What to do in a situation when you are interviewing with several companies and more than one company is ready to make an offer to you?

There is an example. You are currently employed with the company “Appleby”  and are looking for new opportunities. You had already a series of interviews with different employers and, say, the “Safari” Corporation is making you a job offer. Good news – now doubt! But your twitching desire tells you that a job offer from the firm “Westover” would be more lucrative and much more attractive to you. You know that you are a perfect candidate for “Westover” and most likely “Westover” thinks the same, but until they make you an official offer you cannot be absolutely sure. There are several scenarios how this situation can develop. Note! These are only scenarios – not our recommendations.

First, you can accept the offer from “Safari” and stay with them if there is no offer from “Westover”. By the way, you can also stay with them even if there is an offer from “Westover”.

Second, you can accept the offer from the “Safari” and afterwards refuse it and accept one from “Westover”.

Third, reject “Safari” and wait for an offer from “Westover”. Very risky, but feasible as long as you are still employed. And much riskier if you are unemployed or are about to lose your job.

To be honest with you, there is no right solution once and for all. Every time you need to know all pros and cons of your decisions and consider possible implications.

If the third option works out, it would be the most painless way of dealing with this situation. But what to do if you had already signed an offer with “Safari” and later on “Westover” made you another one. Would it be correct to reject an already signed offer? Job Offer (even a signed one) is just a moral (not legal) agreement between you and your potential employer. Moral dilemma? Maybe. But, why would you assume more obligations to “Safari” than to “Appleby” – your current employer, where you have worked for quite a time and your employer relied on you? However, leaving “Appleby” in this case you call a career change, not breach of trust.

But the problem may be not only and/or mainly with “Safari”. More complicated may be the situation with your desirable “Westover”.

Letting “Westover” know about your previous commitment is a fair deal, no doubt. But, honestly, would you really do this, if you are eager to work for “Westover” and you are just one small step from your dream? There is also a chance that your confession might abash “Westover”. (Perhaps, it will not!)

Firstly, they might think that you are not able to make a final decision and ramble between different solutions.

Secondly, they might think that if you used “Safari” as your fallback, why you couldn’t do the same with them.

And thirdly, they might prefer not to interfere with “Safari”, in case if “Safari” finds out that “Westover” made you an offer knowing that you had already signed up with “Safari”.

However, not telling the truth is not always a lie. From another prospective, you risk loosing “Westover’s” loyalty, should they find out about your previous engagement with “Safari” without letting them that know.

It is really hard to predict what consequences different actions might imply. Anyhow, one should realize all possibilities in order to sail through the difficulties with the best decision.