Should You Tell Prospective Employers That You are Interviewing with Other Companies?

Finding a job is a job in itself. Career seekers often stay up late, combing the Internet for job ads, and wake up early, preparing for an interview (or two). An unemployed individual’s life is filled with as much activity as uncertainty (that is, if the person is aggressively seeking a job). Can you identify with this?

How Much Information Should You Share with an Interviewer?

With all the juggling involved in the job-seeking process, it can be difficult to discern how much to tell interviewers about your other prospects. Should you, a job candidate, tell prospective employers that you are interested in other companies?

You Aren’t Obligated to Provide Unnecessary Information

If a prospective employer asks whether or not you are interviewing with other companies, it’s wise (and moral) to tell him or her the truth. Honesty is the best policy. However, you aren’t obligated to tell an interviewer more information than you are comfortable with. In a job interview, you should never hide the truth, but it’s OK to avoid offering up unnecessary information.

Keep Answers About Your Prospects Honest and Brief

If an interviewer asks if you are interested in other companies, an appropriate reply may be, “I had an interview with so and so last week,” or something along those lines. You do not need to say, “Yes, I am definitely interested in working for this other company.” This type of language indicates that you are more interested in the other company than the one you are currently interviewing with. This could cause an employer to see you as a liability.

Letting your interviewer know you have interviewed with another company, without saying how interested you are in the other company, is a good idea for several reasons. For one thing, it gives you some time to decide which company you are most interested in working for (a job interview is not the place to decide this). Also, it may cause your interviewer to see you as a high-demand candidate who is desirable to other employers.

How to Answer a Point-Blank Question

What if an interviewer specifically asks you how interested you are in a company you have already interviewed with? “At this point it would be a good idea to restate your interest in the job and company where you are currently being interviewed and let the team know that you will inform them if there is a development with xyz company and then move the conversation forward,” says Eileen Hoenigman Meyer, writer for the Simply Hired blog.

To say that job interview questions can be tough to navigate is an understatement. However, by preparing yourself for every difficult question that might be thrown at you, you can feel confident and somewhat in-control on the day of your next interview.

How have you handled the question, “Are you interviewing with any other companies?” in the past?