How to politely get hiring managers to make a decision

[SpeedRacer 1]

So I am looking for a job in biotech and have had initial telephone interviews with two companies. Company A is where I really want to work, company B is a distant second for a number of reasons, but I'd still work there.

Problem is, company B is moving faster in its hiring decisions than company A. Company B has already scheduled an in-person interview for me for Wednesday. I would really like Company A to get on the ball here and invite me in for an interview, because I would rather work there.

But I really need a job soon. Is there any way to politely ask Company A to hurry up & make a decision? Company B is moving along and might ask me for a decision before Company A gets moving and gives me an interview.

Speed Racer
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[quade 3]

No. Any attempts to do so will only work against you. Think about it.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[taylor.freefall 0]

I think it probably wouldn't look good to be honest. What I would do is take the job with company b and (if and when) company a makes an offer reconsider then. (I've actually experienced this exact scenario).
Hope it works out for you, hate it when that happens.

[skyjumpenfool 2]

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I think it probably wouldn't look good to be honest. What I would do is take the job with company b and (if and when) company a makes an offer reconsider then. (I've actually experienced this exact scenario).
Hope it works out for you, hate it when that happens.

I'd have to agree with this line of thinking... Bird in hand!!

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[airtwardo 6]

Call the company and tell them you're free for the 2nd interview on Friday (for example) if that would be convenient for them. . .or show some balls and just how up!

If they haven't called you yet, you're either not qualified, on the bottom of a big pile in human racehorses, or the position has been filled and your in a file of 'also rans'.

There is nothing wrong with opening some dialogue, it gets you some name recognition and shows them you're serious & really want to work there as you are actively following up.

I just showed up for 'the 2nd interview' unscheduled...for a job I really wanted bad. I told them there must be some kind of mistake - my not having been called yet.

I had to sit & wait for three hours before the manager could (would?) see me, but I got the job...started the next Monday and worked there 12 years.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[quade 3]

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Squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Or simply tossed in the round file for being difficult.

The squeaky wheel theory works best when the person that has to deal with the squeak, has to by the nature of the relationship. If you had four children and one was crying, you pretty much have to deal with it. You can't just "dispose" of the child. In this case though, he can simply be tossed aside since there are obviously others willing to take his place.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[SpeedRacer 1]

Company A is where I'd really like to work. I just had the initial phone interview screen with HR, and I think that went well. But I didn't talk to an actual hiring manager, which would happen when they call me in for an in-person interview.

Company B has some things going for it, but it would be more routine work in a less exciting area. Also, the commute would be 90 minutes or more (as opposed to 25 minutes for company A). But I really need to get a job soon. If I went with Company B, it would be for an 8 month contract. So maybe I could live with that for 8 months.

Speed Racer
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[theonlyski 3]

I've been actively calling a company every other week or so for about 2 months to see what the deal is.

Latest story was they had to put interviewing on hold while the interviewing manager went thru some sort of training.

I've thought about just walking in, as the company is right down the road from me... It would be an awesome job, just gotta get them to see that it was basically written for me.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[billvon 2,395]

>Company B is moving along and might ask me for a decision before Company A gets
>moving and gives me an interview.

Go with Company B, and if they ask you for a decision tell them you will tell them in a day. Then call Company A and say "I am going to take another job - are you interested in hiring me?" Then they can say yes or no.

(Note that it's quite likely that company A is doing something like that to you - keeping you as a second choice while they pursue some other first choice.)

[airtwardo 6]

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Squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Or simply tossed in the round file for being difficult.

The squeaky wheel theory works best when the person that has to deal with the squeak, has to by the nature of the relationship. In this case, he can simply be tossed aside since there are obviously others willing to take his place.

It depends on the nature of the job and the employer. Yeah if you hound them like a stalker you can make yourself look foolish...but if ya haven't heard anything in a week or so what do you have to lose?

If you wait 3 months for the call back, then dump the job at place B to take the one at A you've burned a bridge in your field at a place you may need later on.

I've never been penalized for 'aggressively' seeking one place over another, and when I was doing the hiring at a company I did take a 2nd look at resumes that 'squeaked'. Didn't always hire the candidate but I did look at them bit harder.

It's a possible foot in the door where the door seems closed. In my case the HR director 'joked' that I must really want to work there...that gave me an opening for my sermon on why I thought I would be good for them. How well I believed my skills would dovetail into the organization... after telling him how much I already knew about the company and the direction they were going he was suitably impressed and asked if I could start Monday.

I 'sold' myself, and as any salesman will tell you, ya get more positive results with a 1 on 1 than you do handing out fliers. If you need to be aggressive to get the 1 on 1 then so be it...all they can say is no.

If you sit by the phone 'hoping' like an ugly chick on Friday nite, you'll never get to show the quarterback how good ya are in the backseat. And then the 'other' girl goes to the prom!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[airtwardo 6]

What kind of position is it if I may ask?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[airtwardo 6]

~as the company is right down the road from me...

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You live that close to a strip joint Ski?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[SpeedRacer 1]

My first choice is the Research Biologist at Company A. Some work with mice, some DNA & RNA analysis. The company is doing some cutting edge stuff.

The second choice is Company B, which would be clinical diagnostic work.

Speed Racer
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[airtwardo 6]

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My first choice is the Research Biologist at Company A. Some work with mice, some DNA & RNA analysis. The company is doing some cutting edge stuff.

The second choice is Company B, which would be clinical diagnostic work.

Sounds like you're a lot more interested in A and I can see why...good luck!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[theonlyski 3]

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You live that close to a strip joint Ski?

Funny story, the company I just left, a multi-million $$ defense contractor, HQ was right next door to a strip club.

Apparently a lot of the corporate meetings occurred next door. When I went there for the paper signing (I worked off site) I asked which was there first. The company just built that building, long after the strip club opened.

But no, the new one isn't a strip club...

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[oldwomanc6 38]

If company A is working with mice, they might be used to a certain amount of squeaking, and you might fit right in

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Remster 24]

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Squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Or simply tossed in the round file for being difficult.

The really squeaky annoying ones, maybe.

But the ones who show initiative, are polite in their chasing up do stay on top of mind ofr the hiring manager. Been there, had it done to me and vice versa.

You _should_ follow up with the company? Did you write them a nice email to move things forward, highlighting what you would bring to the job and innovative ideas you may have?

Dont make it about _you_. Make it about them. They are hiring to solve a problem, help them solve it.

Remster

[ryoder 1,381]

I once was RIF'd and within a couple weeks had been interviewed by companies "A" and "B".
- "A" was a fortune 500 high-tech company I really wanted to join.
- "B" was a different dept in the same company that had just RIF'd me, and it was obvious the company was circling the drain.

I got the offer from "B" promptly, and suspected I would also be getting an offer from "A", but they were dragging their feet. So I called up "A" and told them the truth: "B" needed an answer within a week, and I was going to take it unless I got an offer from "A" before the deadline.

"A" made an offer a couple days later, and I accepted.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Coreece 190]

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No. Any attempts to do so will only work against you. Think about it.

Only if the hiring manager is a smart ass prick with ego issues and out of touch with the way civil life works....in which case it's probably best to just pass.

I've only seen such pompous arrogance in the entertainment and financial fields...

Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

[BrokenR1 0]

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>Company B is moving along and might ask me for a decision before Company A gets
>moving and gives me an interview.

Go with Company B, and if they ask you for a decision tell them you will tell them in a day. Then call Company A and say "I am going to take another job - are you interested in hiring me?" Then they can say yes or no.

(Note that it's quite likely that company A is doing something like that to you - keeping you as a second choice while they pursue some other first choice.)

That is basically what happened to me. I had an offer in writing from Company B. I called up Company A and told them I would rather work for them but I had an offer in writing from another company. I said that I did not want to rush them but I needed to know where I stood and what they thought of me. There was nothing to lose as I was going to accept Company B as it was a decent job and actually paid more. If Company A did not answer or said no I still had a job lined up. As it turns out Company A offered me a job that day.

Speaking of which I need a job.

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Rap is to music what etch-a-sketch is to art.

[Andy9o8 0]

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No. Any attempts to do so will only work against you. Think about it.

Only if the hiring manager is a smart ass prick with ego issues and out of touch with the way civil life works....in which case it's probably best to just pass.

I've only seen such pompous arrogance in the entertainment and financial fields...

Really? From my experience (which is at least quantitatively more, since I'm older than you), I think it exists pretty much in every field; it's just that some fields tolerate, or even enable, that kind of anti-social behavior in management-level people, while other fields tend more to require their managers to behave themselves. I've seen it a lot (i.e., abusive, anti-social behavior toward subordinate co-workers) from supervising partners in law firms, for example. No real surprise there.

[davelepka 4]

It's all just BS until you have an offer in front of you, so just keep on keeping on for now.

If the time comes that company B makes you an offer, take a day, and contact company A. It's not being pushy, or annoying, it's about being honest and professional.

You honestly would rather work for company A, and are OK with waiting for them to do whatever it is they're doing, as long as you don't have another offer on the table (a guy's gotta work, ya know). If the time comes that you have an offer on the table, you have 'nothing' to lose by asking company A to shit or get off the pot.

It's being professional becasue you would rather work with company A, but once you take a position with company B, you're in for the duration. Let them know you're not the type to take a position, let the company go through the cost of bringing you on board, and then quit for a better gig shortly there-after.

Also, if company A has some reason they're dragging their feet, and you choose to go with company B, let them know it's only an 8 month contract, and that you'll be available afterwards if they have any positions at that time.

[SivaGanesha 2]

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Company A is where I'd really like to work. I just had the initial phone interview screen with HR, and I think that went well. But I didn't talk to an actual hiring manager, which would happen when they call me in for an in-person interview.

I think it is quite premature for you to say that company A is the company you want to work for before you talk to the hiring manager. The job of the HR person in the initial phone screen is often partly to sell you on the company--so that you think well of them in case they do end up making an offer. But the hiring manager is the person you'll be dealing with day in and day out so they are the person you really need to know you can work with. If you haven't talked to them, you don't know much about the job yet.

Sometimes a company will be doing a little bit of exciting cutting edge stuff that they prefer to focus on when talking to outsiders. But 90% of the actual work is more boring grunt work. You need to find out what the actual job involves on a day to day basis.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[SivaGanesha 2]

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The squeaky wheel theory works best when the person that has to deal with the squeak, has to by the nature of the relationship. If you had four children and one was crying, you pretty much have to deal with it. You can't just "dispose" of the child. In this case though, he can simply be tossed aside since there are obviously others willing to take his place.

If you are going through a recruiter/headhunter, and the recruiter feels there is a real chance of placing you, sometimes the relationship (with the recruiter) is indeed one where they have no choice but to deal with squeaky wheels. The recruiter only gets paid by the employer if they place you in the position. To accomplish that the recruiter has no choice but to deal with both the employer and the candidate--so being a squeaky wheel definitely can help.

If you are applying directly to the employer (no 'middleman' recruiter), or if the recruiter knows the employer isn't interested--being a squeaky wheel is a lot less useful.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[Nataly 38]

Perhaps this is already irrelevant... However, what I would suggest is that regardless of what happens, you answer with (you may adapt as necessary):

"Wow! That's great news! Thank you very much for the job offer [try to sound sincere]! I have just received another offer just before you called. I didn't give them an answer because I was more interested in this position. As I told the other company, however, I do not want to make a rash decision. I would really appreciate if you could give me a day to think it over so I feel happy that I've really made the right decision. Again, I want to stress that this role is my preference for x reasons"

Doesn't matter if Company A or Company B calls first... You can say the same thing. No one will ever know which was really your favourite. Just be careful not to give the impression you are holding out for a better role. Bad way to start - especially if you don't get the "better" job offer...

"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
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- my boss