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Interview Dilemma

case interviews Job offer
New answer on Jul 21, 2023
7 Answers
351 Views
Anonymous A asked on Jul 18, 2023

Hi community,

I am facing an issue and wanted to take your opinion on it. I have been trying for jobs since about 6 months now. My focus was consulting but due to decreased hiring, I had started looking for jobs elsewhere and now I am thankfully about to close in on 3-4 offers by next week(starting job by August 15), which I would really need to take due to my financial situation.
The issue is I have also received an interest(from a partner) from a consulting firm and I expect to start interviewing with them by end of August. If I get through this, I might get to join them by December this year. If this happens, then I would have to quit my other job which implies a 4 month run on my resume. I cannot wait for the consulting firm due to uncertainty in interview clearance and my financial needs.
Can anyone suggest me what can I do in this scenario or give me a different and better perspective to look at this? 

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Pedro
Expert
replied on Jul 19, 2023
Bain | Roland Berger | EY-Parthenon | Mentoring Approach | 30% off first 10 sessions in May| Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

What to do is quite clear. You take the best job offer you have.

You start interviewing. In the meantime you may change your mind and want to stay at that job, or you may still want to try consulting.

If you decide you prefer consulting, that is not a problem. You can leave. You're probably moving to a better firm, so no harm in your resume.

But most importantly, you don't know the future. You don't know if you'll get an offer. You don't know if you'll want to stay on that job anyway. Just play your cards and chose the best option for you.

The only less obvious piece of advice I have for you is the following: don't go to that new job thinking that you'll be out in a few months. Assume you are going to like it and that you are going to stay there a long time. Invest in it. Even if you leave, you want to be sucessful in there and leave a good impression on them. And if you don't leave… you'll have to live with staying in that job! 

Good luck!

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Hagen
Expert
Content Creator
updated an answer on Jul 19, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

  • First of all, securing multiple offers indicates that you have a competitive profile and desirable skills. However, it's understandable that the timeframes and financial considerations are causing you some stress. I would advise you to communicate transparently with the consulting firm about your situation. They might be willing to expedite the interview process knowing that you have other offers on the table.
  • Moreover, accepting one of the other job offers for financial reasons is a reasonable decision. Yet, I would highly advise you to consider the potential implications of a short stint on your resume. If you join the other company and leave after a few months for the consulting role, it may be perceived negatively by future employers.
  • Lastly, it's crucial to remember that the consulting interview process can be uncertain, and the job offer is not guaranteed. It may not be meaningful to wait for the consulting offer against the certainty of the current offers.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

(edited)

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 18, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

What fantastic news!

Remember you have a great “problem” here. Chosing between 4 offers is amazing.

  1. Make sure to negotiate
  2. Ask for more time (if possible)
  3. Speed up the consulting interview
  4. A bird in the hand is (generally) beter than two in the bush

If it were me, I would take the best of the 4 offers and cross the other bridge when (IF) I get there. It's crazy to assume “interest from a Partner” automatically = job. 

^This is my opinion and what I would do - in a real coaching session I'd be able to get down to your exact situation, what's best for you, and help you figure out what you need best, so, please take my above personal choice as just that.

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Cristian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 19, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

There's that saying about a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 

So, yes, these are more uncertain times in the economy. Go for the job offers that you have. Start in those roles. This will bring you some stability especially since you've been struggling to find the right role for a few months now. 

In parallel, apply again to consulting, including to the firm that you were mentioning. If you land an offer with them, great, then you can potentially negotiate the starting date and push it until later. Then you could quit your current job and make the transition. 

I see this as much smoother than refusing the offers you are about to get. 

Last but not least, as you start applying for consulting roles again, make sure that you have a strong application strategy. Sharing here a guide on how to build one:


Best,
Cristian

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Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 19, 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: Can anyone suggest to me what can I do in this scenario or give me a different and better perspective to look at this? 

If you feel you are prepared for the consulting interview, you could disclose the current offers to the consulting firm and see if it is possible to accelerate the process, so that you can get an answer from them before starting the new job.

In case that’s not possible, I would (i) accept the best offer out of the 4 you have and (ii) if you do get an offer from the consulting firm, join them at that stage (assuming that's better than the one you will accept).

The other options (don’t accept the current offers or reject the opportunity with the consulting firm) don’t make much sense, assuming you prefer to work in consulting.

Good luck!

Francesco

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Dennis
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jul 20, 2023
Ex-Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

congratulations on receiving so many offers.

Given the timelines and your financial constraints, you should take the best offer out of the 3-4 you are getting. With so many options, you should be able to negotiate in terms of salary and/or benefits.

Take the consulting interview opportunity as an add on. You are not desperate for a job so you can actually approach the process from a comfortable position and only take the offer (should it come to that) if all the boxes are checked for you.

One step at a time.

Best of luck

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Sophia
Expert
replied on Jul 21, 2023
Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

Congratulations on so many job offers, that's a terrific record! Some things to consider:

  • Can you ask the firms you have received offers from to push back your decision deadline, so that you can interview with the consulting company in the meantime?
  • Can you ask the consulting company to push your interviews forward, letting them know you have received job offers from different companies already?

Both these options are standard - firms know that you are going to be recruiting at multiple places at any given point in time.

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Hagen gave the best answer

Hagen

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