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to tell or not to tell

to tell or not to tell

to tell or not to tell

(OP)
if the company you are applying for ask you if you have pending applications with the other company, and if indeed there was, are you going to tell it or not? my friend says i have to so that they will decide quickly but im thinking they might discourage or something. whats your take, whats the best strategy? anyway, i already admit it in the name of honesty. thanks!

RE: to tell or not to tell

Be honest with the company.
If you have job applications with other companies, tell them you have other job applications pending.
You do not have to tell them which other companies you are applying to, the fact that you are should be sufficient.
If a Personal officer asks you specifically which company, you do not have to tell them, also such a person is overreaching in his duties.
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

RE: to tell or not to tell

Downside is that if I tell them I potentially help them to:
- assess how uncomfortable I am with my current job (supposing this is the case).
- prove the job hopper pattern they suspect already (and deliver what will give HR an ecstatic feeling).

Upside is that it may speed up a decision process and even can be used as a mean to be in a good negotiation position. But for that to happen, I need to be 99% confident to get at least one successful offer out of the other applications running and an offer furthermore comparable to the subject one (salary, type of job).

About honesty, it might not be often the case that interviewer discover the real truth as your other applications data are often/usually treated with confidentiality ; things might leak of course so there is no such a zero risk (e.g. interview manager of Company A doing business with interview Manager of Company B sub supplier of Company A and both suddenly happen to discover that they have in common you as talented applicant...).

RE: to tell or not to tell

(OP)
Actually i did not apply for the job(sorry im in a hurry in my first post)They found me through professional network and make an initial interview through phone, after disclosing my personal info, my current compensation and role including the name of the company where i have pending application. I even reveal my title and that im already waiting for the signing of contract. My bad. Lessons learn, next time. Anyway thank you guys for the tips.

RE: to tell or not to tell

rickitek (Mechanical)
OUCH !!!!!!
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

RE: to tell or not to tell

(OP)
well, im not that active in fb and my post were all safe. they found me through lindken. i think my admission works a bit on my favor as they invited me for the interview. well see...but i will never do it again(disclosing all info..)

RE: to tell or not to tell

I would go with Bershire, say "yes" (and i might say that even if i didnt) btu refuse to tell them which (what goes around comes around).

RE: to tell or not to tell

Rickitek,

I just came off 5 months of playing the job search game...

Sometimes putting all your cards on the table is not a bad thing. What the person does with that information will definitely give you a feel for the person you are dealing with. Which could be a good thing if there your boss. If said person uses that information as leverage against you, you will know to run away before you take the job.

Its really hard to know, because everyone (Bosses and underlings) is a little different. The best interview I ever had was lost when during compensation negotiations because I was hoping the company would support my PE.
The interviewer said "WE DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR PE" with an almost angry tone.
What it comes down to is, would I want to work for a boss who seemed almost angry that I would even try to negotiate such a thing?
They could have just said "I am happy you have it, I will work with you on the PHD hours, but will not pay for it." Or any variation of that with a positive spin. Now that I got something else, I am glade I didn't get that job.

The most important thing is to get a feel for how your potential boss reacts to the information you give him. Interviews and Employment are two way streets.

RE: to tell or not to tell

Gymmeh: Very interesting anecdote... And THIS:

Quote:

The most important thing is to get a feel for how your potential boss reacts to the information you give him. Interviews and Employment are two way streets.

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