Here's my scenario, I have 3 companies that I am interacting with right now for a summer internship position. Company A: got an offer today Company B: Formal interview last wednesday, have to wait anywhere from 1-2 weeks to here back from HR department Company C: Brief phone interview today, told them my situation (about the offer) so they will try to accommodate and accelerate the feedback, but still would have to have another formal interview and if I get that. Should hear Thursday whether I get a formal interview or not. I think the phone interview went very well, though, so I believe I would get a formal interview. Unfortunately, my preferences for internships are B=C >>> A. A is basically an internship that I'd take cause it's better than nothing. It's not related to my major, it pays, but it's more or less unchallenging work and I have no interest in them full-time. B and C, very related to my major (finance), and would take those two over A any day. If B offered me the position, I'd take it and tell C I'm no longer interested. C will obviously be the last offer I would hypothetically get (but again it's really far away) But IDK what to do with A, A is the first offer I received this year, I made this thread last month cause I wasn't getting anything http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=216343 How long can I stall A? It's a very small company, so I don't think it has any ethical protocol that big companies do (that offers must stay open for at least 2 weeks). Basically, I risk not getting anything this summer if I just decline A and get denied at B and C, but I risk losing the opportunity for so much more. Then again, I don't think I impressed B and don't think I would get an offer, with C I impressed the phone interview but that's just the phone interview, formal interview is totally different beast and to be honest I'm going to have to study for it a lot.
Oh, I could also accept the job offer and then withdraw later if I want. It's a small company so I doubt there will be any repercussions of this on my part, it would be questionable behavior though.
Why don't you keep applying, maybe you get more options. You may have other options , if B & C are too slow and A can't wait. If it were me, I would ignore A. I once took a job with a small company, while waiting for other offers to come through. I ended up quitting a few months later, when I got a $20k higher offer from a larger company that took months to get back to me. I left the small company in a tough spot, even with 2 weeks notice. I felt really bad about it, since they couldn't compete. I didn't expect the bigger company to come in so high though. I had stopped applying for new jobs at that point.
Start working at A. It sucks that you might leave them, but companies get disappointed all the time. If B or C does come through, you can make a decision then. Seriously, this is a no-brainer. I'm on the loyal, sucker end of the employee spectrum, but even I understand that a company won't hesitate to drop you if it's in their best financial interest.
well it's for the summer so I would just be accepting the job offer and then withdrawing later but I get your point.
1. Always work in the summer, if you miss a summer people will think you are lazy. You can always spin company A to make it sound like it applies to your chosen path. 2. Keep looking for a job until you have what you want. It's important to do that now. They won't question your loyalty and reliability based on job hopping at this stage in your career as they would a more experienced prospective employee. You can always chalk it up to growing and exploring career options. Interview, interview, interview until your suit gets dingy (Yes, I know, you probably only have one). Its great practice. So, the next time you come across company B and C you'll know exactly what they were looking for. 3. Remember what an internship is about. It's for you to learn and grow. Always think about how the things you do can improve YOU. Do a couple small tasks when you get there so they can trust your abilities but seek out important projects or at the very least find a way to contribute to them. If you build an impressive resume and have notable contributions to major projects, you can make incremental steps toward the company you really want to work for.
Pmac made some good points. The later interviews are easier than the first ones. The response by companies improves, as you become more proficient. Company response rate has always improved, as I got more comfortable and got more practice. Even if you can't interview with companies, you might want to get a group of friends for interviews. I used to do speed interviews to practice. We would bring 2 copies of the resume, one for myself and one for the interviewer. Line the chairs up in 2 rows, facing each other. Do speed interviews - 15 minutes each and switch. Write down weaknesses and strengths, and suggestions for improvement. After each interview, we spend 5-10 minutes discussing improvements. Repeat the rounds again with a goal of improving the scores. It also helps to have a list of typical interview questions, since many students won't know how to interview you. Interviews are serious business, but we need to loosen up. Treat it like a game, your goal is to increase your response rate. With a finance degree, there should be no problems finding more companies.
