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Problem is the following. I applied recently for a lot of jobs (approx. 30), call them Company_1 to Company_30.

After many rejections, now an offer came from company Company_17. It is not very good (for example, only half of my expected salary increase happened). I expect reply yet from about 10, and after some statistical analyse of the probabilities, I think, about 1 or 2 offer can be among them.

But it is not sure. It will take about a month until I get my answer in all of them.

But... I only have a week to say a "yes" or "no" to the offer I got. If I say "yes", and then I roll back... that is not something after that I would happily look into the mirror. If I say "no", and none of the parallel applications wins, then I might become unemployed.

So I have a case, either I need to reject the offer (and risk unemployment) or I need to accept it (then potentially reject a much better one, or becoming highly dishonorable).

I am sure, not only I face this problem. This is Germany where I am a foreigner and after so many years, I still somehow feel, everybody knows, what to do in this situation, except me.

What to do? How is it being done by others here?

The target companies are mostly small IT companies (50-100 employee), working as various customers for big ones.

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    Also dupe, useful post: How can I delay job offer acceptance?
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    Commented May 8, 2023 at 18:30
  • I should mention that, ignoring any efforts to delay things, etc., this is an example of the so-called Secretary Problem. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem More or less, you should choose the first offer that is better than those from the first third of the candidates. Thus if Company_17 is the first acceptance, you should take it. (This is with no other information, and it's a result from optimal stopping theory. Its applications are when you have no other information about future opportunities.)
    – David A. Craven
    Commented May 8, 2023 at 19:42
  • @DavidA.Craven Wow, you had right - really that was the best. Rejecting it had been a mistake, fortunately I had luck. I dig into the math.
    – Gray Sheep
    Commented Jul 7, 2023 at 11:35

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What to do?

They give you a week to decide on the job offered to you. Then, you should use this full 1 week to analyze the pros and cons of this offer in order to make a good decision.

At the end of that 1 week time, if you have no other offers, then obviously you should take this offer.

At the end of that 1 week time, if you have some more offers, then you should compare and analyze them all in order to pick the best one out of these offers.

However, please note that an offer is only official if they send you an official letter.

A verbal offer is not official, and you should continue to look for jobs if they have only given you a verbal offer.

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  • They sent me in an e-mail. Afaik it is not counted as an offical letter, but afaik courts tend to accept them like one. But no one thinks on court procedures, I think now they have a fear, what is exactly what my concern: that yet another offer comes in and they will need to restart their recruitment from zero.
    – Gray Sheep
    Commented May 8, 2023 at 18:36
  • Btw, the problem is that the average length of an application procedure (between first contact and first workday) is about 2 months in Germany. But I only have 1 week to say "no" or "yes" if an offer comes in.
    – Gray Sheep
    Commented May 8, 2023 at 18:37
  • @GraySheep - If you are unhappy with the offer, counter it, with the understanding the company might have already made their “best and final” offer. Counteroffers can be a way to extend a negotiation like this a small amount of time. However, you have an offer in hand, that is very valuable. Only you and you alone can decide on what to do. If it’s not an actual offer, request they make one, so you can negotiate your compensation
    – Donald
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 11:38

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