
What would you do if a company recently rejected you contacted you for an offer? - kennethwty
So a company I recently interviewed with rejected me because they chose another candidate (No automatic rejection email. Both the recruiter and the manager emailed me saying how difficult it was to decide who to hire and all that in a polite way) but a few weeks later the manager emailed me back saying another candidate rejected the acceptance and asked whether I&#x27;m still looking for a job (also politely).<p>However, I am currently in the middle of the interviewing process with another bigger company and would like to finish the process (currently second technical phone screen).<p>How should I handle this situation?<p>Should I tell them I want to work for them but still would like to finish the interview first and then ask for a written offer via email and tell them to wait for a few weeks?<p>Thank you!
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redsable
I would just say yes, that you are still job hunting and that you would love
to resume talking to them about the job. Perhaps, thank them for being honest
with you and polite in how they handled turning you down. Tell them that there
are no hard feelings. Ask them what the next steps are now and finally explain
that you are currently still interviewing with other companies (no need to
name names or the stages you are in. You are just stating the obvious).

No need to pressure them in any other way until they tell you what they see as
the next step. Do not assume you have any leverage with them. They are
probably also still looking. This is a chance to show them that you are a
class act.

Don't look at this in any other way except as an opportunity. Yes, you can
bring up the fact that another company is interested, but not at this time.
Set the hook with class and an obvious interest in their company.

~~~
kennethwty
Thank you so much for your advice! It really strikes a balance. No doubt I had
a mix of positive and negative feelings about this at first but hey an
opportunity is an opportunity. Thanks once again!

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malux85
Forget the negative feelings because you don’t know enough to justify them.

Maybe they didn’t have the budget to hire you, and the other guy was cheaper.
Now the other guy has flaked and the CEO has taken a 10% pay cut to hire you.
I have been the CEO taking the cut to stretch for a candidate before.

You don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, so be classy and polite,
they may be stretching for you

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ctrlaltdev
Hey, yes, you should totally tell them you're waiting to hear from another
company and will gladly get back to them as soon as possible.

That might even push them to step up their offer.

~~~
kennethwty
Thank you!

The manager's email just asks me whether I'm still looking for a job and
whether I would want to work for them, but without actually attaching an
official offer in the email yet.

If I follow what you said, should I also ask for an official offer right now
and tell them I will get back to them asap? Something like this: "Yes, I would
love to work at XYZ but I'm currently waiting to hear from company JFK and
will gladly get back to you as soon as possible, at the meantime, could you
please provide an official offer via email?"

What do you think?

Thank you once again.

~~~
rossdavidh
That sounds ok (although you're not necessarily obligated to mention who JFK
is). Also, it is possible that you might want to tell JFK you've just gotten
an offer, and want to know how long it would be before you hear a decision.
Respectfully and politely, of course.

Frankly, the fact that XYZ actually was honest with you about how things went
puts them above average. They could have left you on the line without any news
at all until they saw if the other candidate worked out.

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kennethwty
Thank you! That's what I thought too. They could have kept me waiting while
the other candidate was deciding. I do feel a bit offended at first because
this is basically telling me I am the second or even the third
choice...Anyway, I feel like continuing the interview with the other company
seems like a better move than straight up accepting this job.

~~~
rossdavidh
I get why you would feel this way, but perhaps the other person was something
amazing. I'm sure you would admit that you are not the absolute #1 programmer
in the world, and without knowing who the other candidate is, you don't know
what it says about their regard for you. Maybe they just had two amazing
candidates. But, I understand why one would feel that way.

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ccvannorman
I would just think of it as an implementation snag in the hiring process, and
don't take it personally at all -- the company is just trying to do their best
to get the best candidate, and maybe the one they tried to hire over you
simply looks better on paper or some other minor reason. The fact that they
came back to you means you were a close second and they know they'd be happy
with either of you.

Use it as leverage / bargaining / option just like you would any other offer
that is in hand or coming, and as far as your decision / communication you can
proceed as if the rejection never happened.

Detail: I am currently interviewing and considering offers, and was rejected
by one company in a similar manner -- if they did what your company did, I
would follow the advice I gave :-]

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codingdave
Tell them what you just told us - you continued your search, and while
interested, need to finish your ongoing interview processes before making a
decision. Any organisations that cannot accept that isn't one you want to work
for anyway. Likewise, if there is a problem communicating transparently with
your future boss, they aren't someone you want to work for.

The only thing from your post that I wouldn't say is "wait a few weeks". If
they are holding up a hiring process to hear back from you, it is fair to make
it happen quickly. And when I have been in similar situations, everyone who
was interested in me was willing to speed up the process to make decisions
possible.

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SmushyTaco
Well there are a number of ways you could handle the situation:

1\. Ask if you could think on it for a bit to buy yourself some time to finish
your other job interview and then make a pros and cons list of working for
each company to decide.

2\. Accept the job from the smaller company but keep doing the interview (Who
said you can't have two jobs?) and then just work at both companies.

3\. Accept the job from the smaller company and end the interview.

4\. Decline the offer from the smaller company and prepare for the interview
in the meantime.

5\. Accept the job from the smaller company and keep going with the interview
process and if you get accepted you could use that as leverage for a higher
position in the smaller company.

I don't know your exact situation but hopefully this helps.

