Need job offer advice asap please

LegacyUser

Hey all,

I need urgent advice on what to do with a job offer and another potential offer and I would be so grateful for any help or suggestions people could give.

I've just graduated with a degree (as a mature student in case that's relevant) in the science area. Two years ago I applied for the Clerical Officer (CO) campaign (public service job) to have it as a backup. I did my interview for it early this year while still in college and it had been months since I heard anything.

In the meantime I applied for a job in a multi-national medical device company who I really, really want to work for and it would be great to start a career there. I did an interview with them recently and seemed to progress onto the next stage (referee checks etc) but I don't know what the timeline with it is. With fantastic timing, the public service job finally contacted me the same day as my interview to say I've been assigned a position and that I'm starting next week (after 5 months of waiting).

I don't know what to do. My partner is telling me to start the CO job and to just leave in a couple of weeks if the medical device company make an offer but I have a few problems with this - (a) it seems unfair to the CO people, a lot of work has gone into hiring me probably, and (b) I fear it will look bad in all future job searching, I'll look like someone who is flaky and who will jump ship at the first sign of something better.
Partner reckons future companies will understand that I was just trying to get into an area relevant to my degree etc but I'm not so sure.

Should I take the CO job for now? Should I try and delay the start date somehow? Should I potentially annoy the med device company by hassling HR for an update? Should I risk really pi**ing them off and ruining a potential offer by mentioning I have another job waiting?

I'm at a complete loss and starting to get really anxious about it. I want to let the CO job know by tomorrow or Thursday if I'm not going to start next week.

Thanks,
SummerPetal

Nody

I'd say listen to your partner; if you're successful you simply leave out the CO job from your CV as it's not relevant and for the CO job there's a queue of other people waiting to take it if you leave.

Diziet

Which one would you take if they were both on the table now?
If you would genuinely prefer the medical devices company, then call HR, say you have had another offer that you are under time pressure to accept, that you really want to work for them and can they please tell you the timeline for a decision. You hope they understand your position etc

If they don't give you a definite answer then take the CO job.

Mrs OBumble

It's unfair of the CO people to have left you waiting this long! And if you started and they changed their minds, they'd be pretty quick about laying you off again with not a second thought.

Take the CO job, but only stay in it until you find something relevant to your qualification. If that's next week, then bad luck to the CO job. If it's not til next month or next quarter - well at least you'll have some earnings and some more work experience.

Humour Me

Definitely call HR and ask them for an update. If they have requested your references then they are definitely interested in you. Just say that you have received another offer but that you would prefer to work with them and you need to know if you should consider the other offer.

Speedwell

The public service will have no trouble replacing you if you decide to accept the medical company job in a few weeks. These things happen early in a job search and companies understand that. The best candidates often receive multiple offers within a few weeks or months, and they can't know in advance what interviews are going to pan out. Every time I've had a new co-worker who received an offer from another company for more money within a few weeks of starting work with us, we sent them on their way with a "good luck and let me know if they have anything for someone like me, heh".

LegacyUser

Thanks so much for the replies.

@Nody somebody had told me that it would show up on a P60 or something. And you're right, they do have a list of people waiting.

@Dizet The med device job, no contest. I know the CO job comes with the benefits of being public service and my partner and I are at the stage where we'd like to look to buy/build in the near future so a permanent, guaranteed job would be great in that respect but that would be the only reason for me to work there. Partner agrees that while it would be nice, I should be somewhere I want to be and reckons I'd go loony in the CO job. Plus, the med device job should pay better overall.

@Mrs OBumble I think you're right too, I was more concerned with putting the CO people out and causing any hassle for them but they wouldn't think twice if it were the other way around.

@Humor Me Ok thanks, this is my first proper job unfortunately and I wasn't sure if it was acceptable to do this or not but I will definitely call them now, thank you.

_Brian

Don't be worrying about others right now, you only have one job offer, take it.
If a better offer comes very soon then decide which you want more.

Well done.

DavyD_83

If you take the CO job, and then leave quickly to go into this better job (if it arises), I'm pretty sure the only future employment opportunities that could be impacted are those in CO.

Take the job at hand, and hope the better offer comes through.

If you get the offer; you land in the job you really want, having slightly inconvenienced the CO.
If no offer comes through; you are in a reliable CO job, in a good position to keep an eye out for a job you really want.

LegacyUser

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to help out, Boards never fails to come through!

I contacted the med device company as advised and I have some very unexpected news - I got offered the job!! To say I'm thrilled is an understatement, I've worked my backside off for my degree and had a really tough year last year with my mother passing away so to finally feel like things are working out is just amazing

With any luck, I won't be back here in a couple of weeks upset that it all fell through or something!

GalwayGrrrrrl

SummerPetal wrote: »

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to help out, Boards never fails to come through!

I contacted the med device company as advised and I have some very unexpected news - I got offered the job!! To say I'm thrilled is an understatement, I've worked my backside off for my degree and had a really tough year last year with my mother passing away so to finally feel like things are working out is just amazing

With any luck, I won't be back here in a couple of weeks upset that it all fell through or something!

Congratulations - glad to hear you got the job. Well done.

Diziet

Congratulations! What a great update! Really pleased for you.

TheDoc

SummerPetal wrote: »

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to help out, Boards never fails to come through!

I contacted the med device company as advised and I have some very unexpected news - I got offered the job!! To say I'm thrilled is an understatement, I've worked my backside off for my degree and had a really tough year last year with my mother passing away so to finally feel like things are working out is just amazing

With any luck, I won't be back here in a couple of weeks upset that it all fell through or something!

Nice to hear, well done.