Job offers... stuck

[EMSnut45, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I'm in a tough spot, and could use a little help from my peers.

I have interviewed at two facilities, and they are both moving at different paces. Facility A has offered me a position, and is waiting on my answer. Facility B is working on my background check and references, and has not made an offer yet. The problem is, I'd rather work at Facility B.

Here are the pros/cons:

Facility A: Small, tight-knit unit, not high-tech, only 24 hours/week, no benefits, most $/hour, no chance for advancement or transfers to other units.

Facility B: larger unit, higher acuity, high-tech, full time, +benefits, multiple options for advancement or transfers, will be moving to a brand-new building in December.

If Facility B makes an offer, I would hand-down accept it. But, in this tough job market, I don't want to throw away the opportunity that Facility A presented in fear that Facility B won't make an offer. A job is better than no job. I just don't know how to either stretch my response time for Facility A or speed up Facility B without making either of them mad.

Any ideas?

[NYRN05]

respond to facility A, and tell them yes. and then if facility B offers, then politely send a email or letter to the manager explaining, and phone call-recruiter to let facility A know that another opportunity has presented itself...blah blah blah...you get the picture. thats what i would do. best of luck !

[klone, MSN, RN]

They generally don't call references and pay an outside company to do a background check unless they're going to give you an offer (pending an acceptable result, of course). Have you peed for them yet?

[piperknitsRN]

Call Facility A and say you are very interested in the offer but you are waiting on another facility's decision, and ask them how long they are willing to wait for your response.

Call Facility B and ask for a time frame in which they anticipate finishing your background check, etc; politely tell them you have a job offer at another facility (you do not have to specify which one) and are trying to plan accordingly.

If it seems appropriate, you may wish to let Facility B know the time frame Facility A has given you; the trick is to make it a plain fact without sounding pushy. Simply state the facts politely, i.e., "I understand I am being considered for X position with your organization; however, in the meantime, I have received another job offer, and need to give them notice soon. Is it possible for you to give me a time frame in which you anticipate making a final decision so that I can plan accordingly?"

In both phone calls, you do not need to give out any time frame specifics unless you wish to/it becomes necessary. I would not give out hospital names/facility names at all. Human Resources understands that people have multiple job offers, have dealt with this scenario many, many times (it's their bread and butter) and will likely give you appropriate, direct feedback so you can make your decision.

This was the advice given to me re: graduate school offers, and I think it works well. It is honest, direct, and courteous and should give you a better idea of which facility you will ultimately choose.

[NickB]

Take them both. You'll have 3 days at one facility and 2 at the other. You'd make a boatload of money and still have 2 days a week off. You'd work a lot, but then you only do it for a year or two, and then settle down at hospital B. Sounds like a good time to get out of any debt you may have, including a house.

[smileymimi]

Say yes to A.

But ask some time 'till you start.

If you get a job at B, then be honest and tell A about it.

Don't worry about burning bridges because if you got it at B, then

just work hard there and develop your career at B or any other great places later in your future.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

If you do get job "B" rather quickly after you've accepted "A". A good reason why you are rescinding your acceptance of "A" offer is easy. Full time and benefits - they cannot argue with that.

[CranberryMuffin]

Be careful about what you say to facility A. I know someone who lost a job offer who was in a similar situation, because she told facility A that she was waiting to hear back from facility B. Facility A then rescinded the job offer because they felt like they were her second choice - they wanted a simple yes or no. It's better to accept the position at facility A, and then 'rescind' your acceptance down the road if facility B offers you a job.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I can't believe I'm saying this, however, here it goes a dear friend of mine was in the same position recently when facility A called she accepted, in this tough economy one has to go with the first offer. Furthermore, 5 wks. later facility B called her to begin working in her dream unit & much larger facility, so she left facility A without telling them where she was going; she just gave them the excuse that it wasn't working for her since she had to drive from far and gasoline is too expensive these days. BTW she never used facility A as a reference; and there you have it... good luck on all your future endeavors..:redbeathe

P.S. my friend has moved to a higher position in facility B,

[mediatix8]

A squared plus B squared equals C squared. I hope that helps.

[ajmclean]

Call Facility A and say you are very interested in the offer but you are waiting on another facility's decision, and ask them how long they are willing to wait for your response.

Call Facility B and ask for a time frame in which they anticipate finishing your background check, etc; politely tell them you have a job offer at another facility (you do not have to specify which one) and are trying to plan accordingly.

If it seems appropriate, you may wish to let Facility B know the time frame Facility A has given you; the trick is to make it a plain fact without sounding pushy. Simply state the facts politely, i.e., "I understand I am being considered for X position with your organization; however, in the meantime, I have received another job offer, and need to give them notice soon. Is it possible for you to give me a time frame in which you anticipate making a final decision so that I can plan accordingly?"

In both phone calls, you do not need to give out any time frame specifics unless you wish to/it becomes necessary. I would not give out hospital names/facility names at all. Human Resources understands that people have multiple job offers, have dealt with this scenario many, many times (it's their bread and butter) and will likely give you appropriate, direct feedback so you can make your decision.

This was the advice given to me re: graduate school offers, and I think it works well. It is honest, direct, and courteous and should give you a better idea of which facility you will ultimately choose.

I would not follow this advice. Telling someone who gave you a job offer you had another would prompt me to tell you that you have 24 hours to decide. There are always more than one qualified candidate. As for the other facility, they might not be able to give you a concrete answer. Drug results, background checks can get bogged down, or lost. I waited over a month for drug results on a prospective hire. Lab did the tests, sent it out of state to another firm for reporting and it never got sent to my company. What a goat rope. I wound up hiring him but only after wasting his time and mine. I could never give him a definite time frame. Best bet, take A offer and go with B if they call.

[Libby1987]

I don't know how long you've been looking but if you haven't been beating down every door for several months, with your experience I would turn down A and look for C while you wait to hear from B.