Should I tell a recruiter that I'm actively interviewing?

Question

Let me know if this is a duplicate. The answers I found focused more on agency recruiters, so there isn't a double-application issue here, and they have an incentive to withhold information if it helps placing you; I have a different concern.

I'm actively interviewing and had two on-sites with high-profile tech companies. Waiting to hear back, but things went at least ok. Not wanting to let the pipeline drain and curious about other opportunities, I reached out to a friend at a similar company for a referral. An in-house recruiter followed up. In an email, they asked if I'm interviewing anywhere else and how far along.

My concern is that one or both of the places I've had on-sites say "no," and that makes this company think that I might not be a great candidate. Or they say "yes," and if I tell the recruiter "no" right now, I'll have a follow up of "actually, I have an offer from X; can we speed up the process?"

I already made the mistake of telling the first two recruiters I'm interviewing at the other (luckily they're both at the same stage), so at this point, I'm hesitant to give the new recruiter more information than is needed.

Possible duplicate of Should i update my recruiter on my other opportunities? — gnat, Jul 30 '19 at 06:29
Possible duplicate of How do I coordinate the process of pursuing multiple job opportunities at the same time? — Bernhard Barker, Jul 30 '19 at 17:42

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 30 '19 at 06:54

When I recently went through this process, company A made me an offer, but I still had an interview at company B. I kept the recruiters completely informed about the process - and company B were willing to expedite the process (have a two part interview rolled into one day).

Company B made me an offer - knowing that they had to beat my first my first offer (which I didn't tell them, but gave a ballpark) and I decided to go with them.

It's worth keeping everyone informed on the information that will help you. If you end up not getting one of the offers, it's not bad to say "the other company were looking for someone with more experience, or niche skills in X or any number of reasons". I wouldn't recommend lying in this stage. The truth is unlikely going to harm your chances.

In my case and background, the companies I'm waiting on are well-known and wouldn't be interviewing me for something so specific that that most excuses work. A "no" would mean culture fit issues, not good enough, or their bar is higher than usual. — user107375, Jul 30 '19 at 16:11

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 30 '19 at 06:48

I would probably avoid telling the recruiters where else you are looking, but there is probably no harm in letting them know that you are keeping your options open and not putting all your eggs in one basket. The rationale is that certain places may have a reputation for underpaying their employees, so they may be inclined to lowball you if they learn you are interviewing there.

If they start asking about where else you are recruiting, you can say things like: "I'd really love to learn more about opportunities at X. Can we discuss that?" or "I'm interviewing at a range of places, but we are not here to talk about that are we?".

They key bit of information they are probably really looking for is when you will be making a decision on where you wish to work. Letting them know about your expected timeframe allows them to understand how quickly they need to work to get you into an interview. If I were you, I'd resist the urge to lowball the timeframe: if you say you're making a decision tomorrow, they may decide they won't pursue you as they haven't got their own affairs in order in time.

A recruiter isn't likely to read much into the fact you are looking elsewhere, because as a professional, that's what you should be doing.

I'll probably lean towards truthfully vague, and definitely leave out specifics until (hopefully) we're negotiating. You're right what what they're really looking for and need is my timeframe. — user107375, Jul 30 '19 at 16:15

score -1 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 30 '19 at 06:47

If you want to work together with them, then why lie? At least about interviewing elsewhere.

My concern is that one or both of the places I've had on-sites say "no," and that makes this company think that I might not be a great candidate.

Then you could lie ;-) Just tell them you received an offer & declined it.

Or they say "yes," and if I tell the recruiter "no" right now, I'll have a follow up of "actually, I have an offer from X; can we speed up the process?"

Then they will offer you a better deal. What's not to like?

Should I tell a recruiter that I'm actively interviewing?

3 Answers3