You just got offered the job, but…

The company offering is #2 or #3 on your list.

You’re still midway through interviews with your top choice.

What do you do?

This tends to be a touchy subject and I’ve seen many different takes.

Here's mine:

As a job seeker, you are the CEO of your life and your career.

Your job is make sure you have all of the information, analyze it thoroughly, and make the best decision for YOU.

The same as the CEO for any of the companies you’re targeting would do.

What does that mean in this context?

Personally, I would be accepting the offer from my #2 or #3 company (assuming I had already shared my other offer and there’s a deadline I can’t extend).

Then I would continue interviewing at my top company.

If I don’t get the role at my top company, I still have a good options to fall back on.

If I do get the role at my top, then I take all of the info, I analyze it, and I make the best decision for me.

That could still be sticking with Company #2…

Or it could be rescinding my offer and going with my top choice.

When I give this advice, people naturally say, “but you gave them your word!”

“You're going to burn bridges!”

Maybe.

Probably.

But I've never seen a company save someone from a layoff because they passed over their dream job to “keep their word.”

One quarter, there's a keynote about how “we're a family.”

The next quarter 500+ people are laid off.

Your company's CEO isn't hesitating to remove emotion and make the best decision for them.

You shouldn't either.

Get all the info.

Analyze thoroughly.

Then make the best decision for you.