It’s 1943 and a Nazi officer knocks on your door.
“Any Jews in here?”
“No, it’s just me,” you whimper innocently.
In fact, you are hiding a Jewish family under your floorboards. You hope that they don’t make any sounds.
Their lives depend on it.
You hold your breathe.
The Nazi officer looks around, stone cold.
He turns around and his foot steps echo across the creaky floor boards. He’s only been inside for a few seconds, but it feels like an eternity.
He looks at you once more.
And then he leaves your apartment.
Phew…
Close one.
So look, honesty is not always, 100% in every situation the best policy. In this case, you definitely want to lie. People’s lives are at stake.
Fortunately, you probably never have to face this sort of situation in your life (I certainly hope you don’t!)
But the situation will come up frequently in life — to tell the truth or not to tell the truth? When you’re interviewing with other companies sometimes it feels like you’re somehow cheating or dirty by interviewing with others. It feels like you’re sleeping around with a bunch of companies and that someone is going to find out.
You might feel pressured not to tell the company you have other offers or other interviews…
We’re going to make it really simple:
You should be be honest, 99% of the time.
It’s absolutely normal and OK to tell companies you are interviewing elsewhere. Trust me, they will appreciate your transparency.
Here are three reasons why:
#1. Knowing that you have other offers pending puts some time pressure on the company to make a decision. Sometimes they need an extra “kick in the butt” to know you are serious about finding a job, and that you will need to make a decision soon. You mean business.
#2. It shows that you are also wanted by other companies, which increases your market value. This can can help to reconfirm that giving you the job is a good idea. Because if other companies want you, then it’s easier for companies to see that you’re in demand. It puts a halo over your head.
#3. If you are worried that Company X might think that you are not as interested in them, just clarify by saying that “Yes I do have another offer from Company Y, but you (company X) are my top choice as of now. If I am offered the company X job I would most certainly select it over Company Y.” When you put it this way, company X will feel more special.
It’s normal for a company to prefer that you only interview with them. Especially if they really want to hire you, they don’t want to risk losing you.
That’s sweet of them.
But it’s your career and your life.
Ultimately, if a company is “upset” that you are interviewing with other companies, I would see this as a big red flag. It probably means they have a poor understanding of the job market and have a superiority complex.
Good companies understand that the job market is competitive and that job seekers have options.
Be transparent about your career goals and interviews and you’ll run into less issues when it comes to timing, negotiating offers, and making the best career decisions.
Good luck and happy hunting.
I publish a weekly newsletter to 5,000+ readers (and counting!) that you can sign up for here. It includes my newest article with a ‘big idea’ for the week, as well as interesting podcast, article and book recommendations.
