Time Kills All Deals

Straight Answers to Real Questions

Question: I’ve recently been interviewing with a $100mm manufacturer for a newly created Vice President, Finance position. I started the process four months ago and have had six interviews so far. I’ve met the CEO, his executive team, his father and brother (the company is family owned), the firm’s public accounting partner and now they want me to meet with a firm next week to do a personality profile.

The people at this firm assure me that they’re very interested in me and I’m still quite interested in the position. However, this morning I got a call from a recruiter I know who wants me to meet with of her clients tomorrow for a CFO role that sounds very intriguing. Should I hang on and see what how the first position pans out or should I start to entertain other opportunities?

Answer: By all means, interview for the CFO position. Obviously, in spite of their assurances, the first firm is having some difficulty in reaching a decision. Even if you’ve met them six times, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to get the nod.

There’s no downside to meeting the second firm. If the first firm you interviewed with comes through with an offer next week, you can just excuse yourself from consideration on the CFO job. If you really like the CFO opportunity and they come through with an offer first, all other things being equal, that’s a great outcome too.

If you do decide to meet with the second firm, you should probably let them know that you’re talking to another firm. And you should definitely let the first firm know that you’re considering other opportunities. If they’re really interested in you, they’ll expedite their process. If they don’t hurry things along, it should tell you that maybe they’re not as keen on you as you thought they were.