Multiple Job Offers but....
 

Ok..so I may have a tough decision on my hands. To sum it all up:

last month I went for an interview at "Company A" where they really liked me but they felt that they had a stronger candidate so they hired them.

A few weeks later I get an interview from "Company B" and they liked me as well. Talked to me on the phone and offered me the job which I verbally agreed to. The day they emailed me the job offer to sign and confirm.."Company A" calls.

Because of the impression I left on "Company A", they called me to notify that a similar position that I previously applied to had became available. I notified "Company A" that I had a job offer already but did not sign anything yet and was set to expire in X amount of days. They understood the urgency needed as they still wanted me to try it out and got me to go for another interview and am waiting for their response..


Situation: In the event that "Company A" offers me the job, what should I do?

In terms of the overall job and company and room for advancement etc, I think "Company A" and its position is more suited for me BUT thats not to say that "Company B" is bad...in fact these r 2 ideal companies for me to work for with room for advancement in areas that I envision myself to be in. With that being said, if I change career goals, "Company B" has a bit more flexibility as they're larger and have many different positions available.

I don't want to burn any bridges and I'm concerned about the fact that I verbally accepted might lead to them blacklisting me for future opportunities if I do rescind my verbal agreement.

Any comments/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I'd tell company "A" to get bent if it was me. If they were so keen on hiring you for the position, they wouldn't have to re-interview you. Now you're stuck playing the waiting game, when they may reject you again, and company "B" will find someone else in the meantime.

how big of a pay difference? have a phone interview with Company A

One thing I should clarify first and a lot of people forget this:

There is a difference between being confident and being cocky.

If you are confident in what you do in whatever industry this may be, and you believe that you are good at what you do, Company A should not have chosen you to be their "2nd best pick." Unless they are prepared to negotiate certain terms with you, i.e. compensation, benefits, etc. you should really play hardball with them. Sometimes, you can't prevent a bridge from burning, even if you douse the fire so just keep that in mind. If they really wanted you in the first place, they should have hired you.

Play the game and see which one works to your advantage. Oh, and work is not always about pay. It's also about a work/life balance. :)

First off thanks for the replies.

I'm not too concerned about being picked "2nd" as I really like the company and has a good reputation - one of the top BC firms to work for. Say if the same situation happened to you but the company was like..Microsoft..would you take not relish the chance for a 2nd opportunity??

I'm entirely curious to see what type of package they're willing to offer me (if in fact they do) as they know I am sitting on an offer with a rival company.

What I'm more concerned about is that I've made a verbal acceptance of the offer to Company B but have yet to sign anything..I'd hate to back out of my word and don't want this to bite me in the ass in the future

^
I don't think you should worry. If you're good, they'll want you back. Make it clear that it's nothing personal and in the end, business is business.

You can tell Company B that another offer came in on the same day as theirs and you've decided to go with that as it's a better opportunity for you.

It's not like you signed then said, "Oh shit" and backed out. That would be bad.

You should consider yourself the "asset" as they are both trying to recuit you, tell B your situation about 2 offers coming on the same day. And will have to consider. bcrdukes sounds like exactly what i would do.

play the game.

A few things happened with Company A. They picked someone over you because they felt that they were a stronger applicant. True or not this is how they felt and they made the choice. One of a few things could have happened. The person may have backed out, they may have lied on their resume or they may have been hired and as they say, another position became available.

If they were at the point of hiring your or another person, there is no need to come in for another interview. I would be very skeptical. Tell them to write you an offer if they're serious. If they are, they will, if they aren't, they won't.

You don't have to be cocky, confident or anything other than up front and honest. You want the job, ask them for it, and they will either give it or not give it.

As for company B, that's life. As long as you tell them what happened they will get over it. Most of the time companies have a few people as a back up in case this happens.