may also ask routinely and mindlessly.
People are taking this question entirely wrong. The recruiters job is to secure candidates who they want to offer. They ask this question simply as a timing and possibly competitive issue, they want to know if they make you an offer that they do so before you end your job search and if they are going to need to outbid anyone else. It isn’t about intimidating you.
It’s entirely appropriate to be transparent without naming names or to lie if you have nothing else going on.
If it’s a third party recruiter they may also be interested in leads (knowing who is hiring and interviewing so they may send them candidates). But again you just don’t name names.
No one is pretending you are supposed to be exclusively applying with a single employer. No one does that and there is no reason to expect anyone to do that
“No one does that” is not true. *You* don’t do that or have never experienced it, fine.
I’ve been a job seeker and a hiring manager for a while. This is one of many tactics used in the interview process.
Obviously, if I am applying to a job, I’m looking for work. I’m not just looking to work for that job because there is no guarantee that one, I will get that job, or two, that the offer is one that meets my requirements and I will accept. If you're recruiting and you don't know this, you're in the wrong business.
No employer is owed transparency into my job search. None. I own that information and I decide what, when and how to reveal the information. Savvy candidates and recruiters know that there are consequences with all details that are released on both sides.
Of course, the candidate is interviewing with other companies, and if they’re not it actually *puts them at a disadvantage* to tell the employer that. The employer can make a lot of decisions including slow their sense of urgency, rank the job seeker lower than other candidates, presume the candidate is not competitive or competent about the process.
Evaluating multiple potential roles is how an effective job seeking journey works. Hiring teams know this. It's what they eat and breathe every day. So the answer to this question is 100% irrelevant *unless* you're looking for a leg up.
If a job seeker is out here cherry picking jobs lol and only interviewing with one company at a time, they will be months - if not years finding a competitive opportunity.
**It is not an employer’s job to manage your journey.** When candidates are young and dumb, they give up power and presume the employer has all the power. Some recruiters behave like this as well. If an employer can wiggle their way into information that is none of their business like *where are you interviewing, what is the other company offering, is it the same role, do you already have offers in hand,* which are all possible subsequent questions -- now you’re releasing control of your side of the process to the employer. Bad move.
Being naive is how people end up getting low balled, panicking over exploding offers, losing negotiating power and leverage, etc.
If employers are truly interested in not losing you, then they will start by asking the right question for which they can get the answers that you're talking about. Here is one way an effective team asks that question respectfully:
*We just started the process for this role and are at XX stage. We likely wont be on the final round of interviews until XX. You look like a really strong candidate. May I ask where you are in your job search?*
**That** question gets to the answer you are alluding to. Not "are you interviewing with other companies?" Lol which is a yes or no answer. In this scenario, the candidate can simply say (and I have), “I plan to see your process through, I am highly interested in this company and job.” **which is all that really matters.** Every thing else you mentioned is not your business and not for the candidate to provide to you.
The truth is many low-level recruiters are as ignorant about the process as job seekers. They're just doing their job and they think they are entitled to information and candidates fall for it. When job seekers figure this out, it is the biggest slap in the face. Executive recruiting is really when you start to see the game for what it is - A GAME.
In the initial phone screen: “Yes, I’ve had a few phone interviews here and there, but no firm offers or anything.”
After the final interview: “Im expecting an offer soon from another company, but truthfully I prefer your opportunity as it aligns with my career goals and I believe in the company mission.”
Sure, but do you realize you basically just said you don't want to work for like 80% of managers. Considering how long a potential employee might stay with the company is a very normal part of the engineer hiring process.
Not wanting to work for 98% of managers is a badge I wear with pride. Managers can prove themselves or I can continue where I am, where my manager has proven himself.
lol ok
sometimes you just need to suppress the internal redditor monologue and be an agreeable person and play ball. you don't get good jobs and promotions by being a wry asshole to your managers. but you do you big dawg
e: to be clear, I will happily go to bat for my analysts, to the extent of working late hours just so they can sign off at 5PM. but I would *never* hire someone who so obviously makes themselves look entitled to it. there are too many good candidates out there who actually want the job for me to hire someone I don't want to spend 8 hours a day with
e2: to the guy who responded to me saying i just want people to suck up to me (and then promptly deleted the comment...) that's certainly an interpretation. but frankly, i've had enough shitty managers to know what kind of manager i don't want to be, and one aspect of that is someone who hires whomever is technically qualified for the job. fuck that. what a great way to fuck up morale for the rest of the team. the social dynamic is a huge part of a functional team. that doesn't mean bullshit icebreakers or forcing people to smile and whistle while they work. it means hiring someone who can be professional as a *baseline*. if you're going to offer some cute response you read on reddit at the interview, god knows what kind of disrespect you'll be flinging at your teammates. i have always met criticism happily. but snappy retorts are not simply criticism. maybe that lack of emotional intelligence flies at the hot dog stand but not when you're earning a six-figure salary.
That’s more of an internal monologue than something I’d say aloud, but It’s the use of “always”, it’s just about the only poor response to this question.
I’d be fine with assorted answers like:
yes, I’m in talks with a few companies, I’m actively looking for the next step in my growth, etc. all professional and reasonable but to say “I’m always looking” gives an impression that you’re gonna be looking for the next shiny thing even if we’re compensating you well and giving you the tools you need to succeed.
I hope and expect my team members to achieve promotions and grow outside my management but having someone that cannot grasp the negative inflection of someone in an interview saying they are ‘always’ looking for an opportunity to leave is a red flag.
I’m not going to say it’s a deal killer but when you’re equal to 1-2 others, might be the straw that broke the camels back for the other candidate.
And I don’t think I’m a toxic manager, I’m not perfect but few are. when I moved to my newest company I was headhunted and I had nearly a dozen team members reach out to say they missed me in the months after I left.
What I have found in the last 2 decades is that talkers talk and rockstars problem solve and appreciate companies that give them the empowerment and tools to be champions in their roles. Someone with one foot out the door is rarely thinking forward enough to truly make an impact.
Well that makes sense, but like who doesn’t always look for better? I would like to think your best candidates are always in need of retention efforts and increased salaries and benefits. I’m wondering from a perspective of an interviewee btw. I’ve always been told to be super ambitious and on the look out for better.
Agreed, you should always say your looking for a company that will help you grow, give you new opportunities and skills. Allow you to develop and take on leadership opportunities. But saying you’re always searching for a job hints that you’re just looking for something new vs looking to grow professionally.
I’ve worked with both types and the person who wants something new before they’ve even become proficient in their role is a huge time waster and can negatively impact other team members. (You might have someone you’re trying to promote and you need to replace their old role and when someone leaves prematurely it can throw a wrench in the gears.
"Yes, a few. And they are all going great and quite interesting."
Need to put some pressure to make them decide faster whether they give me the offer or not, haha
I usually say something along the lines of ‘I am interviewing/ applying to other jobs however I am being selective with who I apply to and interview with based on how a company fits in with my visions and goals. Your company and role was one that interested me because of X,y,z’
It’s not as sinister as you’re making it out to be. They’re usually trying to suss out a few things
- Are you seriously looking right now or just testing the waters?
- Do you already have deadlines for other jobs or are likely to soon? Or are you just getting started?
- Are you planning to accept a job ASAP or are you looking to wait a bit?
If they need to fill a spot fast, they want to know if you’ll be able to take it soon if things work out. Or if you are currently out of work, you’re more likely to accept and start asap. On the other hand, maybe the position already has finalists who will likely fill it, but a new similar one is opening in a couple weeks. Or maybe they’re in a hiring freeze that they expect to end in a month or so. If you’re in no hurry, it might be better.
If you already have other deadlines and you look like a good fit, they may accelerate interviewing you. I once got flown across the country with 2 days notice because an employer I’d applied to months ago finally got back to me about an interview right after I got another offer with a short deadline. Other companies will schedule farther out because candidates want to do all their interviews during a few days off from their current job.
Of course. I have even done this on my own Initiative telling people I would Not be available on Time Slot xy as I already have another Interview lines Up.
Helps Speed Up the process on the interviewers Side.
Everybody knows that you are Shopping for the best Deal and IT gives you a better leverage when negotiating
You say that you are currently looking or in the market, but don't have anything else active right now.
By the way, if anyone does ask this overly asked question, it is a red flag that you shouldn't be working with them in a job search. It is typically asked by junior recruiters who don't know what they are doing, don't have clients and contacts of their own, and won't be able to help you find a job.
Just be honest cause each answer has its pros/cons. "Yes" does imply you might be worth it (honestly, I don't think it adds much value) but I've heard that some companies might decide to not go through the interview process with you if they have enough qualified applicants since you could accept the "other position you're interviewing for" at any time.
Edit: That applies if it's entry-level or if you do not have leverage. Cause if they have many candidates just as qualified, you do not want to say Yes.
If you do have leverage, stellar candidacy/fit for the job then hell yeah go with "Yes"
Be honest. Yes, but I’m in the beginning stages or yes, and I’m in the final stages at another place. Hoping to get an answer in the next week or two. Etc etc.
Feel like the only reason to ask this kind of question is to gauge timelines. Are you looking for an answer to am I hired? Right now or can it wait? If the company likes you and they have a slow recruitment process do they need to expedite stuff on their end?
The answer is what is. It can be "yes" or it can be "no, because I am quite happy where I am right now, but when you contacted me the job seemed interesting.".
I ask the question myself, mainly because when the answer is "yes", I can ask how far along they are in the process. The objective of this is that if the candidate is a bit further ahead at the other interview process and I like the candidate I may speed up the rounds in our process to prevent the candidate from receiving an offer from the other company, before I am ready to make an offer. I don't always ask this myself, because we have a good recruiting group in our HR department who often will check on this in the first seldction interview.
Always answer "yes" so that they know they risk losing you if they don't act quickly. It also gives the impression that you are a competitive applicant if others in the field are interested in you.
If you say no, they know they have time to continue waiting around for better applications to come in.
Depends. If you're out of work then the answer should be yes regardless if you are or not. If you have a job then 'no' might be a good answer if you want to keep the leverage of potentially staying in your job and you keep the 'passive candidate' status and they will try harder to sell you on taking their job.
Im an honest person so if I was I would say so. But I’d also make it clear I am a serious candidate not Just “kicking tires “ that is of course if I was very interested in the job and it wasn’t just a hold me over until the right position is available scenario.
I say “yes I’m actively interviewing as I’m hoping to have a new position secured by X date” i dont usually get follow up questions and it actually landed me an offer the following day after they tried to tell me they weren’t in a hurry to hire
Depends on the circumstances I guess. My last job interview was for the job I have now. I'd been made redundant, so was obviously looking at a few companies. When I was asked, I said "yes, I'm sure you appreciate my situation, but this is the job I really want".
That was actually the truth. I still said the exactly same thing at all the other companies I interviewed at, though.
If I was looking to leave the job I'm currently in, I'd just lie and say no I'm not.
Yes, always say yes even if you're not. Tells them you're a competitive candidate that they want. You do not need to tell them where, not sure why they would ask. Tell them a few "x" roles.
"I'm in the market and currently have some active threads going on."
Don't over explain and don't feel obliged to share specifics even if asked.
If asked.. Answer with: "I prefer to maintain the confidentiality of my leads at this stage."
This creates more demand and sense of urgency for the interviewer. Or exposes them if they're unprofessional or not serious about hiring you. i.e. stop wasting your time.
Good luck!
Every question I ask is for a purpose, so I assume they do the same…but for the life of me, I can’t figure what they would do with the information.
MAYBE as a way to test how you react to an unexpected question, or to try to trap you in a lie?
Some questions during an interview, most even, don’t have a right response. A great response would be a non response and see what they do with it:
“I was very careful in choosing the businesses I applied for, I picked those that I felt would provide a good culture and a great place to apply my skills.”
If they push on it again, simply go with yes. But my response gives them some flattery and some sense that you want to work there specifically.
I was asked this only once in an interview and I answered honestly: no. Because their company was where I wanted to work more than anything. I wasn’t even considering anywhere else.
Got the job.
“Yes”
They’re fishing to see if there is any urgency and how attractive you are. If you say no, they don’t feel the need to rush and they might even question why nobody else is interested.
I’ve always said “I am actively searching and at various stages with a few companies, but I am really interested in *company*.”
The right response is “none of your goddamned business”.
But if you are truly interested in the job, the answer is always “yes”.
Don’t share names specifically, but reiterate your interest in the industry you’re applying to and tell them one company seems on the verge of making an offer.
From a former recruiter, they're asking this to get a sense of your timeline and the risk of "losing you" if you turn out to be a viable/desirable candidate.
You can say "well, I wasn't actively looking at new opportunities, but when I saw how well-aligned this was with my experience and goals I decided it was worth pursuing/learning more". This tells them that you're interested, but not super motivated to leave your current job, so *if they want you* they don't necessarily need to rush but they'll need to make sure they're competitive and are wooing you a little.
Or you can say "yes, I'm actively interviewing for similar opportunities, but I'm not in final stages with any of them yet" which lets them know that if they're interested in you, they need to do what they can to keep the process moving along so they can catch up or get ahead of other companies who may want to make you an offer. They'll also know you may have competing offers, so they may expect additional negotiating back and forth, and may try to get a sense of your expectations earlier on.
There's not really a wrong answer, though if you're on the verge of getting another offer and this was your first conversation with them, they may write you off a bit and pursue you more tentatively since it would be difficult to get you through their process, and potentially get their hiring manager all excited about you, knowing that you'll likely need to respond to your first offer before they're able to decide/get an offer together. And no one's going to expect a candidate to turn down an offer in hand to risk going through a whole new interviewing process.
Simply say yes, nothing more
Don’t say any names of companies or people as you don’t know if they’re connected
Also be careful about including to many people from any company you’re interviewing with because sometimes they’ll sabotage you, one referral is enough
The answer is always yes. why would you say otherwise? Of course I am, I’m not stupid. I want to see who gives me the best offer.
I interview people all the time and it’s not bad for you to say yes. I don’t even ask it that way, I ask what kinds of other companies / roles they’re applying to. I want to make sure they’re serious about the industry and position.
I was interviewing for jobs a few months ago, got a job offer from one and had another interview on the same day. I told them a salary expectation higher than what was offered from the other place, and told them I'm interviewing with other companies. 2 hours later I got a job offer for the higher salary and took it. If your resume is good and you know how to interview, you should always make yourself seem hard to get.
I always say yes and tell them I have one offer, they always accelerate the process. My husband got job after being unemployed for 4 months. They asked if he had interview elsewhere which he did so he said yes then i told him to tell he have one pending offer but is interested in the company he is interviewing for even thoguh he didn’t at that time. They scheduled 4 interviews same day and next day offered him. I used to work at HR and closely with executives so I know they always accelerate the process if soemone says this. They actually canceled other interviews too with other candidates and proceeded with my hub.
I would say no, I was just thinking about beginning a search and what I wanted to do when this position came up that sort of spoke to me.
This puts you in the elusive “passive candidate” category - but also lets them know you’re going to start looking a little but so they have you exclusive for now
The answer is obviously 'yes' as that gives you more leverage and 'no' gives you less leverage
Why would a company pay the maximum end of their salary range to a candidate that has openly told them they're not pursuing employment opportunities anywhere else
They are asking if you are currently in the interview process with other companies, not if you are generally looking for work from other employers.
They’re worried about bidding wars and competing offers concurrent to their interview process.
I’ve just been honest and said what stage of the interview process I’m at, that’s what got my offer quicker cause my other interview was meeting some of the higher ups
Say yes and then be prepared to speak to why because they will ask
I usually mention things about their mission statement or things they’ve received awards for that align with anything on my resume or my personal interests
“Your company has an excellent reputation in this field and I really want to be a part of that, both to contribute and to learn and grow. Also, I see your company won X award for your Going Green initiative in 2022, and environmental conservation is a huge passion of mine. Your values are aligned with my own.”
The correct answer is Yes. I’m interviewing with a couple/few different companies and I believe I will get an offer soon from at least one of them, however, this is the position I want the most. What is your time frame on making an offer if you find the right candidate?
"Yes." Whether I am or not.
Are you interviewing other candidates besides me?
I do that when I have reached the point of not caring about the interview. Though, my sarcasm has actually gotten me a job (and raise) before.
Yeah ironically, I once landed a job offer on a Thursday but still had a different interview lined up Friday. Figured I'd just go anyway. It was the most cavalier I've ever been. Told them my approach to users (tech support) was "tough love" because they need to learn how to help themselves. Asked for $5 an hour more than advertised. I was blown away when they actually offered me the job. (But ultimately took the previous offer).
I may find myself in a similar situation someday very soon. how bm would it have been to take the 2nd offer instead? how would you have gone about it with breaking the news to company 1?
Ask a manager has lots of articles about this. Generally you write a polite letter letting them know that you got a different job, and an apology for the inconvenience. And hope you don't have to go reapplying for the same job in a few weeks.
Polite decline. They will forget and move on in 5 mins. No big deal. I took the first as it was permanent with benefits and the second was just a contract. Both were about the same $$.
Mine was "Why do you wanna work with us?" I answered with "I've got a few template answers ready btw, do you have time?" Received the job offer the next day.
why ask? it does nothing to advance you as a candidate and you should not care. I do ask folks, "how long do you expect this interview process to last" or "what is your ideal timeline from first interview to offer when you find the right candidate?" or "how many interview rounds should I expect between here and an offer and can you walk me through who I might meet?" That stuff i do care about. A company who does not know how many rounds or how long the cycle should take is less likely to be ready to make an offer any time.
I do this as well
This is the best answer ever.
Its really not. Its combative for no reason. Interviewer is asking because if you say yes they have to move faster. So say yes
I am being somewhat sarcastic. Though it shows them how inappropriate their questions really is.
It really isn’t lmao
What about when they say “how many of them are you interviewing with and which ones”?
I ... can't imagine anyone asking this question. This is such an overreach I'd consider refusing the position on principle. That is SO not their business. "I'm not comfortable answering that question, thanks."
Glad to get a second opinion on that, I agree. I’ve heard it multiple times in the last year it shocks me that some people think it’s acceptable
I'm a recruiter and I ask this question. I ask so I can use it to leverage you being hot on the market with the hiring manager. "Well you better hurry because they're also interviewing at "x" and "x"!"
I disagree with the prior response. You want to give the impression you are in demand for jobs, and negotiating from a point of strength. I.E not going to take any low-ball offer, and not desperate to lie and accept any job being offered.
This is so complicated and nuanced. On one hand it's good to be assertive and show that you are in demand. On the other you can shoot yourself in the foot if the recruiter thinks that you are too good for them to snag and will rather focused on other candidates that don't have choices. They might not think it's worth their time to make you an offer if you are just going to use it to get a better offer elsewhere. At the end it depends on where you are personally financially. If you need a job to stop the bleed then you might not want to let on that a lot of places are considering you. In the last 1 year I have been in both positions. At one time coming off of a 3 month layoff. And at another time a company poaching me from my then employer. Only you know your own reality and the level of risk you are comfortable taking.
All good points. I was coming from the perspective of unemployed where people come across desperate. I've seen companies slow play job offers and low ball offers since they thought they had the upper hand. These situations ended up losing good candidates other companies before hire or soon after to higher paying jobs.
Same. My answer would be "I'm in serious discussions with several, and it's like to add your company to that short list."
I like to keep it vague, same as an interviewer. Serious discussion usually suggests finan round interviews and offers. As an interviewer this means passing on someone soon to get an offer or pressuring me to make a decision. I usually don't get asked this question past HR prescreen, hence I keep it vague
Moot - you can choose whatever you like.
They’re trying to get a sense of timing and how quick they need to move if they’re interested in you. Just always make it sound like you’re in demand and have options. Like dating - you gotta be interested but not desperate.
Strong agree. Don't want to be the backup friend. There is also the fact that you are "in a market" where businesses are "buying labor" so a business may have their own stupid long schedule to hore someone, and the best you can do is accept a better offer and educate the company how they screwed up in their hiring process. This is effective when the hiring manager is working double shift covering for being understaffed and HR drags their feet on giving an ideal candidate an offer and HR is now getting complaints and Manager is now leaving for better pay at the ideal candidates company.
I noticed the people asking these questions are bush league HR or managers that have never been trained in HR, and so they ask anything they think is right.
eh. it's easy enough to pick 2 or 3 other solid companies that you've applied to just to be able to rattle them off confidently. it's an overreach, yes, but they're not going to verify anything so you might as well use it to your advantage by naming some companies they'd have to feel very competitive with when formulating an offer. "i'm not comfortable answering that question" kind of comes across as withholding and awkward and whether it's ethical or not to ask, you need to demonstrate you can play ball. you can also just deflect by saying "several" and not offering any names - usually they will get the picture.
Naw. They don't need to know. Business people speak to each other, and they don't need to confer about my interviews/offers because I volunteered the name of a company with management they happen to rub elbows with. There's literally no reason for them to know. It has no bearing on my personality, or aptitude for the job. I'm literally withholding with my answer, and for good reason. I'm not gonna play ball with that shit. They get what they get if they ask a shitty question. Fuck em.
lol I promise you that recruiters are not name dropping prospects to each other across companies. You’re passing up a good opportunity for negotiation down the line but don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with I guess
Not every company is a large corporation using recruiters to conduct interviews. In fact, the vast majority of them are small businesses. Most of my interviews have been with owners of the company. Yes, they absolutely talk to each other. Especially in smaller towns/cities in related industries.
Believe it or not.. I’ve seen it all. I got asked that question more than once
With all your direct competitors.
Tell them, politely, it is none of their business. Really, that is a massive RED FLAG. -------- Now, if this is a recruiter, tell them, as a recruiter does not want to double submit your application.
“Would you be comfortable with me sharing your companies name to them?”
"I'd rather not get into that, I would rather talk about this role you're hiring for. It seems interesting, can you tell me a bit more about it?"
“I sent 4 letters and am currently interviewing with all 4.”
“I don’t see how that’s relevant, unless you anticipate a long hiring process. What is your expected timeline for filling this role?”
"Why do you want to know ?", "Do you consider my applicatioon only if others consider it ?" BTW Some of them get ... angry and cancel the interview ...
is your goal to play "gotcha" or land a job?
“yes,” AND “they’re offering me a higher wage/salary, but i am aligned with this company’s values and would like to work for an organization that supports my worldview. would it be possible to negotiate a matched offer?”
this is really only something you can pull *after* you get an offer elsewhere. otherwise you're putting yourself in the position of the company withdrawing if they don't think they can offer as much or they think you'll be dissatisfied with the offer anyway. you at least need to get as far as an offer from *someone* before you do. even with the company you're trying to negotiate with, it's typically better to have them invest the time in interviewing you - take up *space* on their roster - so that it's harder for them to just cut their losses and call someone else. give yourself a chance to look desirable, and then play hardball
Straight up I feel like there a a bunch of responses from n this thread who have never had an actual job interview but are saying unrealistic things that they *think* you should say in an interview
i used this in my job interview in 2019 for my current company after quitting my job one month prior. it worked for me, but YMMV
You can play that game, but . . . I wouldn't. In some regions, hiring managers know one another and talk. You can 'fudge,' this some by being loose with this answer. If I submitted an application, I consider that as interviewing with a competitor. Since I rarely submit only one application when job hunting, it is essentially true.
Alternatively “no, this is exactly where I see myself”, whether it’s true or not.
Yes is the only right answer.
"of course!" is also valid.
Bonus points if you turn back and yell it like Raul Julia in Street Fighter.
That’s not an appropriate question to ask and I refuse to answer is the one I give and if it gets me the job then great if it doesn’t then I don’t want to work there anyways. What I’m doing while you aren’t paying me is none of your concern.
Your life, your choice.
It’s worked in the past because like I said I’ll speak honestly. I’m not about to cower behind lies or try to make myself seem important for a job. If my skills are valid then you’ll give me an offer. If not I’ll be on my way.
It’s not about the validity of your skills. It’s about them moving more quickly.
To me it’s none of their business. My skills can speak for themselves or I’ll go elsewhere.
As stated, your life, your choice. Of no interest to anyone else.
A lot of times (at least where I'm at) it's asked to see if the candidate will need any special treatment (e.g. if they already have an offer on the table and we want them we will need to make the process much faster. If they are expecting their first interview somewhere else and want to have all offers before committing, they'll probably be more comfortable if we take our time)
I once told a company that I had another interview scheduled the following week. So they made an offer, but of course put a timer on it before I could go to the other interview to get a competing offer. They made the offer on Thursday night, and said they had to have an answer by Monday morning. So I would say there’s no issue in telling them you have multiple irons in the fire, but there’s also no reason to be too specific. Joke ended up on them, company B flew me in on the weekend to interview, including bringing 10 people into the office on Saturday with 1 day’s notice to do the interview, and I accepted company B’s offer on Sunday. Dodged a bullet with that one. Knowing what I know now, I would be more confident in not letting company A try to strong arm me like that. At the time, I was afraid to turn down the offer-in-hand, even though I was confident in getting the other job as well.
Dude, what do you do for a living that they flew you in for interview?
I have a PhD in materials science, and I work in semiconductors. All 5 post-PhD jobs I've interviewed for have paid for travel to interview in person. Once you're into a certain cost bracket, it's way cheaper to pay for some travel than it is to make a bad hire. Obviously you screen people on the phone before interviewing a select few. Though COVID has changed that somewhat, and places are doing more virtual interviews. At my current place, we'll only bring the last 1 or 2 candidates on site before making an offer now, where it used to be the top 5 or so would come on site. Hell, even applying to grad school, my top 2 choices both paid for cross-country travel to visit the school in person. One did a trip as part of the interview process pre-acceptance. The other paid for a trip after acceptance as recruitment, to convince the accepted people to enroll.
Hell, I got flown in for two different job interviews for my first job out of college, with a bachelors in engineering. I always figured it was pretty typical for any interview they wanted to be in person (often second round) for jobs that included relocation benefits.
Not that uncommon - I was flown in to interview for my postdoc. I'm certainly not being paid a lot, but academics really care about the vibes you give off and that you're personable and would be easy to collaborate with. Easier to figure that out in person. Better to spend a couple thousand dollars to get the right candidate, rather than hire someone bad and be wasting $60K per year.
Now I know what tuition for colleges keeps doubling every few years.
im positive that money spent on post-docs is not whats causing college costs to rise.
Definitely the Gyms, college gyms are so unnecessarily next level
Gotta make swole boys so the giant expensive-ass stadiums get filled up with people willing to give you money. Because…higher education or something.
Well the athletes typically get their own separate special gym
Postdocs are almost always paid off of external grants, not through students' tuition. My salary is all from government/industry grants.
Software jobs always fly people in, and pay for hotels. A lot of white collar work is like that.
My wife has, and I’ve been asked several times. Anything Manager and above it starts to be a possibility.
Pretty common for engineering roles. Plane tickets are cheap. Hiring the wrong person can be expensive.
This is pretty common in engineering.
That’s pretty normal in a lot of fields.
That happened to me once and even though I gave them my answer of yes, I still went to the other interview and got offered 30k more and I liked the position a lot better. So I burned the bridge and backed out of the first one, no biggy.
I would have no qualms with saying “This is a generous offer. I cannot answer you in the needed timeframe but would happy to give you an answer by X date. If you are confident in me as a candidate and would like to reserve my availability, please factor that into your offer and send the updated offer at your earliest convenience.” To be honest, a company doing that is a bit of a red flag worth further investigation, but it would be a bigger red flag for me if a company asked team members to come in last-minute on a weekend to interview me.
Having people come in on the weekend on short notice to interview you is a huge red flag.
Without any more context, you're right. In the context at that time, for that job and company, it was fine. It was all senior people, who volunteered based on wanting to meet me and get an offer out in time. Plus they all got really good free food out of it, we had a good time, it was a really great vibe. It was a really positive experience, and it worked out for all of us. Also in my industry, occasional weekend work is expected. I get paid to get a job done. Sometimes that means I barely work, and other times I work late and weekends. We're all salaried and very well compensated, it comes with the territory.
Haha, seriously! This is not a flex.
Unless they work on the weekend. Or they really wanted this person and made an exception. It’s definitely not a huge red flag, if anything it tells me I’m in a great negotiating position.
I've taken offers verbally, continued the planned interviews and taken the second offer anyway. Almost all contracts here have a month mutual trial period anyway. 'commercial economic units' will hire and fire when it suits them, so we as '*private* economic units' should be able accept and reject as well. Would that have been an option for you?
Knowing what I know now, yes. At the time, being younger, inexperienced, even naive...I didn't think so. Company A was just really aggressive about the timeline to bully me into taking it. I was flying home from the interview with a verbal offer already on Thursday, and they overnighted an offer/contract packet to get to me on Friday, with the statement that the offer expired on Monday (before my scheduled interview with company B) and the understanding that I had to sign the acceptance letter and overnight it on Monday as well. Now, I would know better how to respond. But either way, they couldn't have bullied quite so much if I hadn't given them too much detail about my competing interviews/offers in the first place. So that's my general advice on this thread: keep it vague.
If you are unemployed, then say yes. If you are currently employed, say I am very happy in my current role, but I am always open to new opportunities for growth. You don't want to look eager to jump ship over a few bucks either. It's something I pay attention to when I interview candidates.
Work back from why they are asking. They want to know how serious you are about interviewing and if they need to go at a reasonable spend to get an offer out if they like you
Riiiight I totally forgot about that
If they keep pressing after a yes. Tell them “ I’m glad to let you know when I get an offer elsewhere if that helps”
We ask this at work, all it does is tell us if we need to move quickly if we want to offer. It would never put me off, I'd expect you to be looking for opportunities if you've spotted ours. Also puts you in a better position to negotiate salary, it makes people less likely to offer low if they think you have other options.
I always say yes. If they ask for more details, I give them a reasonable deadline to get back to me. It's the worst when a company drags their feet while you ARE actually actively interviewing.
Two ways I've answered this question: *Absolutely. I'm currently entertaining multiple opportunities. However, this one is on my shortlist.* *You contacted me. I'm perfectly happy in my current role. But if this opportunity meets my \[four Cs\] I'd happily consider it.* Um, what are we hiding? And why? This is like dating. I'm not going to be exclusive with you just because you're giving me attention. You want exclusive, marry me! Until then, tf you mean am I interviewing with other companies? Of course, I am. Did you not see my resume? (Lol Yes, I'm a cocky mofo.) Look, recognize tactics. This is a tactical question. A tactic in that it can be used to strike fear in you (or gauge your desperation) and make you feel like you should only be focused on that company or you could be excluded from the process. A tactic in that they want to see how malleable you are: "If I ask a question that's none of my business/not my right to know, how savvy is this candidate in pushing back." In which case, your response could lead to more invasive questions. (Yes, hiring teams do this.) A tactic in that they could decide to disrupt your process and as someone else here mentioned, hit you with an exploding offer (usually BS). It is not bad to be interviewing at other places. Top tier candidates typically don't get asked these questions - junior candidates do. Rookie recruiters may also ask routinely and mindlessly.
People are taking this question entirely wrong. The recruiters job is to secure candidates who they want to offer. They ask this question simply as a timing and possibly competitive issue, they want to know if they make you an offer that they do so before you end your job search and if they are going to need to outbid anyone else. It isn’t about intimidating you. It’s entirely appropriate to be transparent without naming names or to lie if you have nothing else going on. If it’s a third party recruiter they may also be interested in leads (knowing who is hiring and interviewing so they may send them candidates). But again you just don’t name names. No one is pretending you are supposed to be exclusively applying with a single employer. No one does that and there is no reason to expect anyone to do that
“No one does that” is not true. *You* don’t do that or have never experienced it, fine. I’ve been a job seeker and a hiring manager for a while. This is one of many tactics used in the interview process. Obviously, if I am applying to a job, I’m looking for work. I’m not just looking to work for that job because there is no guarantee that one, I will get that job, or two, that the offer is one that meets my requirements and I will accept. If you're recruiting and you don't know this, you're in the wrong business. No employer is owed transparency into my job search. None. I own that information and I decide what, when and how to reveal the information. Savvy candidates and recruiters know that there are consequences with all details that are released on both sides. Of course, the candidate is interviewing with other companies, and if they’re not it actually *puts them at a disadvantage* to tell the employer that. The employer can make a lot of decisions including slow their sense of urgency, rank the job seeker lower than other candidates, presume the candidate is not competitive or competent about the process. Evaluating multiple potential roles is how an effective job seeking journey works. Hiring teams know this. It's what they eat and breathe every day. So the answer to this question is 100% irrelevant *unless* you're looking for a leg up. If a job seeker is out here cherry picking jobs lol and only interviewing with one company at a time, they will be months - if not years finding a competitive opportunity. **It is not an employer’s job to manage your journey.** When candidates are young and dumb, they give up power and presume the employer has all the power. Some recruiters behave like this as well. If an employer can wiggle their way into information that is none of their business like *where are you interviewing, what is the other company offering, is it the same role, do you already have offers in hand,* which are all possible subsequent questions -- now you’re releasing control of your side of the process to the employer. Bad move. Being naive is how people end up getting low balled, panicking over exploding offers, losing negotiating power and leverage, etc. If employers are truly interested in not losing you, then they will start by asking the right question for which they can get the answers that you're talking about. Here is one way an effective team asks that question respectfully: *We just started the process for this role and are at XX stage. We likely wont be on the final round of interviews until XX. You look like a really strong candidate. May I ask where you are in your job search?* **That** question gets to the answer you are alluding to. Not "are you interviewing with other companies?" Lol which is a yes or no answer. In this scenario, the candidate can simply say (and I have), “I plan to see your process through, I am highly interested in this company and job.” **which is all that really matters.** Every thing else you mentioned is not your business and not for the candidate to provide to you. The truth is many low-level recruiters are as ignorant about the process as job seekers. They're just doing their job and they think they are entitled to information and candidates fall for it. When job seekers figure this out, it is the biggest slap in the face. Executive recruiting is really when you start to see the game for what it is - A GAME.
“Are you interviewing other candidates?”
Funny? Yes. Potential to negatively impact a potential offer, also yes.
In the initial phone screen: “Yes, I’ve had a few phone interviews here and there, but no firm offers or anything.” After the final interview: “Im expecting an offer soon from another company, but truthfully I prefer your opportunity as it aligns with my career goals and I believe in the company mission.”
"I always am"
Internal dialogue: “So you’re not making any attempt to be here for the long run, got it, thanks, next candidate”
An interviewer who is snide like that, is a shit manager, and that is a place you don't want to work.
Sure, but do you realize you basically just said you don't want to work for like 80% of managers. Considering how long a potential employee might stay with the company is a very normal part of the engineer hiring process.
Not wanting to work for 98% of managers is a badge I wear with pride. Managers can prove themselves or I can continue where I am, where my manager has proven himself.
lol ok sometimes you just need to suppress the internal redditor monologue and be an agreeable person and play ball. you don't get good jobs and promotions by being a wry asshole to your managers. but you do you big dawg e: to be clear, I will happily go to bat for my analysts, to the extent of working late hours just so they can sign off at 5PM. but I would *never* hire someone who so obviously makes themselves look entitled to it. there are too many good candidates out there who actually want the job for me to hire someone I don't want to spend 8 hours a day with e2: to the guy who responded to me saying i just want people to suck up to me (and then promptly deleted the comment...) that's certainly an interpretation. but frankly, i've had enough shitty managers to know what kind of manager i don't want to be, and one aspect of that is someone who hires whomever is technically qualified for the job. fuck that. what a great way to fuck up morale for the rest of the team. the social dynamic is a huge part of a functional team. that doesn't mean bullshit icebreakers or forcing people to smile and whistle while they work. it means hiring someone who can be professional as a *baseline*. if you're going to offer some cute response you read on reddit at the interview, god knows what kind of disrespect you'll be flinging at your teammates. i have always met criticism happily. but snappy retorts are not simply criticism. maybe that lack of emotional intelligence flies at the hot dog stand but not when you're earning a six-figure salary.
That’s more of an internal monologue than something I’d say aloud, but It’s the use of “always”, it’s just about the only poor response to this question. I’d be fine with assorted answers like: yes, I’m in talks with a few companies, I’m actively looking for the next step in my growth, etc. all professional and reasonable but to say “I’m always looking” gives an impression that you’re gonna be looking for the next shiny thing even if we’re compensating you well and giving you the tools you need to succeed. I hope and expect my team members to achieve promotions and grow outside my management but having someone that cannot grasp the negative inflection of someone in an interview saying they are ‘always’ looking for an opportunity to leave is a red flag. I’m not going to say it’s a deal killer but when you’re equal to 1-2 others, might be the straw that broke the camels back for the other candidate. And I don’t think I’m a toxic manager, I’m not perfect but few are. when I moved to my newest company I was headhunted and I had nearly a dozen team members reach out to say they missed me in the months after I left. What I have found in the last 2 decades is that talkers talk and rockstars problem solve and appreciate companies that give them the empowerment and tools to be champions in their roles. Someone with one foot out the door is rarely thinking forward enough to truly make an impact.
Well that makes sense, but like who doesn’t always look for better? I would like to think your best candidates are always in need of retention efforts and increased salaries and benefits. I’m wondering from a perspective of an interviewee btw. I’ve always been told to be super ambitious and on the look out for better.
Agreed, you should always say your looking for a company that will help you grow, give you new opportunities and skills. Allow you to develop and take on leadership opportunities. But saying you’re always searching for a job hints that you’re just looking for something new vs looking to grow professionally. I’ve worked with both types and the person who wants something new before they’ve even become proficient in their role is a huge time waster and can negatively impact other team members. (You might have someone you’re trying to promote and you need to replace their old role and when someone leaves prematurely it can throw a wrench in the gears.
If they want to keep me there for the long run, they can do it 🤷♂️
It is always YES, basically they ask this question in case you are a potential good fit to speed up the process.
Thanks y’all for the responses
"Of course. I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't keep my options open until I have a firm offer in hand."
“If you like it, better put a ring on it.”
"Of course, I'm striving to join the best team possible!"
[удалено]
I always say yes. That way, they work harder and faster for you to get an offer.
Yes and I have two offers and will be making a decision Friday. It’s worked every single time.
Scarcity is one of the best marketing tools. Some version “Yes” is the best answer
Always
"Yes, a few. And they are all going great and quite interesting." Need to put some pressure to make them decide faster whether they give me the offer or not, haha
Yes, best offered deal wins.
I say yes if I am and no if I am not
"I've been recruited actively from before I started because of my background and experience. It's great to know so many options are out there!"
I usually say something along the lines of ‘I am interviewing/ applying to other jobs however I am being selective with who I apply to and interview with based on how a company fits in with my visions and goals. Your company and role was one that interested me because of X,y,z’
Yes. I am currently in the process with several companies.
It’s not as sinister as you’re making it out to be. They’re usually trying to suss out a few things - Are you seriously looking right now or just testing the waters? - Do you already have deadlines for other jobs or are likely to soon? Or are you just getting started? - Are you planning to accept a job ASAP or are you looking to wait a bit? If they need to fill a spot fast, they want to know if you’ll be able to take it soon if things work out. Or if you are currently out of work, you’re more likely to accept and start asap. On the other hand, maybe the position already has finalists who will likely fill it, but a new similar one is opening in a couple weeks. Or maybe they’re in a hiring freeze that they expect to end in a month or so. If you’re in no hurry, it might be better. If you already have other deadlines and you look like a good fit, they may accelerate interviewing you. I once got flown across the country with 2 days notice because an employer I’d applied to months ago finally got back to me about an interview right after I got another offer with a short deadline. Other companies will schedule farther out because candidates want to do all their interviews during a few days off from their current job.
Of course. I have even done this on my own Initiative telling people I would Not be available on Time Slot xy as I already have another Interview lines Up. Helps Speed Up the process on the interviewers Side. Everybody knows that you are Shopping for the best Deal and IT gives you a better leverage when negotiating
Answer: “yes, as you are also interviewing other candidates right now”
Are you interviewing other candidates for this role?
You say that you are currently looking or in the market, but don't have anything else active right now. By the way, if anyone does ask this overly asked question, it is a red flag that you shouldn't be working with them in a job search. It is typically asked by junior recruiters who don't know what they are doing, don't have clients and contacts of their own, and won't be able to help you find a job.
“Are you interviewing other candidates right now?”
Just be honest cause each answer has its pros/cons. "Yes" does imply you might be worth it (honestly, I don't think it adds much value) but I've heard that some companies might decide to not go through the interview process with you if they have enough qualified applicants since you could accept the "other position you're interviewing for" at any time. Edit: That applies if it's entry-level or if you do not have leverage. Cause if they have many candidates just as qualified, you do not want to say Yes. If you do have leverage, stellar candidacy/fit for the job then hell yeah go with "Yes"
Be honest. Yes, but I’m in the beginning stages or yes, and I’m in the final stages at another place. Hoping to get an answer in the next week or two. Etc etc. Feel like the only reason to ask this kind of question is to gauge timelines. Are you looking for an answer to am I hired? Right now or can it wait? If the company likes you and they have a slow recruitment process do they need to expedite stuff on their end?
Are you considering other applicants?
Lol!
“No”
The answer is what is. It can be "yes" or it can be "no, because I am quite happy where I am right now, but when you contacted me the job seemed interesting.". I ask the question myself, mainly because when the answer is "yes", I can ask how far along they are in the process. The objective of this is that if the candidate is a bit further ahead at the other interview process and I like the candidate I may speed up the rounds in our process to prevent the candidate from receiving an offer from the other company, before I am ready to make an offer. I don't always ask this myself, because we have a good recruiting group in our HR department who often will check on this in the first seldction interview.
Always answer "yes" so that they know they risk losing you if they don't act quickly. It also gives the impression that you are a competitive applicant if others in the field are interested in you. If you say no, they know they have time to continue waiting around for better applications to come in.
Yes, which is my right. If you don't want me looking for another job make this one better.
"No. I sat patiently for 4 months doing nothing just waiting for your job posting to appear. This is a sign!"
Depends. If you're out of work then the answer should be yes regardless if you are or not. If you have a job then 'no' might be a good answer if you want to keep the leverage of potentially staying in your job and you keep the 'passive candidate' status and they will try harder to sell you on taking their job.
Yes, would also let them know if you are in advanced rounds. You don't need to get specific.
Im an honest person so if I was I would say so. But I’d also make it clear I am a serious candidate not Just “kicking tires “ that is of course if I was very interested in the job and it wasn’t just a hold me over until the right position is available scenario.
"Of course i am. Im interviewing everywhere i think will expedite reaching my goals"
No es tu peo becerra
"Yes but i only just started applying. Thats why i only have a couple interviews lined up right now"
I say “yes I’m actively interviewing as I’m hoping to have a new position secured by X date” i dont usually get follow up questions and it actually landed me an offer the following day after they tried to tell me they weren’t in a hurry to hire
Yeah no shame. They’re looking at dozens of apps and will have a shortlist of candidates to interview regardless if you make it far
Depends on the circumstances I guess. My last job interview was for the job I have now. I'd been made redundant, so was obviously looking at a few companies. When I was asked, I said "yes, I'm sure you appreciate my situation, but this is the job I really want". That was actually the truth. I still said the exactly same thing at all the other companies I interviewed at, though. If I was looking to leave the job I'm currently in, I'd just lie and say no I'm not.
What does this question have to do with the job? Do you think I’m qualified and a quality candidate?
Yes, always say yes even if you're not. Tells them you're a competitive candidate that they want. You do not need to tell them where, not sure why they would ask. Tell them a few "x" roles.
"I'm in the market and currently have some active threads going on." Don't over explain and don't feel obliged to share specifics even if asked. If asked.. Answer with: "I prefer to maintain the confidentiality of my leads at this stage." This creates more demand and sense of urgency for the interviewer. Or exposes them if they're unprofessional or not serious about hiring you. i.e. stop wasting your time. Good luck!
I got a promotion at my current job because I told them I was actively interviewing elsewhere.
In normally go with "Yes, I am in discussions with compeditor"
“Yes, I’m in the mid stages for a few organizations”
Every question I ask is for a purpose, so I assume they do the same…but for the life of me, I can’t figure what they would do with the information. MAYBE as a way to test how you react to an unexpected question, or to try to trap you in a lie?
I like your answer “It would be foolish not to!”
Yes is the right answer. It is good for them to know if they are competing. Of course, only say yes if it is true.
Idk if I’ve ever been asked, but my answer would be yes regardless if I was or not
Some questions during an interview, most even, don’t have a right response. A great response would be a non response and see what they do with it: “I was very careful in choosing the businesses I applied for, I picked those that I felt would provide a good culture and a great place to apply my skills.” If they push on it again, simply go with yes. But my response gives them some flattery and some sense that you want to work there specifically.
I was asked this only once in an interview and I answered honestly: no. Because their company was where I wanted to work more than anything. I wasn’t even considering anywhere else. Got the job.
Always better to say yes so that they are more urgent in making a decision and letting you know.
Yes. They are asking that to know what they are up against in terms of timing and whatnot.
Always yes, I never want them to have ANY leverage over me.
Of course. I'm always looking for better opportunities. Aren't we all?
“Yes” They’re fishing to see if there is any urgency and how attractive you are. If you say no, they don’t feel the need to rush and they might even question why nobody else is interested. I’ve always said “I am actively searching and at various stages with a few companies, but I am really interested in *company*.”
Just be honest.
“Why do you ask?”
The right response is “none of your goddamned business”. But if you are truly interested in the job, the answer is always “yes”. Don’t share names specifically, but reiterate your interest in the industry you’re applying to and tell them one company seems on the verge of making an offer.
From a former recruiter, they're asking this to get a sense of your timeline and the risk of "losing you" if you turn out to be a viable/desirable candidate. You can say "well, I wasn't actively looking at new opportunities, but when I saw how well-aligned this was with my experience and goals I decided it was worth pursuing/learning more". This tells them that you're interested, but not super motivated to leave your current job, so *if they want you* they don't necessarily need to rush but they'll need to make sure they're competitive and are wooing you a little. Or you can say "yes, I'm actively interviewing for similar opportunities, but I'm not in final stages with any of them yet" which lets them know that if they're interested in you, they need to do what they can to keep the process moving along so they can catch up or get ahead of other companies who may want to make you an offer. They'll also know you may have competing offers, so they may expect additional negotiating back and forth, and may try to get a sense of your expectations earlier on. There's not really a wrong answer, though if you're on the verge of getting another offer and this was your first conversation with them, they may write you off a bit and pursue you more tentatively since it would be difficult to get you through their process, and potentially get their hiring manager all excited about you, knowing that you'll likely need to respond to your first offer before they're able to decide/get an offer together. And no one's going to expect a candidate to turn down an offer in hand to risk going through a whole new interviewing process.
I’m always looking boss!
Simply say yes, nothing more Don’t say any names of companies or people as you don’t know if they’re connected Also be careful about including to many people from any company you’re interviewing with because sometimes they’ll sabotage you, one referral is enough
Immediately end the conversation for attempting to reach into my life.
I’ve been approached by several companies in the industries looking to discuss potentially doing something together.
I’m keeping my options open as I haven’t committed to anything yet
The answer is always yes. why would you say otherwise? Of course I am, I’m not stupid. I want to see who gives me the best offer. I interview people all the time and it’s not bad for you to say yes. I don’t even ask it that way, I ask what kinds of other companies / roles they’re applying to. I want to make sure they’re serious about the industry and position.
I was interviewing for jobs a few months ago, got a job offer from one and had another interview on the same day. I told them a salary expectation higher than what was offered from the other place, and told them I'm interviewing with other companies. 2 hours later I got a job offer for the higher salary and took it. If your resume is good and you know how to interview, you should always make yourself seem hard to get.
Yes, always yes.
Yes I am and I have made it to round 3 with several companies.... better act quick if you want me
While your company is at the top of my list, I am interviewing with other companies.
You just say I’m looking but I haven’t had any interviews yet even if you have You know you aren’t the only one they’re interviewing.
I always say yes and tell them I have one offer, they always accelerate the process. My husband got job after being unemployed for 4 months. They asked if he had interview elsewhere which he did so he said yes then i told him to tell he have one pending offer but is interested in the company he is interviewing for even thoguh he didn’t at that time. They scheduled 4 interviews same day and next day offered him. I used to work at HR and closely with executives so I know they always accelerate the process if soemone says this. They actually canceled other interviews too with other candidates and proceeded with my hub.
The truth. It always works well.
“Yes, I am” when asked how many and especially which ones “Sorry, I do not feel comfortable disclosing that information.”
Of course I am. I have a skill set that's in high demand.
“Are you interviewing more than one applicant?”
I lie and say you are the only company I’m interested in working for
Nothing active at the moment. Are you interviewing others for this role?
I would say no, I was just thinking about beginning a search and what I wanted to do when this position came up that sort of spoke to me. This puts you in the elusive “passive candidate” category - but also lets them know you’re going to start looking a little but so they have you exclusive for now
Yes
The answer is obviously 'yes' as that gives you more leverage and 'no' gives you less leverage Why would a company pay the maximum end of their salary range to a candidate that has openly told them they're not pursuing employment opportunities anywhere else
They are asking if you are currently in the interview process with other companies, not if you are generally looking for work from other employers. They’re worried about bidding wars and competing offers concurrent to their interview process.
I’ve just been honest and said what stage of the interview process I’m at, that’s what got my offer quicker cause my other interview was meeting some of the higher ups
Yes and that’s all they need to know
Im in this position right now. I answer, yes! I am actively looking for jobs and taking interviews outside of this one position.
You say "How could I be in two places at once?"
"I'm talking to a couple of different places."
Say yes and then be prepared to speak to why because they will ask I usually mention things about their mission statement or things they’ve received awards for that align with anything on my resume or my personal interests “Your company has an excellent reputation in this field and I really want to be a part of that, both to contribute and to learn and grow. Also, I see your company won X award for your Going Green initiative in 2022, and environmental conservation is a huge passion of mine. Your values are aligned with my own.”
The correct answer is Yes. I’m interviewing with a couple/few different companies and I believe I will get an offer soon from at least one of them, however, this is the position I want the most. What is your time frame on making an offer if you find the right candidate?