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Ask HN: Do you put impressive job offers on your resume?

3 points by diyorgasms ↗ HN
I've heard of this being done before, but it always seems sort of like a tacky thing to do. Is there an actual benefit to doing this?

Say I got an offer from one of the big four, but for whatever reason I didn't want to take it. Is there any benefit to be had by advertising that offer on my resume?

7 comments

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onion2k
Unless you're going to offer evidence that the offer was real and explain why you rejected the offer most recruiters would be suspicious because it's easy to make up and hard to verify. I imagine that would make you much less likely to get through to an interview.
diyorgasms
Thanks, that's sort of the impression I had, too.
loumf
Being offered a job is not an accomplishment.
kohanz
I can't imagine this being a positive attribute (and yes, I've been in the hiring position before). It paints the applicant in quite a negative light.
mathgeek
In my opinion, it's better to stick to your actual accomplishments. Any company that would hire you because you "almost worked at Google" is a company that doesn't have a proper hiring process.
davismwfl
To add one additional point of why not to do this. As a hiring manager it could potentially highlight that you are seeking the wrong things and will jump ship at the first sign of a better offer. And if there was indication (by dates or other means) that you used it to gain a higher counter offer from an existing employer it would likely leave a negative impression.

Every employer (especially in tech) knows this stuff happens, but highlighting it and "bragging" about it is not favorable.

There is a way to use the information though, when discussing with an employer about what your salary requirements are, you can state well, I had an offer from XYZ for 123 recently. And then explain why it just didn't meet your needs, e.g. you learned at the interview it wasn't a good fit or whatever. Just be humble about it and that will go a long way. This also lets you kind of answer a question without really answering it. e.g. make them put a number on you.

bbcbasic
No tell them you have other offers once they make you an offer. Then you have negotiation power.