3 Job Offers. Advice would be great!

So today I went on another job interview. Today I also got 2 offers. I need help deciding which job to take. Bare in mind I moved to Hawaii to improve my non-existent social life

1.) Great pay, benefits but terrible hours . Hazardous gases are frequently a part of this job. Guaranteed employment

2.) Low pay, No benefits and average hours. Guaranteed employment

3.) Moderate pay, Great hours, great environment, and benefits. Pretty much my dream job, however the employment is not guaranteed. I need another interview.

The problem is the first two jobs won't wait. What should I do?
I also have funds to last another month un-employed (although I don't intend to stay that way)

Look out for #1 (that's YOU!)

Take the high paying job - keep looking for a better one and continue with the interview for the second. No one needs to know - if they are not in the same industry they won't. Jump ship if you get the one you really want. Some might argue that this is unethical but don't kid yourself for one minute - employers don't give a hoot about their staff. They will keep you or let you go as it serves the best interest of the company - not you - no matter how hard you work or how much they like you. At the end of the day, it ALWAYS comes down to numbers. The only time you should hold out is: 1. if the companies are in the same industry and one may find out about the other (bad rep). 2. there is UI that you are collecting or some other benefit that would cease if you start a new job (and subsequently you would not qualify for a second time so soon). 3. How likely is the third job - sometimes if they are hard up for good labour you can pressure them into making a decision about you sooner but this is a dangerous tactic. Good luck.

jamu said:

Take the high paying job - keep looking for a better one and continue with the interview for the second. No one needs to know - if they are not in the same industry they won't. Jump ship if you get the one you really want. Some might argue that this is unethical but don't kid yourself for one minute - employers don't give a hoot about their staff. They will keep you or let you go as it serves the best interest of the company - not you - no matter how hard you work or how much they like you. At the end of the day, it ALWAYS comes down to numbers. The only time you should hold out is: 1. if the companies are in the same industry and one may find out about the other (bad rep). 2. there is UI that you are collecting or some other benefit that would cease if you start a new job (and subsequently you would not qualify for a second time so soon). 3. How likely is the third job - sometimes if they are hard up for good labour you can pressure them into making a decision about you sooner but this is a dangerous tactic. Good luck.

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Agreed. I've done what is mentioned. Took a job I didn't really want, but needed money. A couple weeks later, got a call from the job I wanted and jumped ship.
So, in short... "What he said"...^ ^

Soulwar said:

Agreed. I've done what is mentioned. Took a job I didn't really want, but needed money. A couple weeks later, got a call from the job I wanted and jumped ship.
So, in short... "What he said"...^ ^

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This, and remember, you don't have to put that job on your resumé.

Regardless of how business relationships work in the minds of some, taking a job and quitting weeks, or days later is unethical and rude. Also, it can come back to bite you. If the two companies are in the same industry and location, and its an industry that you plan to work in for a while, word can get out about you and people will be unwilling to give you a chance because of your past actions. You never know what can happen in the future. Also, if you come from a certain college you could start causing bad rep for yourself and your school. There is a better alternative.

The best thing to do it go to the job you want and let them know your situation and ask to speed up the process. On many interviews I've been on the interviewer told me that if I have other offers with deadlines, I should let them know so they could speed up the interview process for me. The other side of the "just business" relationship is that companies know that you are likely interviewing for more than just their job. There's no sense in hiding it. They won't think badly of you or not hire you because of it. Just go to them and say exactly what you're saying here: another company has made an offer with a deadline, but you really want to work for them, so you would like to expedite the interview process if possible. Most companies/interviewers know pretty quickly whether or not they're interested in you anyway, and if this company wants you they'll accommodate your situation.

How is taking a better job offer, unethical and rude? In my case, I received a job offer 2 weeks after I started. It wasn't planned. But having 3 children to raise and feed, it was necessary.

In today's economy, you have to survive. Ethics do not pay the bills.

I was laid off recently, due to lack of work in this area. I worked for this company for 6 years and had 13yrs experience. I lost my job to the owners kids. I was more responsible, had 10yrs more experience and was 2x more productive. They showed up when they felt like it, lied about the work being done, slept on the job, wrecked and abused company vehicles. I could go on.

That is rude and unethical. This is the real world. Not what they teach you in school.
Sure, some occupations you need to be more considerate of, but not at the loss of your family and home. (which, by the way, I did lose my home)

Working with hazardous chemicals/ gasses isn't a good thing in the long run. Take a job that pays now, that won't kill you slowly, and has decent benefits. If they need an answer now, chose the one you'd rather have least. Be upfront and say you still have one interview left. If that backfires, you have the second to fall back on. Take that job and decide if the time comes to switch to the job you really want.
Sometimes what you want isn't worth the risk. If you wait hoping for the second interview and hire, you will still be w/o a job and there is no guarantee the second interview will get you the job.

tell job number 3 that you have the others that will not wait

If they really want you rather than anybody else then they will snap you up, stress to them that they are your preferred choice

you have nothing to loose

I agree with louishen, call your ideal employer and let them know of your situation. Tell them you would really like to work for them and feel them out. As an employer I've had new hires do this with me and it never offended me, in fact I appreciated it. Some cases I told them I wasn't moving that fast and in another I told them I would call them within 2 hours - they took the job with me.

Having taken jobs that were not ideal before and stuck around I found I earned points that paid me back later on. Jumping ship in this day and age is common, but also keep in mind that many employers know one another and do talk. I had an employee burn us about 3 months ago and left a key position with no notice or warning. You bet when I saw the head of the company she went to work for I shared my frustration. He was very apologetic as they do allow enough time for people to give notice and didn't want that reputation of their company. She ended up burning a bridge without knowing it. Though probably not related to my comment she didn't get offered the full time job once the temp position ended.

It seems I've offended someone, with these posts.
My latest "rep" received, with no signature...

"Treat others badly because you were? Still lost your house? Sounds like karma"

Did I treat someone badly or just hit a nerve?

I posted personal information, to show how the real world isn't fair sometimes.
But obviously, some people prove my point for me.

So I guess my Family and I deserved to lose our home, because I doubled my weekly salary 6 yrs ago and posted my opinion 6yrs later. Seems fair, doesn't it?

Soulwar said:

It seems I've offended someone, with these posts.
My latest "rep" received, with no signature...

"Treat others badly because you were? Still lost your house? Sounds like karma"

Did I treat someone badly or just hit a nerve?

I posted personal information, to show how the real world isn't fair sometimes.
But obviously, some people prove my point for me.

So I guess my Family and I deserved to lose our home, because I doubled my weekly salary 6 yrs ago and posted my opinion 6yrs later. Seems fair, doesn't it?

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I'm going to go with hit a nerve. BTW it wasn't me.

Thanks everyone for you input! I made some calls and will let you know of the results. I dont like to burn bridges either. Especially on such a small island