Noon
Wow… We’re now at 5 full interviews in process or pending. I’ll finish up with two start-ups this week, start discussions with one or two start-ups this week, and start the loops with three very large corporations (VLCs) Friday. One VLC has been scheduled since the end of December and my deadlines for the others have all been about being fair to them because they waited nearly 2 months to be able to do my loop. Another VLC has confirmed one of six one-hour slots this morning (5 to go), the other just asked for my scheduling availability for 5 one-hour slots this morning.
It’s tough, because the one that just got to scheduling has the most complex format. I’ll do five one-hour slots, then if the conclusion is “this person is a good hire,” I’ll actually get shopped around to not just the hiring manager who expressed interest, but others. Then there might be additional “meet the team” meetings to determine where I’m best placed (if at all). After those, an offer might be extended.
I think the first VLC is also going to be similar. They have so many developer relations roles opening this year that they didn’t have to fit me into one that was open when they first reached out in November. To my understanding their interview will also be more to answer “is Greg a good Dev Rel fit for our company?” And if the answer is yes, they’ll work on matching me with a team.
It’s the middle VLC where there’s a very specific role in mind and I’ve met twice with the person who would be my manager if I’m hired, and they’ll be able to make an offer decision (yes, no, we want you $$$ much) after the interview results have been hashed through.
My goal has been to accept an offer on or before Feb 28. I may reach that and still be waiting for VLC 3 to make up their mind. I do not know how long I’ll be able to give them. It will depend in part on the timing of the other offers. I could potentially have my first offer by this Friday, making the 28th a wait of over 2 weeks. My deadline for offers was Feb 25th, but I may extend it to March 4.
See, here’s the conundrum. Legally I could say yes to an early offer, then cancel if a better offer came in before I started or even after. As much as I like the people I’m interviewing with, the VLCs are all corporations that have done mass downsizings in the past, and in the end, it’s nothing personal… just business. But I still have 2 concerns…
1: My word should be trustworthy. My actions should not be based on how much loyalty I expect from the company in the future. Besides being important to my own self-image, authenticity and reputation are important to my public image in this industry.
2: The damage sustained by a VLC would be minor, but if a 12-person start-up makes an offer and I accept, then dump them for a better offer, the impact of that will be more significant for them. I’m not going to put them out of business, but the cost of going back to other people they told “no” or starting a whole new round with new candidates will not be cheap.
That makes the question “why would I take an offer if I’m not all in?” The answer is two pronged: “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” and FOMO (fear of missing out). That first offer (if any go to offer) is now the bird in the hand. NONE of the others might come in. There’s a “bird in the hand” logic to saying yes just as an insurance policy. But FOMO says “the one(s) you’re waiting for could be better!”
ALL of this is conjecture and theory. The ones I think could come in early could be late. The ones I think might be late could surprise me and come in earlier. I could get ALL THE OFFERS or NO offers. I’m going to go post a poll about this on LinkedIn.