Opinions needed on relocating for career advancement please

[wj4]

Hey gents,

I'm currently applying to various positions in my field across the U.S. I've been living at my current location since I was a kid. At this time in my life, I'm quite mobile so I want to be able to take advantage of it. I figure I can always move back home if I don't like where I'm at. The pro is I'll gain some experience in the mean time that would only benefit me.

I don't have a particular region I'm interested in. I think every part of the country has their own unique thing going. With that said, I have 3 companies that I'm really interested in (all are global brands with many business lines located in other states for internal growth) I've talked with the hiring managers for all three and I think they like me as well. I have not flown out to for an in person interview yet. A couple of them stated it would be in January sometime since a lot are taking time off for the holidays, which is understandable.

My question is: if company A makes the first offer, while the other two companies have not yet, what would be the best choice for me to go about it? Salary plays a big factor, but so does the culture of the company. I plan on sleeping on it for 24-48 hours either way since it would require relocating. I think any respectable firm would allow that.

Would it be best for me to approach the other two companies and say something like "I have an offer from someone else, but I really am interested in your company and would like to see what can be offered for the position?"

I appreciate the help from you seasoned gents!

 

[Douglas]

If you have an offer in hand, it's not unfair to tell the other companies you now have a timeline for making a decision. However, in practice this can be a difficult needle to thread. It's unlikely either of the other two companies will be at a point in their process where they can hustle through a decision, unless it's far enough down the road that they're checking references, and they really really like you. The most likely scenario is going to be that they haven't interviewed you in person yet, they have other candidates in the hopper, and they're a week or two or more from pulling the trigger, and you're going to have to take your chances.

 

[wj4]



If you have an offer in hand, it's not unfair to tell the other companies you now have a timeline for making a decision. However, in practice this can be a difficult needle to thread. It's unlikely either of the other two companies will be at a point in their process where they can hustle through a decision, unless it's far enough down the road that they're checking references, and they really really like you. The most likely scenario is going to be that they haven't interviewed you in person yet, they have other candidates in the hopper, and they're a week or two or more from pulling the trigger, and you're going to have to take your chances.

Thanks for your 2 cents, Doug.

I understand and agree with you. I'm sure there are quite a few more candidates just as qualified, if not more than me. And you're right, the on-boarding process can take a life time. For my current gig, it took almost 6 months from the initial contact to my first day of employment. I was contacted when the requisition for the position had just gone through so that was a process in itself.

I certainly don't want to burn any bridges so I'll keep in touch with them because who knows what will happen in the future.