In other words, are you interviewing with any companies other than ours?

This is a common question that interviewers ask when you are interviewing with them for a job with their firm.

In other words, do you have any other jobs on the go that could result in someone else hiring you?

Part of you might think that saying yes to this question will make it look like you are not 100% interested in the position with this company and that the potential employer will look at this negatively.

Another part of you might think that saying no to this question will make it look like you have no other options available and are having trouble finding a job, thus reducing the companys interest in you.

At the end of the day, the best way to answer this question is as follows:

1. Be honest. If you have other jobs you are interviewing for, say so. If not, say so. Tell the truth.

2. Be brief. Dont tell the employer which specific companies you are interviewing with. Its not their business nor is it pertinent. Typically a hiring manager just wants to know if you are going to be getting an offer soon from another company and if so how quickly. If you are interviewing for other jobs and are early on in the interview process, simply tell them that yes, you have other jobs you are interviewing for and leave it at that.

Personally, I think the best situation to be in is to have several interviews on the go and several possible jobs to choose from and to let a potential employer know this if they ask. Again, no specifics such as the names of other companies you are interviewing with should be divulged.

Its sort of like having several people all interested in you at one time. Who doesnt like that?

At a minimum, it might help to get the companies you are interviewing with to move a bit faster than they normally would if they are really interested in hiring you if they think they might lose you to another company if theyre too slow.

At the end of the day, most companies dont just interview one person for a job so its unreasonable to think that you are going to interview with just one company at a time hoping theyll hire you, if you have other opportunities you could pursue.

If you expect honest feedback and input from potential employers, its only fair that you provide them with the same. Just like you want to know how you compare to other people they are interviewing for the same job, they will want to know if you are interviewing elsewhere so that they are aware that competition for your services exists.

Carl Mueller

My name is Carl Mueller and I'd like to thank you for learning a bit more about me!

I feel that I have numerous relevant experiences during my career that come in useful when helping people with their careers:

I know what it’s like to work internationally, having worked overseas (in New Zealand, from 1994-1998).

I've survived several corporate downsizings while many of my colleagues were being laid off.

I have also experienced being laid off twice myself during corporate downsizings.

I know what it’s like to be self-employed.

I've helped many people find better jobs. I started to work as a professional recruiter in 2000 first as an Information Technology (IT) recruiter and then in general recruitment across many industries including IT, manufacturing and marketing. Since this time, I have helped many people find their dream career and it’s a great feeling.

I experienced one of the slowest hiring periods in recent memory especially during the general hiring slowdown that followed the Y2K frenzy in 1999, the bursting of the dot com bubble in early 2000, and then the employment market bottoming out following September 11, 2001.

These were certainly not great times to be a job searcher in most industries nor was it a particularly good time to be a recruiter.

Following this, I began running the day to day operations of an Internet-based company in early 2003 that focused on developing online software and subscription-based websites for consumers. It was then that I fully realized the power, usefulness and potential of the Internet which really spurred me to set up my own website which you can view in my Personal URL section below this bio.

I’m also a Platinum Ezine Articles Expert as recognized by EzineArticles.com, one of the most visited websites on the Internet. This special designation is earned by having consistently high-quality articles published and viewed on their website. All of my submissions are related to helping you find your dream career and many of my articles get reproduced on other websites by their webmasters.

Good luck with your career and I hope I have been of assistance to you!