How can you tell a job you have another offer?

If you’ve received another job offer after acing your job interviews, you’re probably feeling elated. Afterwards, however, you’re now faced with the tricky choice of choosing one and declining the other. The challenge becomes this: how to tell a job you have another offer. 

Informing a hiring manager that you have another job offer can seem a little awkward and intimidating, but in the long-term, it can actually work in your favor. The good news is that with the right strategies, you can identify the best position, tactfully tell recruiters about your other job offers, and even use said offers as a springboard to negotiate increases in salary or benefits. 

In this article, we’ll cover: 

• Why you should tell a potential employer about another job offer

• How to tell a recruiter you have another offer

• 3 sample email templates showing how to tell a company you have another offer

Why should you tell a potential employer you have another job offer?

While your knee-jerk reaction is likely to avoid telling your potential employer about your other job offer, this actually might not be the best decision. Honesty and clarity in the hiring process tends to benefit all parties. 

Here’s three benefits of sharing the news that you’re considering another job offer:

1. You might be able to negotiate a better offer   

Having multiple job offers on the table puts the ball firmly in your court and demonstrates your value in the job market. So, you may be able to negotiate (or even be offered) a more competitive package. If you conduct your negotiations respectfully and honestly, the employer is likely to improve their salary and benefits offering to swing your decision in their favor.

2. The hiring process may speed up

Informing a potential employer that you have another job offer on the table can help speed up the hiring process, particularly the decision-making process. If the hiring manager knows you’re weighing different job offers, they may move quicker .

3. Sharing news of another job offer shows your trustworthiness

If an employer knows from the get-go that you’re honest, transparent, and communicate openly, they’re likely to have more respect for you and consider you a great addition to the team. This will ensure that your working relationship starts in a positive way.

How to tell a recruiter you have another job offer

There are clearly benefits to telling a recruiter you have another job offer, but this can be tricky to navigate. You want to do this in a way that is polite, respectful, and doesn’t burn any bridges.

Here are five tips to follow:

1. Timing is everything

Choosing the right time to share your alternative job offer is one way to ensure this interaction goes well. Too early in the interview process could show that you're not fully invested in the job opening and joining the company. A last minute revelation can be frustrating to a potential employer in terms of time and the cost implications of the hiring process. Somewhere in the middle of these two parameters is probably the best approach.

2. Ask for time to consider a job offer 

Request a little time to fully review so you can weigh up the pros and cons of each offer.  Check the details to see if the recruiter explained how much time you have before declining or accepting the job offer. If there’s not a specific time frame (or a time frame that’s too brief), send an email thanking them for the offer and asking for a little more time to reach a decision.

3. Be positive

When explaining your reasons for declining a job offer, your language should be positive. “This other position fits my needs better,” is an honest yet polite explanation. “Your employee contract has the worst benefits,” is a little antagonizing, even if it happens to be true!

4. Show your appreciation

Being appreciative of a job offer can go a long way. If you accept the job offer, then this shows the hiring manager how much you value the opportunity. If you decide to decline, then this can help you end the conversation on a positive note and avoid burning bridges for future job opportunities. 

5. Communicate and provide your explanation in writing

If written clearly and sent promptly, job-declining emails won’t offend the HR staff who receive them. In fact, most company recruiters appreciate being told you’re going to accept another job offer since they’re free to focus their attention on other prospective employees. Ghosting or leaving them hanging does no one any favors.

3 Example emails to tell a company you have another offer

If you’ve decided to accept a job offer, send emails to all the other companies that reached out. It’s important to inform them that you’ve decided to turn down their job offer. 

Here’s an example of how to communicate this in a polite and professional way:

If you’ve received a competing job offer, then you can let the potential employer know. This may prompt them to match or improve on the offer already made. The key here is to tread carefully as you don’t want to appear that you’re brow-beating recruiters into negotiations or being too pushy. 

Here’s an example of a tactful approach:  

If you receive a job offer with a deadline for response but are still waiting to hear back from a recent interview, you may want to speed things up to know where you stand. 

Here’s an example email to chase up a potential job offer and gain clarification on the timescale:

If you feel you’ve hit a wall in your career, don’t despair. Career.io’s Career Pathways tool can help you explore career paths, identify required skills, bridge skill gaps, and stay updated on job demand and competitive salaries to get you where you want to be! 

Key takeaways

1. Telling a potential employer that you have another job offer can seem like a scary prospect, but it can speed up the hiring process, land you a better offer, and demonstrate your transparency and honesty.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for more time to consider an offer if needed, as this will allow you to fully weigh the pros and cons of each job offer you’ve received.

3. When informing a recruiter about another job offer, choose the right time (not too early or late in the hiring process) and always be positive and appreciative. 

4. Send timely communication to the recruiter to let them know in a professional way that you’re declining the job offer, or to politely request an update or meeting to negotiate a competing offer.