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In my major, Construction Management, and in the engineering/construction industry, ethics comes up often in regard to the bidding process. I can not help but draw a correlation to subcontractors bidding on a contract, and employers giving me job offers. I know that bids are confidential… but are offers? I know I am not supposed to let a contractor know the price another contractor submits… but is it ok for me to tell employer A that employer B is offering X dollars?

Basically I have a good offer from a company I would be proud to work for. Then I have two companies who have said in not so many words that they will beat or match any offer I receive. And lastly I have two other companies who have mentioned offers, yet have not committed to anything yet. This whole situation will come to a head November 28th, which is the deadline for my existing offer.

How should I go about getting the best offer for my family, while at the same time not compromise any unwritten rules? How do I go about getting these companies to compete with each other without coming off like a greedy person?

I think you should pick the company you'd like to work for most. They are your target.

Then you should decide that you are benefitting them by working for them. You are going to make them a lot of profits, and your value as a laborer is set by the market. The market is set by competing offers.

With that in mind, you go in and tell the company you'd like to work for that you have been offered $X by one of their competitors. You'd still like to work for them, but it would be very difficult to accept a job to make less money, and you'd like to let them know how much the other company has offered and give them an opportunity to beat the offer.


*Note, I've never actually done this, or had the opportunity to do so, so I can't give you any results either way. But it is how I would handle the issue.

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Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!

I'm not sure this directly addresses your situation but it certainly has some application:

It seems to be common and accepted practice to use offers (specifically, an offer letter so there is actual proof) to get an increased salary out of your current employer. When I was working as a PACS Administrator at Rex Hospital, I was on call 24/7 and was getting burned out. I thought, erroneously, that getting more money would help the burnout and spoke with my boss about it. "No money is available," "It's just not possible" were the responses I received.

Shortly after, I was sent to a large industry convention in Chicago. And took copies of my resume. Three weeks later, I had an interview with Fujifilm Medical Systems and shortly after that, an offer letter.

I presented my manager my notice of resignation and he wouldn't accept it, claiming he needed me to give him two days to match the offer. Oh-my-gosh-how-amazing! He suddenly found the money to not only match what I had asked for before, he even found enough to beat Fuji's offer. I made my decision and five years later, I can still say I have absolutely no regrets for making the choice I did. I told him I wasn't interested and submitted the resignation.

I guess my point is that money (as in your salary or hourly payrate number) isn't everything. I learned from that experience the hospital would never pay me what I was worth (not just my opinion but Fuji's as well) unless I had some real leverage. That is not the environment I wanted to be a part of. As I mentioned above, I have absolutely no regrets in going to Fuji as the pattern of raises I've enjoyed there have quickly outstripped anything offered to any regular employee at a hospital. Past that, Fuji offers a number of other very important benefits; profit-sharing, health, dental and disability, to a much greater degree than the hospital. Oh, yeah...and NO PAGER!

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Liro
"The english language is not a wedding gown, it doesn't get better the more lace you add. It is instead a thong. Less is more." From /.
I need to remind myself of this regularly.

from my experience, the 1 company that brings the best offer doesnt mean the best to work 4...
and special if the difference in payment issnt that big!

u can legaly tell them what the other company have offered u, but u don't have to tell them the name of the company!

in norway we dont have to lay down proof of the offer, if they want u they take u

my old company i made alot of money, but i hated to go to work, and i hated the work i was doing for them, when i changed to another company, i made less money an hour, but got more freedom, and i could work more if i wanted...+ we had a bonus system so after each project we got an bonus.
when i added total income throu a year i made about the same amount,
what im trying to say is that it doesnt have to come down to what u make an hour but the total income throu a year!
and if u gonna feel better to 1 company rather than the other.
most company don't look at u as greedy when u tell them that u are considering a higher offer, most likely they will try overcome it

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asume nothing!
Don't take anything 4 granted!