r/interviews • u/feelingfeelingsfeel • 3d ago
Better Job offer right after starting a new job?
TL;DR - got a better job offer right after starting a new job in the same industry, any advice on whether and how to tell the new company that I had started a new role would be appreciated.
I started a new job in 2 months ago at a large company. It’s fine, but not amazing, and I took it mostly because other interviews at the time didn’t pan out.
2 weeks after I started, another company in the same industry reached out about a role I had applied to (2 months before I started my current job). The role is more senior, pays meaningfully more, and seems like a better fit overall. I thought, why not take the interview and just see.
Weeks after the final interview - today they told me I’m a finalist and basically said they’re preparing an offer. They also asked me to confirm what I’d be giving up (bonus, stock, etc.) so they can factor that into compensation and “buy me out” if needed.
Here’s my dilemma: the application and resume they have on file are from April, before I started my current job. I never updated them because I had literally just started and didn’t think it would matter. Also I didn’t bring it up in the interviews bc I was like I don’t want them to not interview me. Now I’m unsure if I should “come clean” that I started a new role in late June.
If I want to get paid out for the sign-on bonus and a small partial annual bonus, I’d have to mention that I had started a new job. That said, I don’t care about this as much as the new job offer.
If I don’t tell them, it might look odd when they run a background check or ask for documentation. I do think I would be able to opt out of the automated services though and provide documentation separately, but there’s a possibility that the people at my current company would find out (and vice versa) down the road.
So my question is: how risky is it if I disclose this now vs. if I don’t? Would it hurt me to say, “I had just started a role when we reconnected, but this one is a much better fit so I’d be excited to move forward”? Or is it cleaner to just keep it simple and only bring it up if asked?
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u/Interesting-Alarm211 3d ago
Say nothing, take your current job off LinkedIn. A background check is generally about legal issues. Not your employment history.
I certainly wouldn't say anything until they say they are doing a background check. Have they said they would?
As for the sign up bonus, how are you talking about in relation to your happiness and the comp plan for the new job?
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u/feelingfeelingsfeel 2d ago
Thank you. There will be a thorough background check since this is in a regulated industry. I would probably freeze my TWN so that they can’t automatically pull my employment history. The sign on bonus and annual bonus at my current firm wouldn’t be a crazy amount to be honest (and I kind of think I would be able to make it up by just negotiating), I am more concerned about possibly losing this offer.
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u/feelingfeelingsfeel 2d ago
Thank you. There will be a thorough background check since this is in a regulated industry. I would probably freeze my TWN so that they can’t automatically pull my employment history. The sign on bonus and annual bonus at my current firm wouldn’t be a crazy amount to be honest (and I kind of think I would be able to make it up by just negotiating and just having higher comp at this new compnay), I am more concerned about possibly losing this offer.
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u/Interesting-Alarm211 2d ago
Them be honest. Tell them since you hadn’t heard from them you had to take the first job. They should understand
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u/lwiseman1306 3d ago
Go ahead and bring it up first. It’s only favorable for you to have quickly gotten another job. Use it to your advantage.