Should You Disclose Other Interviews?

Throughout your job search, you may hear ‘Are you interviewing elsewhere?’ or ‘Are you considering other offers?’.

On one side, if your other offers are not firm then this could influence their decision to pursue another candidate.

However, others suggest that being honest is the best option. It also shows that you’re ready for a change.

Specialising in the provision of permanent hires, executive search, senior interims and specialist contractor resources to the Public Sector and the Housing market, we spend a lot of time working with candidates who ask whether they should be open about other job interviews. Therefore, we recently conducted a poll to ask the thoughts of our network.

We asked, do you think you should reveal that you’re interviewing elsewhere during your job search?

Straight away, the scales tipped towards ‘Yes’, with 56% of voters insisting that you should reveal other interviews or opportunities. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why:

• It makes you appear ‘in-demand’. This shows the employer that you’re an astute candidate and that you may not be on the job market much longer. Which leads us on nicely to our next point…
• It may speed up the process. If employers know you have interest elsewhere, this may get things in motion with their decision making.
• It shows you have targeted your job applications effectively. By being honest about other interviews and offers, you appear to be well-organised and strategic in your job search, rather than applying for every job you could find. Furthermore, this implies you don’t accept a role just because it’s being offered to you!

However, 22% of our voters claimed that you should not reveal other opportunities when being interviewed, and 22% of participants were unsure. We examined some of our direct responses:

• The employer may not feel like your number one choice. If answering this question, your answer should convey that this interview is your priority. When reeling off a list of potential interviews and offers elsewhere, this may not help your case that you are fully dedicated to the opportunity.
• You do not have to reveal extensive information. You are not required at any point to give away specific details about other employers that you are interviewing for. You can keep information general and show that you are actively looking, but revealing another employer’s name, for example, does not explicitly help your application.

From our experience, being honest about opportunities elsewhere will work to your advantage throughout your job search. The idea is to be tactful when exploring your responses during interviews. We also received feedback from voters within recruitment contending that there is nothing wrong with disclosing other interviews and offers, and in fact, makes you appear capable and confident.

​Revealing such information must work to position you as an already in-demand and ideal candidate, and one who will not be available for much longer. This is what an employer wants you to be, and an interview is an opportunity for you to show this.

Please get in touch to discuss any hiring queries you may have.