Questions about job searching /interview etiquette

[AprilR]

So i have been on a job hunt for months, and recently got called for an interview. It's been a first for months, but i am hesitating a bit since the firm i applied for is sort of a rival to the firm i worked before. But that is not my question, my question is:

Should i keep applying for jobs when i have an interview? I am pretty sure that it will go well, but i am hesitant to accept that job. Is there a sort of rule or etiquette here, can i say "i want to think since i have some other interviews"? Because i have applied to other places as well and i might get a response from them also. And i am wary about accepting this job anyway.

Another question is, what if i start working and later get a better offer from another place? My parents said that i should Just start working, and if i get a better offer i can just quit and change to the better option. But it does not seem ethical to me, and it might ruin my reputation in the sector, since i live in a small city where everyone knows other people in the sector.

Tomorrow i have an interview but i am over thinking so much and so anxious.

 

[Aspychata]

Good luck on this interview . I guess it depends on the job market. Do you think you will get more interviews? Perhaps just check out what they can offer you. Tell them you can't start for another two weeks, that gives you a chance for other interviews.

 

[Tiffany Kate]

Definitely keep applying for jobs if you have an interview. After all, if they don't offer you the job you have an interview for, you'll want to have other applications in process.

What you do if they offer you a job at the first interview depends on:
- Whether you really want the first job
- What the other jobs you've applied for are like (are they significantly better?)
- How good a chance you think you have for the other jobs you've applied for
- The state of the job market where you are: are there more jobs than people? Are you in an industry or area where everyone talks to each other?

My personal view is that:
- It's acceptable to ask if you can wait to give them an answer because you have other interviews lined up. They may or may not agree - it will depend on how many other candidates they have, and how much they want you. But you can definitely ask.
- If they let you wait, then it's all cool.
- If they want an immediate answer, if it were me, I would decide whether I wanted the job I've just been offered or I'd prefer to refuse that job and wait for the potential for one of the others. This is not necessarily an easy decision.
- I personally would not accept one job and then carry on interviewing for others. But then, I'm in an industry where people do talk to each other and I don't want to be known for letting people down.

Whether to accept a job you don't really want depends a lot on how good you think your chances are for getting one of the other jobs. That depends on your personal circumstances - how important is it that you have a job, any job, or can you afford to wait for a job you're more keen on?

Edited to add: And best of luck!

 

[AprilR]

Thanks, @Tiffany Kate i agree that if i accept this job i should not carry on applying to other places. I think i will tell them that i have other interviews, since i feel like i have a chance at other places too.

The reason that i am hesitating is this place and my previous workplace are sort of rivals. And i told my previous employer that i will move to another city when i was quitting, which is not a lie. I applied to a lot of places in that bigger city, but i could not get a response, not even an interview. And it has already been six months since i quit my previous job.

 

[Tiffany Kate]

I wouldn't regard going to work for your previous employer's rival as a problem unless you signed an agreement to say you wouldn't.

You're a free person: you do work in exchange for money. If they want you to do stuff (like not work for a rival for an amount of time after you leave) they have to put it in a contract and pay you for it. This is quite a common thing for senior employees of firms who might be able to take customers with them for their new job. It's not an issue for lower-level people who are just cogs in the machine.

You did your best to get a job somewhere else, but you can't live your life to please someone you don't even have a contractual relationship with. You need to earn money to buy food.

(Assuming you're not going to hand over your old employer's trade secrets and the recipe for their secret sauce, of course... )

 

[AprilR]

I wouldn't regard going to work for your previous employer's rival as a problem unless you signed an agreement to say you wouldn't.

You're a free person: you do work in exchange for money. If they want you to do stuff (like not work for a rival for an amount of time after you leave) they have to put it in a contract and pay you for it. This is quite a common thing for senior employees of firms who might be able to take customers with them for their new job. It's not an issue for lower-level people who are just cogs in the machine.

You did your best to get a job somewhere else, but you can't live your life to please someone you don't even have a contractual relationship with. You need to earn money to buy food.

(Assuming you're not going to hand over your old employer's trade secrets and the recipe for their secret sauce, of course... )

Thank you again. I am actually an attorney, and i know about such contracts. It is not something that is made in this sector.

The problem is i remember some of our old clients have transferred to this office, but this happened when i was working at my previous job. So it is not like i made them transfer. But i am still anxious. We also had one case that i was in charge of, and it was against this firm. So it is complicated

 

[Aspychata]

Now l understand. Is it ethical to work there since you were in charge of the case? The legal circle is tight, so it is a consideration to think about. It wouldn't matter unless you hired on specifically to handle that ongoing litigation. Are you going to ask about you being assigned to that? That would clear up some of your concerns about working there?

 

[Tiffany Kate]

Your old employer obviously wasn't all that concerned about you moving elsewhere, or there would have been a more detailed discussion about it.

So the thing to do is to have a frank discussion at your interview about the situation, and how - if they offer you the job - they plan to handle any potential conflicts of interest with either clients or your old firm. It's not just your responsibility - it's theirs as well, as your (potential) employer. And if you're in a small area, it's probably a situation they've dealt with before.

 

[AprilR]

Thanks. I will of course tell them about the case with a conflict of interest and that i will be unable to take part in that. But i am also anxious because of the transferred cases. I think i will tell them that i also have other interviews and will think about it.

 

[Tiffany Kate]

Tell them about all of it. Then they can decide whether it's likely to be a problem for them.

I basically answer questions for a living and one thing that that always irritates me is when people only give me the information they think I need, instead of all the information. Sometimes the important bit is one of the bits they didn't tell me.

You've probably had the same experience as an attorney!

 

[AprilR]

Tell them about all of it. Then they can decide whether it's likely to be a problem for them.

I basically answer questions for a living and one thing that that always irritates me is when people only give me the information they think I need, instead of all the information. Sometimes the important bit is one of the bits they didn't tell me.

You've probably had the same experience as an attorney!

Thank you so much for your advice and listening to me. I have been so anxious that i had trouble thinking about anything else.

And my parents keep pressuring me about accepting it and it is not a big deal even though they dont know anything at all. I felt like i had to accept the offer but i can easily find a way to reject it.

 

[Tiffany Kate]

Yeah, people saying, "Oh, it'll be fine" when they have no idea about the ways it could potentially not be fine, whatever it is. Trying to be helpful, but so not!

(I'm getting the opposite from my parents at the moment. "Why don't you just quit your job if you don't like it?" Do you realise how few jobs there are in my area that an autistic person could actually do without ending up a nervous wreck? Of course, it would help if they believed I was autistic in the first place.)

Another thing is... as an attorney do you have a union/professional association with an ethics department you could discuss it with?

But in the end, it's up to you. And you have to be happy with the decision you make because you're the one who has to sleep at night and look at yourself in the mirror in the morning!

Good luck!

 

[Judge]

Tomorrow i have an interview but i am over thinking so much and so anxious.

A lot to think about. But to preserve your own sense of sanity, perhaps it might be better to consider one thing at a time, in linear fashion. Put all your effort into the interview you are about to undergo first and foremost.

Above all, not to get too hung up over ethics and etiquette. Know that businesses have operated under an incredibly mercenary mentality for several decades. Meaning to protect your interests first and foremost over theirs. But never to imply or mention it to anyone. Or what we call, "Keeping one's cards close to your chest". Especially if it involves your local legal community.

 

[AprilR]

Yeah, people saying, "Oh, it'll be fine" when they have no idea about the ways it could potentially not be fine, whatever it is. Trying to be helpful, but so not!

(I'm getting the opposite from my parents at the moment. "Why don't you just quit your job if you don't like it?" Do you realise how few jobs there are in my area that an autistic person could actually do without ending up a nervous wreck? Of course, it would help if they believed I was autistic in the first place.)

Another thing is... as an attorney do you have a union/professional association with an ethics department you could discuss it with?

But in the end, it's up to you. And you have to be happy with the decision you make because you're the one who has to sleep at night and look at yourself in the mirror in the morning!

Good luck!

Yes exactly that! I don't have anyone else i can ask for advice irl and i am very scared of taking the wrong advice! Also good idea about asking the association. I could ask the local bar association in my city, except i don't know if they have a department specifically about this subject. And my interview is tomorrow sadly.

After talking about this i came to the conclusion that it is best to be safe than sorry especially you know, being an attorney. So i will tell them i have other interviews and that i need time to think it over. You are very right that i am the one who have to face the consequences of my decisions.

 

[Judge]

I can only say with all sincerity that I completely understand your apprehension. Job interviews were always my weakest point of interacting with people. Same reason where my masking can easily fail, When I must deal with someone who inherently has some form of leverage over me.

I get it. But I also like that you are quick to examine it all and attempt to capitalize on whatever you can to make it all go smoother. That you can do this.

 

[vergil96]

Should i keep applying for jobs when i have an interview?

Yes, you should. Companies interview many candidates, therefore you should also "interview" many jobs. It's a machinery, a process, impersonal, therefore it shouldn't be treated in a personal fashion, more like rolling dices. I made the mistake in the beginning to not apply to more jobs since I got an interview and it went well and we talked about the job contract and all. There is no accountability in applying for jobs these days, sadly. As it was already said, you should take care of yourself first and foremost.

My parents said that i should Just start working, and if i get a better offer i can just quit and change to the better option. But it does not seem ethical to me, and it might ruin my reputation in the sector, since i live in a small city where everyone knows other people in the sector.

I'd say the same as your parents, but I live in a big city and the environment isn't as small.

 

[Aspychata]

l worked for the Hawaii Bar Association and l did refer attorneys to the Office of Disciplinary Council. Do you have such an agency in your area? l can understand not feeling comfortable talking to your parents about this.

 

[Aspychata]

Identifying and Addressing Conflicts of Interest | Attorney at Law Magazine