Lining up multiple offers and timelines

[Fraidycat]

Never ever tell clients or agents you are interviewing elsewhere.

But do make one up if you have nothing else, I once did my version of 'biding off the wall', got a 15% bump on the rate vs what i went in at, by saying i had a higher offer from another client.

Even told them it wasn't me who asked for the higher rate at the other place, it was Mr Agent who put me in at a higher rate against my instructions. Also said the wife is pressuring me to take the other role, but i would prefer to work for your client, so can they match it?

[PerfectStorm]

Definitely a good idea to have 2/3 on the table if you can. Keep interviewing even if it's Thursday and you're expected to get a contract tomorrow for a Monday start. It so often doesn't happen, and then you can burn literal months waiting for "jam tomorrow"

That said, don't get too hung up on what you consider to be the preferred one of the 2/3 - other than materially invariable stuff like money, not a lot of it ends up accurate to your predictions of how it'll go. Just dive in and see what happens.

I've had to disappoint before, but only ever pre-contract (some agents handle this better than others, but if they really wanted to commit early, they would - and they don't do that either, so don't feel bad).

[NotAllThere]

Pressure makes diamonds

And very flat things.

[gixxer2021]

I have noticed over the years an inverse correlation between pay and fun/good people to work with. My theory is, the worse the place is, the higher the pay needed to retain and recruit.

Bizarrely I’ve mainly found the opposite, the worst paying gigs have generally been miserable, micromanaged, little autonomy, poor work and conditions (usually different from how they sold it in the interview too). Higher paid generally much more autonomy, wfh, cutting edge tech, etc.

[dx4100]

I don't think expecting a response in 24 hours on a contract offer is unreasonable.

I don't think you did much wrong. Sometimes things just don't work out in your favour.

I accept the first decent offer, might be something else better in the pipeline but an offer is an offer vs a maybe...

You just got unlucky they pulled the deal on you. It happens... Although, been doing this 14 years now and its never happened to me, so just chalk it up as being unlucky and move on.

[edison]

I don't think expecting a response in 24 hours on a contract offer is unreasonable.

I don't think you did much wrong. Sometimes things just don't work out in your favour.

I accept the first decent offer, might be something else better in the pipeline but an offer is an offer vs a maybe...

You just got unlucky they pulled the deal on you. It happens... Although, been doing this 14 years now and its never happened to me, so just chalk it up as being unlucky and move on.

I agree, 24 hours for a reply isn't unreasonable but it can be very variable. As a candidate you should always ask the circumstances of why the role is available e.g. is it replacing a contractor, it's the start of a new project, cover for a permie who's just resigned and so on. It's not always an urgent hire.

When the market is strong, which admittedly it isn't right now, then as a hiring manager, you need to move fast to secure the best candidates. Once I was a member of a panel interviewing candidates for a really tricky HR/payroll PM role. We interviewed one candidate at lunchtime and the second candidate early the next morning. Decided to make an offer to the first candidate and in the intervening time he had been approached for another role, been interviewed and accepted so we lost out.

[PerfectStorm]

I have noticed over the years an inverse correlation between pay and fun/good people to work with. My theory is, the worse the place is, the higher the pay needed to retain and recruit.

I find its not so much that but the bigger the client (or worse, the bigger the in-situ constancy firm) the more you feel like you're in the matrix surrounded by robots.

Some of them, I genuinely wonder if there's a shred of personality inside.

[SussexSeagull]

I find its not so much that but the bigger the client (or worse, the bigger the in-situ constancy firm) the more you feel like you're in the matrix surrounded by robots.

Some of them, I genuinely wonder if there's a shred of personality inside.

I sometimes find small to medium sized companies can develop a way of working which long stopped evolving which they assume is the only way of doing things hence their minds closed years ago.

One of the challenges of doing what we do.