No BS Career Advice: November 16, 2025
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show us how badly we want something”. — Randy Pausch
Next week, I won’t be releasing No BS Career Advice. By that time, we’ll be in Vermont and I want to make the time to reconnect with our son during the time we have the chance to. He works at a resort and his schedule is not his own so . . . . I’m sure you understans.
This week, I released the second book in my new series, “The No BS Job Search Playbook: AI Job Search Prompts and More.” It is designed to help you use AI large language models to help you throughout your #jobsearch and once on board. It is available as a paperback, audio book, or for Kindle. The first book in the series is “The No BS Job Search Playbook: How Hiring Works.”
The Dangerous Game of Stalling Job Offers
Let me be blunt: I’ve seen more people lose job offers by playing games with timing than I care to count. And I spent enough years as a recruiter to know exactly how this plays out from the other side of the table.
You’ve got an offer. It’s decent—maybe not your dream job, but solid. Meanwhile, you’re waiting to hear from the company you really want. So you start the stall. You ask for time to “review the benefits package.” You say you need to “discuss it with your spouse.” You’re buying time, hoping everything lines up perfectly.
Here’s what you need to understand: offers get pulled. Fast. And often for reasons that have nothing to do with you.
I’ve watched it happen dozens of times. The hiring manager who loved you has two other candidates they also liked. The budget they secured for your role gets reassessed when the quarter closes. Another department suddenly needs that headcount more urgently. A hiring freeze comes down from corporate. The team decides they can’t wait another week and moves to their backup candidate.
You think you’re being strategic. You’re actually gambling.
Look, I get it. You want to see if the better opportunity comes through. You want leverage to negotiate. You don’t want to settle before knowing all your options. That’s human nature. But let’s talk about what actually happens when you stall.
Companies operate on their timelines, not yours. When they extend an offer, they need the position filled. That urgency doesn’t pause because you’re playing out other situations. I’ve had hiring managers tell me, “If they’re not excited enough to accept within a reasonable timeframe, maybe they’re not the right fit.” Fair or not, that’s reality.
“Just one more week” often turns into no offer at all. Every day you delay, you’re rolling the dice. The company that made you an offer is continuing to recruit. They’re keeping other candidates warm. They’re not putting their hiring plans on hold while you figure things out.
The risk-reward calculation is worse than you think. You’re risking something concrete for something hypothetical. That company you’re waiting on? They might not make an offer. They might lowball you. They might take another two weeks to decide. Meanwhile, the bird in your hand flew away.
Here’s what people don’t want to hear: sometimes you have to make a decision with incomplete information. Sometimes you have to accept an offer before knowing if something better is coming. Sometimes you have to withdraw from a process because you’ve already committed elsewhere. That’s not fun. It’s not satisfying. But it’s professional.
Now, I’m not saying you can’t ask for time. Reasonable companies expect you to need a few days. If you have interviews already scheduled, most employers understand that. But there’s a difference between “I need until Friday to review everything” and “I need two more weeks because I’m still interviewing elsewhere.”
Before you stall, ask yourself one question: If this offer disappeared tomorrow, would I be devastated? If yes, you’re playing a dangerous game.
I’ve coached people through this exact situation hundreds of times. The ones who end up okay are the ones who are honest about what they’re risking. They know their risk tolerance. They understand that sometimes the smart play is accepting a good offer rather than gambling on a potentially better one.
The ones who end up in my office frustrated and offer-less? They convinced themselves they could control the timing. They believed their preferred company would wait. They underestimated how quickly companies move on.
Here’s my advice:
If the offer in hand is genuinely good—something you’d be happy accepting if it were your only option—be very careful about how long you stall. If you’re holding out for something marginally better, that’s a bad bet. If you’re holding out for something transformational that’s worth risking the current offer, at least you’re being honest about the stakes.
Be professional in your communication. If you need a few extra days, ask directly and explain why. Don’t play games with fake concerns about benefit packages when you’re really just waiting on another company. Recruiters and hiring managers see through that immediately.
And if your preferred company can’t give you a timeline that works with your current offer deadline, that tells you something about how they operate and prioritize hiring.
The uncomfortable truth? You might lose by playing it safe. You might also lose by gambling. There’s no perfect answer. But at least understand what you’re actually doing when you choose to stall.
That offer sitting in your inbox is real. Everything else is just hope and possibility. Act accordingly.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2025
Last week, I released more new advice, including:
Change https://wp.me/p4aIk1-gXr
Restraining the Voice in Your Head https://wp.me/p4aIk1-KA
There’s More Than One Way https://wp.me/p4aIk1-cLt
Secret Interview Hack: Get Hired from Competitions https://wp.me/p4aIk1-ogG
A Few More Video Interview Tips https://wp.me/p4aIk1-6h9
Why Have You Been Out of Work So Long? https://youtu.be/zLuVlg1dHd8
Recruiters Know You’re Old From THIS! https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oqj
No BS Career Advice: November 9 2025 https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oqr
What to Do If You Aren’t Hired By the Firm You Want to Work For https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oqd
The Easiest Time Of The Year To Network And Connect https://wp.me/p4aIk1-gEm
5 Methods to Help Clients Align Career Choices With Core Values https://wp.me/p4aIk1-or0
Is Two Weeks Enough Time? (Spoiler: No And It’s Their Problem) https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oqG
The Disengaged Interviewer https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oqV
Here’s Something to Ask About on Every Job Interview https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oqR
How Heavily Do Companies Weigh an Employee Referral? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-aQ5
How Do I Find A Recruiter Who Specializes in What I Do? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-bI0
Tough Interview Questions: How Do You Handle Stress? https://youtu.be/5R0Ss8klrDo
If You Don’t Project Confidence https://wp.me/p4aIk1-m8F
The Interview from the Employer’s Perspective https://wp.me/p4aIk1-3H8
Finding It Hard to Get a Job with a Big Company? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-ori
The Missing Ingredient in Most Resumes https://wp.me/p4aIk1-442
Tough Interview Questions: 2 Buckets, 50 White Balls , 50 Black Balls . . . https://wp.me/p4aIk1-bf
Tough Interview Questions: How Do You Handle Stress? https://youtu.be/5R0Ss8klrDo
What Should You Look for When Hiring? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-h1S
The Executive Playbook: Navigating a C Suite Transition https://wp.me/p4aIk1-orx
AI and LinkedIn: Here’s Another Way It Can Help https://wp. me/p4aIk1-orB
10 Unusual Ways to Find Job Leads Without Asking for Referrals https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oqo
Final Interview Reminders . . . https://wp.me/p4aIk1-orc
Using A Portfolio at an Interview https://wp.me/p4aIk1-m2x
The 24-Hour Rule https://wp.me/p4aIk1-orP
Your Resume May Be Getting Rejected on LinkedIn for This Reason! https://wp.me/p4aIk1-orT
Finding Your Fit: The Skills Matcher Tool https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oia
Stupid Hiring Mistakes: You Lie to Potential Hires https://wp.me/p4aIk1-av0
The Truth About Employment Agencies https://youtu.be/Zy1td6d6v8A
Schedule a free discovery call with me at www.TheBigGameHunter.us/schedule to discuss my coaching you during your job search and beyond. I tend to work with more senior-level talent than with individual contributors.
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#BeGreat
Jeff Altman, MSW, CCTC Author
People Hire Me for No BS Job Search Coaching and Career Advice Globally Because I Make Job Search and Succeeding in Your New Job Easier | 5x LinkedIn Top Voice | Career Coach | Former Recruiter | JobSearch.Community
