How to tell a job that you have another job offer 

Whether you’re just starting an interview process with a new company, you’re midway through an existing hiring process, or if you’re already employed—if you get another job offer, it can complicate your situation. In this article, we’ll walk through the different scenarios and offer advice on how you can handle each situation. 

How to tell a job that you have another job offer—as a candidate

As a candidate, you may get multiple job offers during your new job search. Telling a job that you have another offer while you’re in the middle of the interview process can provide a few benefits. 

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Those benefits include: 

• Making you look like a more competitive and skilled candidate for the job
• Encouraging the other employer to speed up their offer to you
• Motivating the other employer to make you a better offer than what you have in hand right now

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When an employer hears that you have another company already sending you an offer, you can elevate your status as a highly sought-after candidate. For many, this means that you get a faster or a better offer because the employer doesn’t want to lose you as a candidate. However, if you’re early in the interview process and the employer hasn’t made the decision on whether or not they believe you’re a good fit, telling them may backfire for you. They may decide to cut you loose and congratulate you on the offer and your next step. 

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How you tell the job that you have an offer depends on what you want to do with the offer. 

Option A - you want to take the offer

If you want to take the offer you have from the other employer, it’s best to tell the other potential employer as quickly as possible and rescind your name from the list of candidates they are exploring for the open role. Doing this will show that you’re professional and courteous of their time. If you ever interview at that company in the future, this strategy can help you maintain a positive image with the recruiting and hiring team. 

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You can tell the job you have another offer by having a quick conversation over the phone with your recruiter or by sending an email to the recruiter. If you have the hiring manager’s information, an email or a call to them is also a good move. Be polite and thank them for their time and consideration. 

Option B - you want to use the offer to get a new offer

If you want to use the offer to get a new offer, you need to be more strategic. Here are a few tips you should follow: 

1 - Share the offer at the right time. 

It’s important that you pick the right time to share that you have another offer in hand. If you do this at the beginning of your interview process, the new employer may not care that you have an offer already. Our advice: share that you have another offer when you finish up your first round of interviews. 

2 - Be polite and honest. 

Don’t go into the conversation with a large ego or demanding that the new employer meet or exceed the current offer. If you want to use the current offer to get a new offer, the best strategy is to be polite and honest. In your conversation with the recruiter or hiring manager, you should let them know that while you have another offer on the table already, you want to work at their company and you’re more interested in the role they have to offer you. 

3 - Be clear about what you want. 

During your discussion with the recruiter or hiring manager about the other offer, be as clear about what you want as possible. Consider giving them information about the offer and letting them know that you would prefer to accept an offer from them instead. Just as we advise in other negotiation conversations, asking the employer to make you an offer without disclosing a specific number can often lead to a higher offer for you. Read the situation and decide whether or not you should share the offer number with the employer. 

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The bottom line: You can use another job offer to help speed up a new job offer, but only if you do it at the right time and you do it in a polite way. Don’t demand a speedy process. Use the offer as a catalyst to talk about how much you want to work with the new employer—asking them to match or beat the offer you have in hand. 

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For negotiation tactics, consider reading our eBook: How to Negotiate Your Salary: The Definitive Guide.

How to tell a job that you have another job offer—as an employee

Getting a job offer while you’re currently employed is an exciting situation. It offers you choices in what you want to do next. But letting your current employer know about the new offer can feel complicated, especially if you want to use the new offer to get a pay raise internally. 

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Quick sidebar: Before we get into the tips on how to tell a job that you have another job offer, do as much as you can to get time to review the offer you have in hand. Ask the recruiter or hiring manager for 24 - 48 hours to review the offer. This can give you some time to have the conversation with your current manager. While we don’t recommend sitting on an offer longer than 48 hours (24 hours is best practice), the more time you have to consider the offer, the more time you will have to negotiate with your current employer). 

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Consider the following tips on how to tell a job that you have another job offer as an employee: 

Tip 1 - Be strategic about your timing. 

Because it’s critical to respond to a potential employer with an answer about an offer, it’s important that you have the conversation with your current manager as quickly as possible. The best case scenario would be that you have an offer in hand when you’re close to a raise conversation, a typical time for promotions, etc. It’s not a good idea to share that you have another offer if you’ve just received a raise or a promotion. Ask your manager for a special 1:1 meeting or bring it up during your already scheduled 1:1.

Tip 2 - Be honest about what you want. 

Go into your meeting with your manager with honesty and a clear idea of what you want to see happen after you disclose that you have another job offer. If you’re interested in staying in your current role and want to use the offer as a catalyst for a raise, be clear about it. In this scenario, it’s important that you share the numbers from the new offer so your current employer understands what they need to offer in order to keep you in your role. 

Tip 3 - Show gratitude for your employer’s consideration. 

Be polite and gracious during your 1:1 meeting with your manager. If they are interested in trying to match your other offer, be as kind as you can and thank them for their help and advocacy. In many situations, managers need another offer in order to advocate for a higher pay raise for you. If this is the case, your manager is the one that will be negotiating with HR and finance for the additional budget—be kind and polite.  

Tip 4 - Be ready for your manager to cut you loose. 

While an honest and open conversation about how you want to stay at the company and want a raise to match your current offer, it’s possible that you may not get what you want. You may find that the company doesn’t negotiate with employees when they present an offer like this or that your manager isn’t interested in advocating for you to get a higher salary. Because of these possibilities, you need to be ready to accept the other offer. 

Need more resources? Check out these links:

6 best practices to help you secure a job offer

What’s the average amount of time between an interview and a job offer

What is a conditional job offer?

8 steps on how to accept a job offer

Should you always negotiate salary?