Company A is probably, but not guaranteed, going to offer Employee X a job with a very, VERY large pay increase. Ca-ching! You know what I’m sayin’? Payday, foshizzle.
Company B is very probably, almost guaranteed, going to offer Employee X a job with a large pay increase. Nothing to sneeze at, but it’s not the golden brick road Company A is living on.
Company B is going to make this offer with a time-limit of 48 hours to make a decision.
Company A might need another week to make their final determination.
Employee X does not want to accept the job with Company B, and then get an offer from Company A that he cannot refuse. Accepting a job with Company A and quitting four days later just smells like really bad mojo.
If Company B calls Employee X with a job offer, how does Employee X tell Company B that he needs more time to make a decision, as he wants more to to allow Company A to come through?
I think that he should take the offer that seems to be more enjoyable, as they’re both a fairly nice raise.
You call Company B and say that you need to get your finances in order, need to talk to your accountant and that you simply need some time to think it over.
If they really want you, they’ll accept this delay. What’s a couple of days when they’re (hopefully) looking at having you gainfully employed for some number of years…
I say ask for more time and wait for the better job if you can. If they want you to accept or reject within that 48 period, I would say take job B and wait for job A, and if they offer to take it! Bad mojo aside, with how our economy is these days I think you need to be looking out for providing for yourself and your son first. You never know what is around the corner and a little extra money saved away never hurt anyone. Just my 2 cents.
The key is communication and letting them know you’re very interested, but not ready to make a decision yet. Whatever excuse you use, they will know you’re waiting for another company’s response. Just try and sugarcoat it as much as you can.
What Kai said sounds like a good plan.
I guess another question is whether companies A and B ever read the blog of prospect employee X? wouldn’t want them to know how much better their offers are then your current package: they might both want to revisit!
Grats on some good news in your life. A good job is never as good as a stable marriage, but it goes some way to proving that there is life after even that tragedy – as does the other recent blog on your son’s choices and antics.
Welcome to the next stage in your life. May it be one filled with happiness, contentment and the love of your son.
It’s perfectly acceptable to take Job B and then leave if Job A becomes available.
You never know, Employer B may offer you more to stay if they see you are accepting a better offer.
But there are questions beyond money. Do you like one job over the other? Which has greater prospects for stability and long-term employment? Is one more conveniently located? Is a higher paying job going to affect your divorce proceedings (sorry, it’s a valid question) in regards to any court-ordered owings to your ex-wife?
Will one job require longer hours and thus less time with your son?
Money is important but there are other more important factors to consider for the long-term.
But, in any case, do not feel you must decline one in hopes of the other, as that can completely fall out from under you leaving neither offer available.
Why not tell company A that another offer is pending and if they really really want you, then they should offer you the job now. Likewise tell company B that another offer is pending, and that you’d like more money from them. Then you get a bidding war going.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Oh wow, this brings back memories, and not in a good way.
I faced almost this exact situation myself about 18 months ago. I decided to go for the full disclosure policy, admitting to B that I had a concurrent interview with another company and would they please give me three days to decide on their offer, and in the meantime would they please send me a written offer. They said okay.
TWO days later, company B calls back, saying they were rescinding the offer, on the grounds that they were “obviously” my second choice.
Then the next day I learn the offer from company A is not forthcoming.
Oh, and did I mention, at point in time I had been out of work for nearly nine months? I came seriously close to wanting to kill myself right there.
Fortunately, company C, whom I had interviewed with for little more reason than to pass the time, surprised me with an offer less than two weeks after that. I’ve been with them ever since.
Since then I’ve talked to career counselors who assure me I did nothing wrong, but it still took a long time for the pain to go away.
Let’s plot this out as a decision matrix:
1. A no, B no
2. A no, B yes
3. A yes, B no
4. A yes, B yes
#1 is worst-case, as it would mean that not only do you not get a payraise, but all the time spent thinking about it was wasted.
#2 is a no-brainer. You take the job B.
#3 and #4 will look the same for seven days, yet you must decide between them within two days. Since job A is optimal in terms of salary, you run the risk of making a sub-optimal decision.
There are several ways to approach this, from “above board” to “unethical”, with gradations in between. You, personally, need to decide upon what kind of person you are and what behavior you find acceptable. Likewise, you must make a judgment on how ethical company A and B are, and how ethically they will treat you.
The first way has been suggested by previous comments: do not make the decision based on salary. Instead, base it quality of life issues such as
* how enthusiastic you will be doing the work
* will you like the people you will be working with
* flextime/overtime considerations
* career growth
* corporate and job security
If you go this route, the uncertainty about whether to choose #3 or #4 collapses — you will work for whichever is higher on these attributes.
The rest of the options require that you tell one HR department that you are entertaining two offers. You will need to evaluate their corporate ethics, based on your interviews, anecdotes from friends, and web research. If there is a non-profit in your area that helps with job placement, the councilors there may have insight.
The first option is to be completely aboveboard ahead of time with A. Have a conversation with your contact, and lay out your dilemma. It is vital that you stress that A is your first choice. (And burble about non-salary reasons about why this is so.) Look perplexed. Wait for the HR person to tell you what they will do to make your life easier. Do not do this via telephone or email — you want to push the other person into helping you, which is easier face to face.
Since B is not your first choice, you have to be a bit more sneaky when talking with them. As others have suggested, the sneakiest is taking job B, and then five days later calling them up and saying, “I changed my mind.” In addition to your personal ethics, you will need to evaluate your industry and determine if this will harm your long-term career prospects. (Will word get around?)
If you decide to talk to B ahead of time, ask about why are they only giving you 48 hours to make up your mind. Is it because their project is about to fail and they need someone as soon as possible, or are they a high-pressure go-go-go company? Do you want to work someplace like that?
I’ll now turn from commenting about your job prospects to discussing your divorce. I went through a very messy one, and here is my advice. Since you have described contested child custody, you need a lawyer. Even if you don’t think you need one, and your spouse appears reasonable, get one anyway. The biggest question is in which state the child custody part of the divorce will be litigated in. Since states have different guidelines on support, this will be a big deal.
Finally, do not post anything online that could possibly be used against you in the divorce proceedings. Like this blog post that I’m responding to. Here’s a hypothetical, based on something that happened to me. Suppose you get neither job A or job B. When it comes time for the judge to decide who pays how much child support, your spouse’s lawyer will say to the judge, “Your honor, even though the father is currently making $xx,000/year, we feel he is underemployed. Based on his experience and skills, as witnessed by his public postings on 6/3/2009, he should be making $yyy,000/year.”
If the judge agreed, you’d be paying a lot more child support (if your wife got primary physical custody) or recieving a lot less from her (if you got primary physical custody.)
Another reason to consult with a lawyer is because there may be interactions between the compensation package A and B offer, and how they interact with child support and alimony and taxes. Until the absolute divorce decree is final, your wife may or may not (depending on whether you are in a community property state) have an interest in any signing bonus, or stock options, or per diem payments.
Good luck. You can expect to live in interesting times for the next few years. Your mantra will become, “alimony, child custody and support, property distribution, absolute divorce decree.” And get a lawyer. In both states, if your spouse files where she is now.
I agree it’s bad mojo to accept Company B and turn around a week later and quit for Company A. My experience is that it’s a small world, you run into the same people time and again in different companies and roles, and some of them will remember you and your past behavior.
At the same time, I’m not totally in favor of full disclosure here. Companies want new hires that are committed and excited and likely to be around for a while. When you start the process saying you’re pursuing multiple opportunites, I think the feeling is immediately “this person is a mercenary, interested only in the best deal and will probably jump the minute something better comes along.”
Therefore, I’d wait for a proposal from B and try to find why there’s a 48-hour limit. Is it because they have another candidate? Do they have to fill the job with someone because of upcoming tasks? Just their fun idea of hardball negotiations? Know where the time-limit comes from might help with negotiations.
In any case, if I thought it wasn’t a deal buster, I’d just say that I need a few more days to talk to my family and make a decision. If they really want you, they’ll give you a bit more time. They’ll likely know the put-off means you’ve got another offer, but I don’t think they’ll apperciate it if you their noses in the fact.
If it is a legitimate deal buster to delay the Company B decision, then I think you’ll have to make the call of a bird in the hand vs two in the bush. Which job and company you’d actually rather work at might help with that.
Good luck either way.
How funny – I just finished up a similar scenario. I got a job offer from Company A, which is a good job for a good company, while waiting to hear from Company B, which is also a good job with a good company. Unfortunately, Company B was going to take about 2 weeks to make a decision and I had an offer from Company A burning a hole in my pocket. And did I mention that I had been laid off about 6 months prior and that finances were starting to get a little tight? Yeah, I took company A’s offer and agonized over what I’d do if Company B extended one.
Which they did yesterday.
After much debate and opinion soliciting I’ve accepted Company B’s offer, Bad Mojo be damned. A good friend gave me some great advice when I was trying to make up my mind. He said: In this economy, there is no ‘safe’ choice. Faced with that reality, go with the one you’re more passionate about. Because passion will carry you a lot farther in a career than ‘safe’ ever will. And I realized he’s right.
I feel bad for Company A b/c it would be a perfectly acceptable job (horrid commute tho) and I do like the people. But Company B will be more rewarding and satisfying in the long run.
Good luck in your decision, and feel free to ping me via email if you want to hear more of the advice I’d gotten regarding the scenario.
Well, X could always preemptively inform company B that he would be out of touch for 4-5 days, and hope they sync up.
Forget the money, and look at everything else. Do they still equal each other? If not, and you think that without the money you would still prefer company A, then I would go with company A. If, all other things aside, you would choose Company B, I would go to Company B and tell them you have another offer, and it is for more money, but you would much prefer to work at company B. See if you can get them to bite.
I agree with Notelrac on all of his points.
Definitely consider the non-$$ parts of the package, they will likely have a lot to do with your future happiness. And DEFINITELY don’t discuss details here with your divorce pending. And Do go get yourself a lawyer if you don’t have one yet. Get a good one. It really does matter. You need all the info you can get your hands on. I’d talk to at least two lawyers from both locales. Obviously you want a family law specialist.
Hang in there buddy, and I know it will turn out better for you in the end!
Steve
I actually had the exact same situation with my current job. Stall, stall, stall! Tell them it’s a big decision that can’t be made lightly, anything within reason and without jeopardizing the situation.
I had to choose between Texas (my company B) and the Twin Cities (company A). Kind of went like this:
Company B: “What’s it gonna be? We need an answer.”
/cast Deterrence
Company B: “Minnesota sucks, we need an answer.”
/cast Disengage
Company B: “”Seriously, we need an answer.”
/cast Feign Death
Company B: “OK, but we need an answer in a few days.”
A few days later…
Company A: “Wanna work with us?”
/cheer
Company B: “So?”
/gkick
I love my job now. I made the right choice.
All of the above. And trust your gut feeling too. It’s usually right ;D
Ask Company B for more time to consider your situation, await reply from Company A, then decide.
Love your writing still!
Well a couple of years ago i did the following.
worked for A and got a good offer from B.
which is in the same town that i live in. so after a couple of talks and much thinking on my part. really liked the no commute part.
and a bit extra money.
lo and behold after 4 months i was pulling my hair out.
told my wife, that i made the biggest mistake of my live.
2 months passed and i was thinking well need to find another job,
(need to move for that).
The boss of A was starting to look around for a replacment, he called me up and asked if i didn’t know anybody who wanted the job and or was i interested in coming back. well i went back (again a pay raise), to much cheering of the guys in A and angry looks from the boss from B.
Think it over, and look past the extra money, hoe much time do you get to spend with your son. in the long run that’s more important.
You’ve told us which job pays more, but you didn’t tell us which job is better. A lot of the other comments have it right:
*Look for stability as well as opportunities for growth in the company. My father had a choice back in the 80s between two decent companies, but after doing some research he found that one was very innovative and one wasn’t. He chose the better one, then found out a year later that the worse company was now going out of business.
* Will you enjoy both positions? You didn’t offer us any details, but we as readers don’t need to know them — you know them best anyway.
* Does either one hurt the time you’d spend with your son? He is more important than the money, and your ex-to-be shouldn’t be able to use this as fodder.
If Company B gets back to you first and makes you the 48h offer, be up front with them. Others have told you to sugarcoat it, but your experience in the military should inform you otherwise. They should expect that you were looking at other companies, and if you are a great candidate they should also expect competing offers. You can tell them what your situation is plainly, but don’t use it as direct leverage. It will make you just seem greedy. You respect their hope to get you to commit quickly so they can begin the work they need to do soon.
In the meantime, I would let Company A know that you have received an offer from Company B as soon as you do, out of respect for them. Again, not leverage, just courtesy.
If either company really wants you, they will try to accomodate your situation as best they can — maybe not with better offers, but give you the time you need to make the choice.
If push comes to shove, it is fine to leave Company B after only being there a few days — you are not a slave, and while it does feel like bad mojo, it isn’t if you told them about Company A in advance.
Best of Luck to you.
Hi Dan,
Take the job that company B has to offer.
Being realistic, i would take the job that company B its offering me because 1) they have already evaluated the situation, 2) They seem more serious than company A , 3) If things go wrong you are going to be fired faster in company A because they are paying more (if things go wrong, doesnt meaning that they can go wrong). A larger pay doesnt mean that it is the better choice.
Tell B that you will come in unpayed for the week that you are waiting for that response of A, gives you a great cance to see what they are about.
Not everything is about money right……:)
/Andy
Any employer you want to work for demands:
1) Honesty
2) People who can speak truth to power (be direct)
3) People who can be honest without destroying relationships.
Of any employer you want to work for, you demand:
A) Honesty
B) Fair treatment
C) Flexibility on their part when it counts, not just when it’s easy.
If you are 1, 2 & 3, if your actions embody these traits, and then either company doesn’t provide A, B, or C, then that’s not your company.
In other words, lay it out for both of them. Tell them each about the other offer. Tell company B that you need more time to respond because company A may make you a better offer and you don’t want that bad mojo. Tell company A that B is about to make an offer, that you’d rather work for A, but that you can’t afford to loose both offers just because of dumb timing. Can they help you out?
Think through how you’ll word this stuff, suck in your gut, and project the kind of self-confidence and problem solving that will settle all the decision-making at both companies. How you manage this small crisis (small to them, they’ll hire someone whether it’s you or not) will definitely make an impression.
Remember, just do what you’d do if you’d already worked there for 5 years; that’s you. If you bring “you” to the table and they don’t like it, then that’s not “your” company. And watch closely about what they bring in response, because that may give you a little inside baseball about what you’re getting yourself into.
(Except the bit about the 5 stages of your meeting. You should save that level of “honesty” until after you’re hired.)
Cheers -Drew
I wish I had this problem. I would take job B and if Job A comes up and if it is a better deal over all such as benefits, hours worked, job satifaction,I would take it. In the end company’s do not think twice about kicking someone to the curb if it increased their profit. Business is business you have to think of yourself first.
The cake is a lie….
“Ca-ching” ain’t all that.
“Top Ten Things My Son Did on Friday” is.
You have a life to get sorted out, that should be #1 priority.
Also, ironically, read Gevlon’s post today.
You’re making it altogether too hard. Tell the one company what’s going on, and that you need time for the other company to get their act together. Put a fixed time limit on it, and at the end of that time, decide.
There’s not much wrong with honesty here.
Not going to say “money isn’t everything” like a bunch of people here, because that is a load of frogspit. It’s damn near everything or else you wouldn’t have made this post.
I’d try to leverage the situation if you felt there was a possibility. Tell them company A is offering X$, but I’d rather work here at company B. Can you guys at company B get any closer to company A’s offer?
Or, you could just screw both offers and go work for SpaceX. You know it would be more fun anyway.
With an eye on such things at the moment.. you also need to see what the benefit packages (medical especially) are like. Granted you are retired USAF /salute and that carries some really good benefits as well. I’m fighting a benefit problem joined with the fallout from a divorce 4 years ago.
My ex moved 2 states away taking my daughter with her. Recently she (daughter) was diagnosed with adhd and the meds for that are not cheap. (like 300 a month) My company’s insurance which covers her (per the court order) does not cover mental health issues. since she’s covered by my insurance, the ex can’t cover her under the low cost public assistance program where she’s at.
Assuming benefits are equal, I would try to prod company A, letting them know that you have an offer on the table that has to be answered within 48 hours. Let them know you really would prefer working for them but have to do what is best for you and your son.
I think you should speak with Company A and let them know you may be entertaining an offer from Company B and ask if Company A could submit there offer any sooner.
And Company B’s 2 day response time seems a bit tight, you should probably ask them to extend that too while your at it.
As mentioned previously, also consider benefits, sometimes the money is great but the insurance program sucks and you happened to need it, well…
Feign Death?
Tell them that you would probably love to have the job… but your “uncle” is sick with a tumor on his leg in Houston and you wont be returning for a week and that when you get back you should be able to get the job unless a different opportunity (company a) may come up and be more appealing to you.
If you think honesty and a request for more time will work here, great. If not, and you need to take B, then A–go for it. It’s your LIFE. Make it the best it can be! You can’t deny yourself an opportunity because you might hurt some corp’s feelings. They will have forgotten about it by the next week… not cry into their collective pillows for the next 5 years.
Some people are suggesting a level of dishonesty that seems odd to me.
You can be forthright and honest without full disclosure of the situation. I think asking Company B for a bit more time, seeing as where you’re at in life right now, needing sort a few things out, I think they’d be very understanding. And if not, perhaps you don’t really want to work for them anyways.
Lot so of opinions here… my 2 cents.
Fact 1, you are currently employed and making enough money to pay the bills. A change of scenery and pay increase can be very nice, but you are not in a crisis situation.
I am shocked at the number of people who have suggested that taking the offer from company B and quitting in a week is acceptable. I suppose that if the options are Starbucks and TGI Fridays you could make a case for going with the flow. We are talking about a serious company and a position involving Daniel’s substantial technical experience… swapping out is not an option. Not only does word get around in small circles… but you are really screwing company B (who once you accept is likely to alert other candidates the position has been filled.
A reasonable stall is however completely fine, if they wont give you a week I would question their ability to work with you reasonably in the future as well. As for reasons, keep it short and professional… others have mentioned some good ones (need to see offer IN WRITING, have your attorney and accountant review it, contact a realtor in the area to confirm relocation and housing costs etc.) They dont need to know anything about company A unless you want to play hardball. On the flip side I would alert company A that you have an offer under consideration which requires a timely response… if they want you they will accelerate their process.
Ultimately it may come down to other factors besides salary though. Chance for future advancement, cool projects, length of commute (huge difference even between 20 minutes and 40 minutes on quality of life), family leave policy, assigned parking, cafeteria food, color of the damn polo shirts (=P) the list goes on. Good luck and dont look back… I had a chance to work at the NSF last year and turned it down, but at the time it was the right decision.
I would call HR at the 48 hour place, and ask them why they need a decision so quickly. If it’s a reasonable reason, then you’re in the same situation. If it’s unreasonable, you may not be willing to work there any more, and problem solved
Mistake 1 – not saying you had multiple interviews in the interview. This is a basic cover your ass method to keep this situation from ever happening.
Solution – Stall for time using your current job as a buffer. I need to give a 3 week notice now, or I need a week to finish off project X, or some such. Can you give me a week to mull it over and finish this up? I do not want to leave current employer hanging.
Everyone goes for that. It also has the effect of saying “I don’t screw people over”.
Well, I would think that Mr. X should talk to Company B and tell that you need more time, say for “family” reasons, or for “reasons beyond your control”. If they do not like this, and tell you it’s right then, or never, would Mr. X really want to work for a company that treats it’s employees like that? I worked for a company like that, and I took the job. Throughout my employment there, they treated us like exactly the same way “you don’t have a life outside of work, and your only concern should be when and where you work for us.”
You have the question backwards.
The question should be:
“How does Employee X convince Company A to accelerate its decision-making process?”
And the answer is simple:
“Employee X calls Company A and tells them, honestly, that they have an offer letter from another company. Employee X tells Company A that he would prefer to accept a position with Company B, but in the current economy, lack of a concrete offer from Company A will force him to accept the aforementioned offer from Company B.”
Basically, just pass the ultimatum, politely, on to the preferred employer. Do NOT ask for more time from B, require A to get off their duffs. Politely.
Federal Librarian gave the perfect response so I will just say ditto Federal Librarian.
Scroll up and read Noah’s response again. He has it right. Do not tell company B what is going on. Accept the first thing that comes along (if you really want it) and deal with the second when it happens. This is business, you need to look out for yourself, and company B should know and understand this. If they act like children instead of making a play to keep you then you will know you made the right choice. Good Luck!
What’s the problem? You accept B’s offer, then if/when A calls you next week you call B back and tell them you’ve been made a better offer.
Why do so many people think that means you’ll be quitting on B after a week?
If you accept B’s offer tomorrow, Friday June 5th, the absolute earliest they should expect you to begin working for them is Monday, June 22nd, because you owe your current employer AT LEAST 2 weeks notice (even if they are the Government).
So when A calls next week and says, “How about it?” you won’t be quitting with B after one week because you haven’t even started working for them yet.
Then you call B back and tell them you’ve been made a better offer. If you want to play the game and really like B see if they will increase their offer to you (but that game can backfire on you), otherwise just tell them, “Thank you, perhaps we’ll have another chance to work together in the future. Good bye.”
I would not accept A’s offer just to jump ship to B in a week or so. I don’t know how big your professional community is, but I personally would be afraid of running into the same people 5 or 10 years down the road.
Seeing as how your personal life is in upheaval right now, I would use that to get company A to give you a bit more time to make a decision. Honestly, you really do need time to get more information, see how the job will affect your current life, etc, right?
If you really really really can’t get any extra time from A, I would take it, and stay there, even if B gave me a better offer (all other aspects of the job being equal). I am a cautious sort, and would accept the job in case B never materialized, and would stay because of the small professional community I work in.
Also, as others have said, examine the non financial aspects of the jobs as well. A pay raise is always good, but make sure that your quality of living is still going to be the same. Be wary of anyone who will require longer hours (or just strange ones that would make child care difficult), travel, or a worse commute if you are planning on fighting for custody.
Accept the job from Company B and go on as if nothing is going to happen with Company A, after all you don’t have an offer nor is there a guarantee of one. If Company A does come with an offer later you are pleasantly surprised. Take this offer to Company B and let them know of it and give them the option to either match it or you accept the position with Company A. Complete transparency with Company B is all that is necessary.
Daniel here’s my 2 cents:
First decide WHAT IT IS YOU WANT. If you want company B to give you more time try telling them that your wife just told you she wanted a divorce and you need some more time to see how this would fit in with the marital fallout and placement of your son.
If company B will not give you the time, then KNOW HOW THE EMPLOYMENT LAWS WORK IN FLORIDA before you take the job thinking you might leave it. Wisconsin (where I practice law)is an “at will” employment state. This means that, minus a written contract for employment, employees can quit at any time for any reason and employers can fire people at any time for any reason, both without consequence. So in Wisconsin, you could take the job with B and as long as you didn’t sign an employment contract, quit even the same day, if you wanted to, to take a different job. But like I say, know how the law in Florida works and if you don’t know, call up a lawyer, explain the situation and ask.
And don’t feel bad if you need to leave to take the other job. Do what is best for you and your son. Most employers I’ve dealt with would have NO problem hiring and firing someone the same day if it meant they got someone in place that they liked more. Best of luck to you!
Take the sure thing and then leave if a better offer comes along. They won’t like it but it happens all the time. I have done it to others and had it done to me. It’s not the end of the world. If you tell B no and A doesn’t come through you’re screwed.
Simplest advice I can give you: sometimes it’s not just about money.
GO WITH YOUR GUT.
Ask Company B for a time extension. If Company B does not give you more time then accept the job and quit when Company A offers you a position. There is no bad mojo because Company B created the situation by not giving you and extra week.
I had a similar situation. I worked with Company A but had my misgivings about them, and decided to take an interview with Company B. I asked Company B for about $10k more in salary than I was making with Company A. Company B made that exact offer to me. Now, I had some loyalty to Company A and despite the problems there did like the people overall, so I decided to ask Company A for more money. Couldn’t hurt. They dragged their feet on it, Company B wanted an answer, and in the end I had to give them one. I risked losing Company B and the pay raise if I held out for Company A, so I made my move.
It turned out that Company A did offer me the pay increase, but it was too late by then. I made up my mind, so I stuck with it. I’m happy.
Stalling does work, but it’s a dangerous play to make. I had to carefully gauge how Company B was taking my request for “just a little more time to think it over” before asking them for any extensions.
Since they are both raises, I’d say look at things besides the money, which one is going to be more rewarding for you? yes, I know the better money will look better and all, but no amount of money is worth it if it’s not a job you are happy with. And, to quote an author I’ve read, any pay difference will be more than made up for by wont you dont spend on de-stressing methods, headache-killer-of-choice, and things like that.
Which is better for the person, not the bank account?
@Ghostkid: “Ask Company B for a time extension. If Company B does not give you more time then accept the job and quit when Company A offers you a position. There is no bad mojo because Company B created the situation by not giving you and extra week.”
^ This ^