Waiting for one recruitment process to continue while having another offer to start soon

Question

Hello everyone! I have spent the last ~6 months in recruitment processes to enter consulting. Accenture has been my favourite/target company and I interviewed with them in December. The feedback was great and they wanted me to continue and come for a second interview. In January, the process was put in stand-by because of some internal restructuring and then Covid-19 happened. I haven’t had my second interview and the HR has not been able to tell me when, or if, this will be going to happen. The start date was/is September.

In the meantime, I got an offer for an in-house consulting to start in June… I think this opportunity is not bad, but I would much prefer Accenture. Nevertheless, given the economic situation, I don’t think I’m in any position to forgo a job for another opportunity that is still uncertain.

How do I deal with this situation? I would like to remain in the recruitment process for Accenture even if I start in the other company... it's not a great position to be in, but I don’t want to miss the opportunity. How can I “convince” the Acn HR not to stop considering me? I told them about the offer, as they asked, and they did not seem very willing to have me continue if I accepted it… Also, not even sure if Acn will be recruiting at all this year (Geography is southern Europe)

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hey there,

Given the current COVID situtation, probably it is better to take the offer, since there are so many uncertainties on Acn front. Even though the Acn HR might not seem very willing to keep you going now if you take the offer, you can always come back in 1-2 years time (hopefully economy is better by then).

Plus, taking the offer and starting consulting work would give you the runway to build your skills and experience in consulting. Maybe the next time you can look beyond Acn to even better firms.

Best,

Emily

Answer 2

Hello,

I don't understand why Accenture should stop considering you because you accept another offer. The fact that you want to continue the process just shows your strong motivation in joining them. Generally speaking, saying that you have another offer would push the company to accelerate your process.
I strongly suggest you to accept the offer and ask to continue your hiring process with accenture. Don't feel guilty and don't care so much about the HR reaction, they are just trying to do their work but this will not affect in anyway your chances to get the offer.

Best,
Luca

Answer 3

Hi there,

I believe your best option is to accept the offer of the boutique and stick to the process with Accenture so far that it reopens – just mention to HR that you are open to consider the second round when it becomes available. Since you already communicated the offer and they are not willing to accelerate the process, there is not much more you can do at this stage.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 4

My take is also that you are better off taking the offer as it is too uncertain how long the Corona timelines will last. Additionally, you have only been in round one, which means there is also a possibility that you don't receive an offer. I would start and not share this information with Accenture (why would they need to know). In the meantime, you can prepare and have a stable income.

Answer 5

Hi A,

Unfortunately, you are not the only candidate who has stock in the middle of recruiting process during the COVID-19 time.

But you are extremely lucky having job offer at hand! So I would strongly recommend you to take this offer and start a new ob in June.

In parallel, I would recommend you to stay in touch with HR from Accenture and follow up with your contact person from time to time (like once in 4 weeks). If they still continue to hire, you would still be able to get an offer from Accenture and start either from the end of this year or beginning of the next year. Otherwise, you can also apply again to Accenture and other companies, when the situation hopefully improves.

I hope it gives you some guidance,

and I wish you best of luck,

André

Answer 6

Hello!

Congrats for your offer.

I would try to leverage it with Accenture to speed up the process.

You can kindly tell them that you need a response from then regarding timelines by day X, or you will be moving on to your next offer.

You will be surprised of how well it works.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 7

Hi,
unfortunately, nobody now is able to predict the precise effects on each business. The 2 true facts today are that interviews are taking place regularly but online instead than face to face, and that many new consulting projects are being paused. Therefore if this lockdown continues for long it can cause a shrinking in new hires.

Best,
Antonello

Answer 8

Hi Adam, this depends on the country you are applying in. In Germany for example, there is no real "recruiting seas... (read entire answer)

Hi Adam, this depends on the country you are applying in. In Germany for example, there is no real "recruiting season" - people apply and start during the whole year (maybe wi... (read entire answer)

Answer 9

Hi, 1) Depends on the company / particular office and country / role. Call the office and ask the HR 2) See 1:)... (read entire answer)

Hi, 1) Depends on the company / particular office and country / role. Call the office and ask the HR 2) See 1:) 3) If you a currently on a student visa with the work permi... (read entire answer)

Answer 10

Hey there, Personally, I don't think LinkedIn is particularly important for Consulting applications. To each firm... (read entire answer)

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