How to answer: what other firms are you applying to?

Question

Background: I am interviewing with multiple firms and roles. Given my jumpy job history, it is important to convince the firm that we are a good fit and I am strongly motivated to join.

Question: I was asked “what other firms are you applying to” by the partner. The partner seems very interested in me and just want to make sure that if he hires me I will stay long enough and will take the offer. What's the best way to deal with this situation?

Option 1. Let him know that I am interviewing with several firms:

Pros: could probably have a “leverage”, to speed up the interview, and could have excuse to turn down the offer if I decided to take another one.

Cons: since I was very specific in why I want to join the firm, telling the partner that I am applying to different firms may arouse some suspicion.

2. Tell him that I have only been interviewing with them since I was head hunted

Pros: shows my strong commitment and interest to join the firm, by being very “selective”

Cons: might cause an integrity issue if I got the offer but rejected it, and decided to join another firm. Gonna be hard to provide a solid reason.

Please share you wisdom. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi there,

you can turn this tricky question into a deflection and opportunity that will make the firm at hand want you more. I'd suggest you..

Reveal that you're invertivewing with others - can state that, given the compeitiveness of the process, it would be naive to put all eggs into one basked
Give them an indirect indication of the competitors - will provide “external validation" to your candidacy. If you're in late stage of the process, indidate that too - creates urgency.
Reinforce that firm X is your preferred choice by reiterating the points you made earlier. “if i were in a situation of choice, I'd definitely go for X, given…”

This method allows you to stay authentic - truth is, every interviewer will expect you to interview with multiple firms anyway - make your even profile more interesting to them and enables you to reinforce your conviction.

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out, if you have further questions.

Regards, Andi

Answer 2

Hi there!

That's a fair concern to have.

I would strongly for option 1.

The fact that you're also interviewing with other firms doesn't mean you're not loyal to them, it means that you're smart and distributing your risk. Realistically speaking, you need a job and in case things don't work out with them, you need some other place. Everybody in the industry is aware that this is how things work, so they won't look down on you for this.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 3

Hi,

If I were you, I'd go with Option 1 and tell him the actual situation here. I don't think any firm would think that you lack ‘loyalty’ at this stage where you don't even have an offer/started work yet.

It is common practice for people to apply to multiple firms, and I would hope that this firm in question also realizes that.

Answer 4

Hi there,

In general, avoid lying in interviews (and life!).

That said, there are right ways to answer a question and long ways.

As you are indeed interviewing with other firms, then say that!

However, you should do the following:

Touch on the fact that you are interviewing, but keep it “light”
Highlight why you are interviewing (Why Consulting)
Flag why you are particularly interested in them

Answer 5

Hi there,

Q: I was asked “what other firms are you applying to” by the partner. What's the best way to deal with this situation?

It is totally ok to say you are interviewing with other firms in your situation for the following reasons:

It is true
It shows you are smart in your application strategy (it would be very risky to do all the prep for just one firm)
It shows you could have multiple options and be in demand

You can still say that the firm you are interviewing with is the best one and justify it accordingly if they ask for details.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 6

Hello,

Don't stress too much about this question - it seems awkward to answer, but rest assured that interviewers are well aware that most candidates apply to more firms than just theirs! I think there's no benefit to lying here. I would do the following:

Tell them that you have applied to and are currently interviewing with a few different firms
Explain why you are interested in their firm specifically