Best practices for juggling interest from more than one potential employer?

[jfer_rose]

Good morning,

I've been conducting a job search since January and am finally getting somewhere. I'm in the process of interviewing for three job openings. I think I have pretty good odds for two of them. I learned that one of the employers could be ready to make a decision as soon as this week (I will refer to this as job #1). Meanwhile, in two weeks I am flying out for an in person visit/interview to one of the others (job #2).

In the scenario where I am fortunate enough to receive an offer from job #1, what should I tell them about job #2? Job #2 already booked my flight and hotel and so I feel like I owe them the trip. Is this a scenario where honesty is the best policy, i.e., "I have already committed to another interview on X date, is it okay if I give you my answer after that?" Any advice would be appreciated as this is entirely new to me...

And another question. I am a long-distance candidate and all my interviews for job #1 have been done via Skype and so I haven't been to their office or met anyone in person. I will be attending a wedding nearby in three weeks and could easily visit job #1 in person while there. Would it be appropriate for me to ask to make my final decision after an in-person visit?

Any advice/best practices would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[AlwaysLearningToSave]

And another question. I am a long-distance candidate and all my interviews for job #1 have been done via Skype and so I haven't been to their office or met anyone in person. I will be attending a wedding nearby in three weeks and could easily visit job #1 in person while there. Would it be appropriate for me to ask to make my final decision after an in-person visit?

That sounds like an perfect out for you. :)
Just say you would like to come by in person then as you are there anyway. Thus making the first problem go away.

I agree with this. 

Is this a scenario where honesty is the best policy?

I also agree with this.  In my opinion, honesty is always the best policy in job searches.  But you needn't volunteer information.  In the best case scenario, you can handle it in the way FliXFantatier suggests and not need to let on that you are considering another job.  But if they ask you whether you are considering other jobs, answer honestly. 

[Jellyfish]

And another question. I am a long-distance candidate and all my interviews for job #1 have been done via Skype and so I haven't been to their office or met anyone in person. I will be attending a wedding nearby in three weeks and could easily visit job #1 in person while there. Would it be appropriate for me to ask to make my final decision after an in-person visit?

That sounds like an perfect out for you. :)
Just say you would like to come by in person then as you are there anyway. Thus making the first problem go away.

I agree with this. 

Is this a scenario where honesty is the best policy?

I also agree with this.  In my opinion, honesty is always the best policy in job searches.  But you needn't volunteer information.  In the best case scenario, you can handle it in the way FliXFantatier suggests and not need to let on that you are considering another job.  But if they ask you whether you are considering other jobs, answer honestly.

No employer should be surprised to learn that you are sending out more than one resume at a time *gasp*.

Savvy employers know that good candidates are pursued by more than one employer.  However you have more bargaining power if you wait and have that discussion after you hopefully get an offer from Job#2.  Hold off Job #1 as suggested above by requesting the opportunity to meet them in person in a few weeks, and making a decision after that time.  If you are lucky by then you'll have an offer from Job #2 and then you can compare salaries and negotiate both opportunities with maximum information.  Use the salary from your less preferred job to negotiate the best starting offer for the one you want. 

[jfer_rose]

Thanks everyone!

I appreciate the input. It seems odd, but I'm 37 and have never really experienced a full-on job search in that I never before applied to more than one job at a time. So this is a new experience for me. It helps to hear this stuff.

I forgot to mention-- I listed the owner of job #2 as a reference when I applied for job #1. Awkward! But the owner of company #2 knew I was looking for work in this particular region before I submitted my application with that regional office.