how to answer “is there anything that would prevent you from accepting an offer?”

by Alison Green on February 20, 2025

A reader writes:

I recently had a recruiter reach out to me about a job. I’m not really looking right now, but I figured I’d see what they had to say. I had my first interview virtually, and progressed a few days later to an in-person interview. It went well, but towards the end, the hiring manager asked if there was anything that would prevent me from accepting an offer if it were extended.

Am I wrong to hate this question?

Side note: the recruiter had been very clear that I shouldn’t ask any questions about what the company can do for me in the interviews, as they would handle all negotiations for me. So while I did know the proposed salary, I knew nothing else about the benefits the company provided. I was therefore pretty uncomfortable answering this question, but basically said depending on the offer, I couldn’t think of any other reason not to accept.

I’m not proud of this, but that’s not strictly true. I did have some reservations, but how do you bring that up in an interview without tanking your chances? I work for a good company right now. Some things that could be better of course, but it’s not horrible by any means. There is obviously an opportunity cost to leaving the benefits and environment I’m sure about for something unknown. And I wasn’t even actively looking! There are myriad reasons why someone might turn down a job offer and I felt almost cornered. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

Ultimately, after receiving more information on the company benefits, which are almost all worse than where I’m at now, I withdrew my candidacy. I’m just wondering how interviewers expect people to answer that question. It feels like a gotcha. I’d love to know your thoughts.

It’s not a gotcha. It’s an attempt to find out if you have any concerns that they can address for you, and to gauge your level of interest.

It’s also an attempt to find out if there might be obstacles to you accepting that they’d rather know about now, like “I expect my employer will counter-offer” — which isn’t something you’re obligated to share, but they’re not wrong to be interested in knowing — or “I’m considering moving out of the country in May so I’ll need to figure that out first.”

Perfectly fine answers include things like:

* “I did want to know more about the balance of X work and Y work in the role. What portion of the person’s time do you expect will be spent on each?”

* “I haven’t had an opportunity yet to talk with the person I’d be reporting to, and I’d want to do that before accepting an offer. Will there be an opportunity for that in the hiring process?”

* “I know a lot of companies in the industry are struggling with X. How has the team been approaching that?”

* “I’d need to see the specific details of the offer, of course, but based on what I know so far, I’m very interested in the role.”

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{ 118 comments }

{ 118 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. darsynia*

    Is it normal to make it to a second interview without knowing benefits? Salary is one thing but if the benefits add up to a net loss in income comparatively to one’s current job, that seems like a precarious place to be, both for you and the company you’re interviewing with.

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    1. Jennifer Strange*

      For all of my jobs I didn’t know the full scope of benefits until I got the offer. I knew they offered insurance, PTO, retirement, but I didn’t know the specific details like PTO amounts or how much I’d be paying out of pocket for insurance premiums. That’s not to say it wouldn’t be great to have that info earlier, but it hasn’t been the norm in my experience.

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    2. Mid*

      Very normal. I usually get a general description of benefits (what insurances they offer (health, life, disability, vision, dental, pet, etc), general amount of PTO I would get, and anything else they think is a selling point (on-site gym, childcare stipend, dog-friendly office, etc.)) by interview 2 or 3, but the full benefits package has never been disclosed before the offer stage in my experience. The exception is, of course, public service (government) jobs where the benefits package is public knowledge.

      And yes, it precarious! I turned down an offer because the pay was the same as I was currently making, but I would have gotten less PTO, my insurance costs would have tripled, and they didn’t match retirement contributions, so I was effectively getting a $10k+ pay cut and less vacation time. Everyone was very disappointed.

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      1. darsynia*

        That’s wild! Husband’s the only one of us that has a serious contract, but he’s been working at the place for 15+ years and it’s a small (25 or therabouts) pool of employees, so I was wondering how that worked for the norms nowadays. I’ll admit I got the impression from other posts here and from friends with office jobs that the benefits are usually known ahead of time, so I’m ‘glad’ to be corrected, but sorry for those for whom that is a tricky position.

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        1. Mid*

          It truly is! I wish that all hiring was like government hiring, where the pay bands and benefits are clearly known ahead of time. It seems like it would be more time efficient for everyone.

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          1. Ally McBeal*

            It would be more efficient for everyone EXCEPT HR. Both of my best friends are in HR and we’ve talked in circles several times about pay transparency. I still don’t fully understand their reasoning but it seems to be about the fact that sometimes a truly spectacular candidate comes along and they don’t want to include a pay band in the job listing for fear it would scare them away (i.e. if the top of the range is too low for the candidate). Also some concern about pay bands limiting their ability to negotiate salary with standard-quality candidates.

            I’m grateful to states like NY that are leading the way on mandating pay transparency, but I think it’ll be a few years yet before we have enough stats to make the case for other states to do the same.

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            1. Also-ADHD*

              In most companies I’ve worked in, HR is the one pushing for pay transparency–but then you also have to pay market rate and have decent total rewards. If leadership won’t commit to that, that’s where you get the lack of transparency. But every HR professional I work with regularly thinks pay transparency is a best practice.

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            2. Analystical Tree Hugger*

              I feel like it needs to be said: Your friends’ stance is ridiculous.

              I’m not going to attribute intent to them, but hidden pay bands only benefits the employer and harms employees.

              And you want candidates to self-select (see again, only benefitting employers). If the company is willing to go higher for a better candidate, then…no, nevermind, a candidate who is vastly over qualified doesn’t need to play cat-and-mouse with a potential employer.

              The employer needs to complete due diligence to craft a job description that meets their needs. If they want someone better, then make the position more senior/attractive/whatever.

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            3. Mid*

              I’m also in a sort of pay transparency state (salary must be listed on job postings at least.) I think that’s a very silly take on your friend’s part! If someone is too spectacular to miss out on but the pay is too low, you just…put them in the next band. It’s not like it’s literally government where there can be a lot of hoops to jump through to move someone from GS9 to GS10 for a posting that’s for GS9. If they’ve budgeted for $80k for a role, and rockstar candidate wants $90k for a role, it would still need to be approved and go through the same steps as it would without the band in place. The salary bands just give more transparency for everyone.

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            4. len*

              people in HR continuing to not beat the charge that they’re hostile to workers and generally obstructionist, checks out.

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            5. Seen Too Much*

              I work in HR and I am amazed by any HR person who doesn’t want transparency. It makes my job 100% better when I can point to the numbers and say “it is what it is”. We put pay in every listing, no matter what state we are recruiting in. I would rather weed out people who want more money than we can pay right at the start.

              Also, trust me, they will apply even if the listed band is lower than what they are looking for. No one, and I mean no one, believes that you won’t negotiate. I can’t tell you how many times I get to the end of the conversation and ask if they are comfortable with the salary range and they ask for way more money than what is listed. I mean 10s of thousands more. I tried asking at the beginning of the conversation, but it turns people off.

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          2. zuzu*

            BigLaw’s kind of like that. At the associate level at least, the associate years are all lockstep in base pay and benefits. It’s at the bonus level where you start seeing differences, and of course, there’s mommy-tracking.

            And only some people can take the punishment of the environment (hi! I got fired from the Evil Empire because I didn’t like to get yelled at!).

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            1. Coverage Associate*

              Though Big Law varies in the range of health insurance choices and WFH policies. There’s also some variation in required hours v expected hours, and how they’re calculated.

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    3. Judge Judy and Executioner*

      It is normal not to know the benefits and costs until the offer stage. With my last job change, the difference in health insurance premiums and HSA seed money alone benefits my partner and me by 5000 USD a year. In my career, I’ve paid as little as $0 for benefits and as much as $250/month for single coverage. I wish this information would be always provided up front!

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      1. Seeking Second Childhood*

        Unfortunately even if it’s up front, US companies muck with insurance costs and coverage so much I now trust nothing to last.

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        1. Grizabella the Glamour Cat*

          You can say that again. My husband and I (both retired now) have both had experiences where health insurance, for example, could change constantly from year to year. One place I worked kept jacking up the deductibles you had to meet from one year to the next, to the point where you never knew how much REAL coverage you would have from year to year.

          Another place was always playing musical chairs with health insurance companies to try to keep costs down. An HR person told me that the insurance companies would offer a lower introductory rate the first year and then start gradually raising the premiums after the first year. When it started getting too high, they’d switch to another company with a lower introductory rate. Rinse and repeat every couple of years! (The saving grace there was they were all major insurance companies, and almost all the doctors in the area were in the PPO networks of all of them, so we hardly ever had to actually switch doctors.)

          Of course, the cause all of the above is the ridiculous American practice of relying on employer provided health coverage instead of, you know, having a universal national health care plan that covers everybody! I will never understand why this country is still married to this mess, but there you go.

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      2. Coverage Associate*

        Yup. During my last job search, my total compensation spreadsheet had many inputs, including how things would shake out if we didn’t put my spouse on my employer’s health plan. It would have been twice as long if I tried to price out all the health plans offered by each potential employer.

        Inputs included: base salary, hours expectations, health insurance premiums, employer’s contribution to health insurance and HSA, and any 401k match. I ended up taking the offer with base compensation on the low end, but with a significant HSA contribution and 401k match up to 6%, which is almost unheard of in my industry. (Previous matches were less than $500 per year.) All of the salaries were adequate, and having the retirement benefits puts me ahead over the long term.

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    4. Alicent*

      I’ve interviewed for jobs not knowing ANYTHING until I got an offer regarding salary or benefits. One place told me they offered health insurance that ended up being catastrophic insurance through AFLAC on my first day. Many companies act like they’re doing you a favor by even talking to you. I once had a small business owner start out my telling me I would need to be on call 5 days a week in his COLD EMAIL response to my posted resume that stated I wasn’t interested in working in that field anymore or being on call. The cherry on top was that he was an hour from my home and was acting like he was doing me a favor.

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      1. Cmdrshprd*

        “One place told me they offered health insurance that ended up being catastrophic insurance through AFLAC on my first day. ”

        On your first day on the job? That sounds ridiculous, if a company did not give me the full details of benefits costs before accepting the offer it would be a hard no.

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    5. Daisy-dog*

      And also, some businesses don’t really understand how their benefits compare to others. I had a hiring manager warn me that their benefits were a little expensive (I was unemployed and interviewing for a role that paid more than my last one already, so it wasn’t going to affect my answer). Turns out the costs were more than half the cost of my old company! So it’s common to get a vague idea of the benefits, but not hard facts that would actually make a difference.

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      1. Coverage Associate*

        And health insurance especially can really depend on the applicant’s situation. I have seen plans that were really good for employees but expensive for family members, and lots of plans have a single family rate no matter the number of children in a family.

        So even an employer who can describe their benefits really well might not know how a certain situation shakes out.

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    6. iglwif*

      Very normal IME. (Disclaimer: I am not in the US, so my entire health insurance coverage is not riding on my employer.) Lots of people aren’t that concerned about the benefits until after they’ve sorted out whether this is work they’re willing to do and people they’re willing to work with.

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      1. Some Words*

        But in the U.S. health insurance coverage is a major consideration because what’s covered, and the costs (premiums, deductibles and max out of pocket caps) can vary enormously.

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    7. WillowSunstar*

      Have been interviewing since Nov of 2024 and my layoff date is in March. So I have only made it to the final round of one company and was shown benefits, and that was through a recruiter. Absolutely zero other companies have shown me the benefits. It makes me annoyed that as candidates, we’re also not supposed to ask about it, or I guess we are supposed to believe all of the Glassdoor reviews that are no longer anonymous. I guess it’s a way for them to weed out those of us over 40 who actually need health insurance because heaven forbid our DNA is not 100% perfect.

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    8. BenefitInfo*

      I have almost always had a very difficult time getting information about benefits from prospective employers. I always tell people I evaluate the whole compensation package including benefits, but most of the time I just get some random comment like “our benefits are great” or “we have all the expected benefits” no matter how hard I push (I start pushing as we get farther along in the process). I’ve even gotten offers without information about the benefits before (how crazy is that?). I do usually get very basic numbers of days off and that they have health insurance at some point pre-offer, but it takes real effort sometimes and it can be impossible to get more info. I don’t understand it, but it’s true.

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    9. Disappointed With the Staff*

      I’m really fortunate to be somewhat in demand so I’ve been poached before, and my advice to LW would have been to lay out my salary/benefit requirements before the first interview. Then when pressed pay “the recruiter has said that they would prefer to negotiate this”. Some employers overvalue the privilege of working for them, thinking it’s worth a significant cut in remuneration, others understand that it’s an auction and their bid needs to be *higher* than the previous offer.

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    10. Delta Delta*

      One of my favorite interviews involved a pre-interview where I was informed of the benefits package. They found if they did that they’d weed out people who needed something different. I appreciated how up front they were. (was a small university that didn’t necessarily pay well but I could have gotten a degree for free; handy to know, I guess)

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    11. LaminarFlow*

      I always feel like it is weird to go into any interview without knowing the benefits package. I don’t need 100% specifics on every single benefit, but as you point out, if the benefits at a company add up to a net loss for me, I want to know beforehand. And, it is hard to parse through the info in the job listing since companies with good benefit packages sometimes list them, and companies with not so good benefit packages also sometimes list them in ways that make them seem good. Fun Shirt Friday isn’t a benefit, but 100% paid medical absolutely is.

      I usually do some googling/glassdooring to find out about health insurance, stock grants, 401k matching, and PTO policies since those are the benefits I use the most. I love seeing companies list robust parental leave policies & tuition assistance, even though I will never use them. It just tells me the company is aligned with my values in that sense.

      I really wish companies would be honest and transparent about things like salary & benefits in job listings – it would save so much time and energy for all parties involved.

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  2. Tired of Academia*

    My sister was asked this recently. It was a many states away move with our elderly dad and so she told him exactly what her reservation was. Dad was 96, the move would be hard on him, another move if it didn’t work out was out of the question. The board member who asked looked her in the eye and promised she and dad would be taken care of. Unfortunately, dad died before the move but she did get the job, they did help find a house for her and him with great resale value. They also met all her terms and she was not shy! It’s actually a good question.

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    1. Judge Judy and Executioner*

      I’m sorry for your loss. The board member’s gesture was very kind, and I hope your sister enjoys her new job.

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    2. iglwif*

      I’m sorry for your loss. May his memory be a blessing.

      And at the same time, it is reassuring to hear about an employer keeping a promise like this.

      Reply ↓
  3. WorkerDrone*

    Is there any reason not to be very upfront? I’ve never worked with a recruiter before, so I genuinely don’t know – is there any reason you wouldn’t say, “Since I haven’t seen any of the benefits, I can’t say whether they would present an obstacle, so it’s a bit difficult to answer.”

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    1. Paint N Drip*

      Good copy! I’ve also never worked with a recruiter but when I was a temp, there was a basic idea of the pay and benefits even before the interview – subverting that PLUS the interviewer asking would probably trip me up too honestly. But I would urge LW not to feel like these are ‘gotcha’ questions (frankly if I got this question in an interview without having read about it first.. I think I would have an emotional ‘are they trying to trap me??’ reaction)

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      1. College Career Counselor*

        There is a chance that the question, if badly phrased, can come out in a “what do we have to do to get to accept this offer today” manner. I had that happen to me years ago with a dean, and the whole thing put me off the position in question. Maybe she was just asking if I had encountered anything that was a deal-breaker, but it came across as her trying to get me to buy a used car that I hadn’t test-driven.

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    2. Kevin Sours*

      Roughly speaking if there is only a small chance that you’ll accept the job that is something you don’t necessarily want to advertise. While you obviously want to find out if there are any dealbreakers as early as possible, there is a risk that they’ll pivot to candidate B rather than put in the work of getting the answers to your concerns.

      I wouldn’t generally provide a lot of information to the recruiter that I would be cagey about providing to the hiring company.

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    3. Ally McBeal*

      This will likely depend on whether the recruiter works for the hiring company or is a third-party vendor to that company. I’ve worked with both types and the 3rd party folks are not always helpful with questions about benefits because they simply don’t know. That said, questions about benefits don’t usually (in the U.S.) come up until the offer stage, when candidates can request to see the benefits menu/package and run the numbers. So I’d phrase it to the recruiter as “I don’t have any reservations at this point but will need to see the benefits package before making a decision.” Which is so obvious that it’s a little silly to say, but it’s better than giving a blanket “I have no reservations” statement.

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    4. Disappointed With the Staff*

      With recruiters I’ve learned to be very blunt. They like a single number and until you get to know the actual person you’re dealing with it’s safest to assume they’re the proverbial moron in a hurry. So don’t wander aimlessly through the “can use the deputy director’s car parking space when they’re on holiday” stuff, summarise it to “$100k salary, {level} health insurance, X% 401k contribution”. Then, IMO, summarise that to “$150k package”.

      Also be ready to say $150k package and have the employer offer you $50k plus the awesome benefit that you’ll be working for *employer*!! Or, if you’re lucky, they’ll offer $150k plus health plus 401k contribution.

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    5. Gracias Por Nada*

      I received this exact question once as an internal candidate up for promotion. I found it to be somewhat offensive at the time because it didn’t seem fair to ask at that stage. The answer doesn’t help them determine whether I’m qualified for the job. It felt backwards.

      I would’ve liked to say, “Make me an offer first, and then I’ll let you know…”, but it didn’t feel safe to be that blunt, in case it made them move onto the more agreeable, if less experienced, candidate.

      My actual answer was, “Nothing that I can think of,” since that’s more polite. But that was a lie.

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  4. RagingADHD*

    LW, this sounds like a big problem with the third-party recruiter, rather than the interviewer’s question. Either they are terrible at communicating what they mean, or they’re just a terrible recruiter, because finding out whether or not you are aligned with the employer on issues beyond salary is the whole point of interviews.

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    1. Polaris*

      I’ve noted several terrible third party recruiting firms/firms with horrendously bad communication recently in my industry, and you are NOT wrong. At all.

      Reply ↓
      1. Ally McBeal*

        They’re so, so bad. When I was interviewing for my current job, the recruiter handled all communications, including setting up interviews/etc. Then, out of the blue I got an email from someone who actually worked at the company (but not someone I’d interviewed with) offering to answer any questions about “the role” (without specifying the role). So I replied with “I’m sorry but I’ve been working with Jane Smith for the XYZ position – what role are you referring to?” Turns out that she was the onboarding specialist and was putting together my offer package, but the 3rd party recruiter didn’t tell me that they were moving forward with an offer; I actually never heard from the recruiter again, not even to close the loop. It was very weird, and by the time I started, we were no longer working with that recruiting firm. (Thank goodness!)

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    2. Smurfette*

      > the recruiter had been very clear that I shouldn’t ask any questions about what the company can do for me in the interviews, as they would handle all negotiations for me

      I’ve never heard of this and would not have agreed to it, unless I knew the recruiter *very* well and trusted them to basically make important decisions on my behalf.

      I’m surprised that Alison didn’t mention this in her response, although it wasn’t the OP’s question.

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  5. I'm just here for the cats!!*

    “the recruiter had been very clear that I shouldn’t ask any questions about what the company can do for me in the interviews, as they would handle all negotiations for me.

    Is it just me or does this seem odd? I can understand the recruiter handling negotiations, but you aren’t allowed to ask questions about what the company can do? I’m assuming that means asking what the benefits are.

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    1. Silver Robin*

      I read that as “the hiring manager is not going to be able to answer these questions, so better just leave them off and ask me since I will be able to do the actual negotiations”. Depending on how it was phrased to LW, it can be really normal or really weird.

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      1. stratospherica*

        This is a fair point. Hiring managers where I work probably wouldn’t be able to explain the pay structure or how stock options work while the HR team of course can, and conversely the HR team wouldn’t be able to tell you about the technical specifics of the role. It’s probably that the recruiter has a direct line to the company’s HR team and can get those answers from someone who knows.

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    2. Shutterdoula*

      It struck me as weird, too, and frankly unless I am paying the recruiter to work for ME, I wouldn’t trust a recruiter to negotiate in my best interest. Not surprised the offer was crap.

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      1. MigraineMonth*

        Assuming this is a third-party recruiter (which is the only way I think it would make sense), the recruiter’s pay is often based on the salary they negotiate for you. Of course, this might incentivize the recruiter to emphasize salary over benefits that might be more important to you.

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    3. CherryBlossom*

      I can’t tell from just the letter, but if the recruiter is working for a staffing agency and not the actual company, that’s totally normal.

      I’ve been working through temp/staffing agencies for a a while, and they often emphasize that they’ll negotiate everything on your behalf, so you absolutely shouldn’t bring it up in interviews. It’s strange to adjust to at first, but honestly I really enjoy not having to think about negotiations.

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  6. Specks*

    I kind of understand why that felt like a gotcha and why you felt like there was no way to answer without endangering the job offer… but that also 100% points to a certain kind of mentality you really should consider shaking off. Basically, it seems you think the whole point of the interview process is to get the job, whether it’s a good fit or not. And people can be in circumstances where that’s the case… but you’re not!

    You’ve got a job you’re ok staying at. This was literally just an opportunity to find something better, and you’re coming into the interview from a position of strength: you don’t need the job. So why did this still feel like you had to get it and like you had no right to interview them back and figure out if it’s the right fit? Why did this feel like a gotcha and not an opportunity? Why are your needs not important? I suggest you ask yourself that and dig into it, and see if that’s a mentality that serves you under the circumstances.

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    1. ccsquared*

      This was my thought, too, almost like LW is thinking of their job offer rate like a batting average or a test score, where the goal is to get every offer they can possibly get, whether or not it represents an opportunity they actually want. Companies that think they have good benefits love being asked about them; companies that know they don’t are probably the only ones offended by a candidate asking. If benefits are a deal breaker for LW and they are happy enough in their current role, why does getting the offer actually matter?

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      1. Expelliarmus*

        My guess is that they were wondering if there was something they could have done for the benefits to not be a deal breaker; perhaps they feel like that happened because they fumbled something in trying to express their preferences.

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      2. Rainy*

        This mindset is so common in the early-career folks I’ve worked with–so many tend to operate from a scarcity model, like if they don’t pull out all the stops to get this one, there will never be another one, where I look at it more like “jobs are like buses, if I stand at the stop there WILL be another one.”

        Someone with that kind of scarcity mindset tends to think of every application as pass/fail (as in, if they get the job they have to take it, and if they don’t get an offer it means they’re a bad person who did something wrong) and it often stops them applying to anything if they aren’t positive they’d take it if it was offered to them.

        My sister is like this–she’s overworked and underpaid in her current role (and the whole field is like that, unfortunately), but she refuses to apply to anything if she’s not 100% sure before even applying that A) it would be a better situation, B) she can definitely get it, and C) she’d definitely take it if she got the offer. It’s not even really sunk cost fallacy, it’s more that she prefers the torture chamber of the familiar to even looking out the door, which has been open the whole time.

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        1. stratospherica*

          I’ve definitely been in that mindset of comfortable misery before. I guess if every job change you’ve had has felt like fleeing from a terrible situation, it’s harder to remember that interviewing with another company requires no real commitment on your end until you verbally make such a commitment by accepting an offer, and then it’s easier to fall into the mindset of “well I can’t leave until it’s completely unbearable and I know that a new place will be materially better in every single way imaginable”

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    2. MigraineMonth*

      I suspect the LW heard the question as “If you there are any reasons you might not take this job, you have to tell us now, otherwise you’re obligated to take what we offer.” Which would be a trap, since they don’t even know what the offer is!

      I know when I was working with a recruiter, I got a lot of pressure to go to an interview for a company that seemed like a terrible match. When the company somehow still decided to give me an offer, I turned it down ($10k below my minimum, large step back career-wise, skeevy business model, on-call duties, and no good answer to “What have you changed since you lost those lawsuits for fraud and racial discrimination two years ago?”). The recruiter scolded me for it, as if I was being super ungrateful for not accepting the job she’d found for me at MLM headquarters.

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      1. Gotcha OP*

        OP here. This was exactly it. It felt like they were trying to get a premature commitment out of me. I don’t love that. I’m honestly glad I declined. My current frustrations at work are real, but it wouldn’t have been worth it.

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        1. Rainy*

          When people clearly aren’t dealing in good faith with me, I don’t feel an iota of obligation to be 100% honest with them.

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    3. Gotcha OP*

      At the time, in the moment of the interview, I thought I would seriously consider taking an offer. It did seem like a good fit. The work and title would’ve been better than what I have now. So I didn’t want to do something that might result in no offer. But overall I’m glad I withdrew anyway.

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  8. BrunetteBubbly*

    I’ve always interpreted “Is there anything that would prevent you from accepting an offer?” to be a catch-all question for big life-and-career obstacles like an employment contract that could interfere (i.e. far-off end date or a non-compete clause), counteroffers from a current employer/offers from another employer, or personal plans that might interfere with the job like attending grad school or relocating to another state/country.

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    1. I'm just here for the cats!!*

      This is my thought too. Like, you are planning a 2 week vacation shortly after start date, you’re getting married, Your SO may be deployed. Heck even I’m getting a dog and would need to be home by 3:30 so if this job doesn’t allow flexible time I’m out.

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    2. Qwerty*

      Candidates often ask interviewers if they have any concerns about their candidacy so the candidate can address them in the moment – I look at this as the company’s version of that.

      Some other common answers to the question could be that the candidate is in the final round for multiple companies or that they’d want to meet the team they’d be working with.

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  9. Mid*

    It’s interesting that some people seem to feel like recruiters are almost their enemy, or at least have a somewhat adversarial relationship with them. Does it vary by industry?

    I’ve gotten most of my “real” jobs through recruiters, and I’ve always been very honest with them. Yes, they’re hired by companies, not working for me personally, but they want to find good fits for the role, and that means they want to find the best candidate, who will stick around (I know some recruiters get an additional payout if their placement stays for 1 year, for example.) I’ve started working with a recruiter because they thought I’d be a good fit for Role A, and after talking with them, they end up putting me up for Role B at a different company. When I was laid off, my first calls were to two recruiters I’ve worked with in the past and they both were happy to hear from me and to put me up for roles they had in their file. I’m not super senior in my roles and don’t have a particularly specialized skill set either, so I don’t think I’m a special case.

    I’ve never thought that recruiters were trying to trick me, only make sure I was a good fit and was still excited about the role I was interviewing for, and they’ve always advocated hard for me to get the maximum pay/a better benefits package/a signing bonus/the best possible compensation package. (They sometimes get paid based on a percentage of their placement’s compensation, but not always, but it’s still a great incentive for them to make sure their placements are getting paid as much as possible.)

    Is my experience in the minority here?

    Reply ↓
    1. Kevin Sours*

      I wouldn’t call them the enemy but it can be important to keep in mind that they have interests that diverge from yours and they do not have fiduciary obligations. Ultimately they don’t work for you and they don’t work for the company — they work for themselves.

      As it relates to this specific letter I would be concerned that a recruiter wouldn’t necessarily put in the work if they thought there was only a small chance I was going to take the job. They only get paid when the fill the position. And there may only be a small chance I’m going to take the job if I like where I’m at but I want to find out. That’s a case where my interests and the recruiter’s diverge.

      Reply ↓
    2. Lady Lessa*

      I, too, had good relationships with recruiters, but at least once had to disappoint one. He was going to try to sell me to a company where another one was already working with me for the same company.

      Reply ↓
    3. Shutterdoula*

      I’ve had lots of experiences with crappy recruiters. Everything from:
      “The pay range for this role is $xxx – xxx+50k and then the offer comes in at half the lower end of that range
      “forgetting” to tell me that the job was a 6 month 1099 contractor position and not a permanent employment position until we were 2-3 interviews in.
      Contacting me with a position I might be interested in applying for, collecting my info and then telling me they’ll be in tough IF anything that is a match comes up.
      Berating me for telling them $20/hr for a 1099 contract role that requires a masters degree, a couple million in liability insurance, and software tools that cost >$2k a year was too low. And then tagging me in a post about “entitled job seekers” who think they are worth more than they are.
      Recruiters do not work for you. Their only goal is to get the commission. And there are plenty of recruiters out there who have no ethics about how they get there.
      If you haven’t had a bad experience with a recruiter, you are lucky.

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    4. Also-ADHD*

      In my field, most of the roles will not contract an external recruiter (unless you’re at SVP and C-Suite levels maybe) so I’ve mostly dealt with internal recruiters, and I like them fine. Some are good, some are not, but I don’t find it adversarial. But I do find external recruiters are only filling crappy jobs at levels below that in my field (i.e. the company went to a recruiter because they can’t find a unicorn with oodles of skills to work for Skittles or they churn / burn their internal recruiting/TA and start outsourcing, which is often a bad sign for my function as well).

      A positive mark / sign of a good company to me is that they have long-term recruiting staff that seem happy, but it’s not always clear from the process anyway. But good companies don’t dump their TA team when things get lean and they keep them happy – if they do that, they probably don’t churn and burn other teams because recruiting is often bearing the brunt of that in hard times.

      Reply ↓
      1. Mid*

        Ahh that’s very interesting! In my field, external recruiters are very common, especially for small and medium companies, and a lot of jobs aren’t posted publicly but only found through recruiters. I think that might be why I’ve had such a different experience. It’s not at all a red flag in my industry, and I’d estimate at least half the jobs available are only found through working with a recruiter, at all levels of seniority. My first job out of college was through a recruiter that specializes in my field, and hires for temporary and permanent placements, and I’ve worked with recruiters ever since.

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    5. MigraineMonth*

      All the third-party recruiters I’ve been contacted by were completely unhelpful.

      The majority just took my resume and then spammed me with “Do you know anyone who would be interested in this?” about job offers that didn’t match my needs at all. It felt like they were using my resume to market themselves to companies and my network to find new clients, but I wasn’t getting anything out of the relationship.

      Only one recruiter ever actually got me an interview, it was for an extremely questionable MLMesque company, and they were angry at me when I turned down the offer that was $10k below my minimum.

      I was once contacted by a contracted recruiter who invited me to apply to a company. I explained that I didn’t think I was a good match because they required 3 years of PHP and I’d never learned it. She assured me not to worry and just apply. The company rejected my application because it didn’t include a PHP project to demonstrate my skills.

      I’m sure there are good recruiters out there, but the really low-effort ones keep finding me instead.

      Reply ↓
      1. Mid*

        After asking more of my friends, it seems to be industry dependent, though there are bad recruiters everywhere.

        From my informal survey of like 40 people, in tech/engineering and finance it seems to be more common to work with internal recruiters, law seems to use more external recruiters, non-profits seem to use recruiters only for higher level positions, healthcare is a mix of internal and external recruiters depending on if you’re patient care or admin side, and general business/sales/admin seems to have the most low effort recruiters (commonly ones who aren’t actually hired by a company yet who are just spamming resumes in hopes of getting paid.)

        So, overall it seems I’m in an industry that uses recruiters more heavily than others and I’ve also been on the lucky side!

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    6. Gotcha OP*

      I think people are misunderstanding the letter. I did not interview with the recruiter. I had a preliminary chat after they reached out, but both interviews were with the hiring manager and then various other parties. The hiring manager asked the question. The third party recruiter I worked with was fine. I had no issues with them or their work.

      Reply ↓
      1. Nah*

        People are commenting about the recruiter because of your comment that your recruiter told you that you were not allowed to ask about benefits/”what the company can do for you”, as well as apparently doing all the negotiation on those pay and benefits for you instead of letting you have your own input(?)

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    7. Coverage Associate*

      I have mostly liked having the recruiter middleman. They have been pleasant and helpful enough, and they eliminate some of the communications where I feel like I can only mess up (eg, Did I have the right optimistic, professional tone when setting that interview? Was there a typo in the email?).

      They can also have ideas about how offers can be tweaked to make them better for both sides. I wouldn’t normally negotiate a guaranteed raise or bonus, but a recruiter got me one, for example.

      But if what you’re really interested in about a job is niche or idiosyncratic, they can be unhelpful. For example, if an employer only offers health insurance through my region’s largest HMO, I consider it worthless. Also, even industry specific recruiters don’t understand the different niches within my area of practice.

      Reply ↓
    8. Anonymouse*

      The only time I have worked with a recruiter they asked what I was interested in and I said no startups, minimum company size approx 50 and not in London but apart from that very open to anything. First interview they scheduled for me… an 8-person start up team in London!

      Reply ↓
    9. Clearlier*

      It depends upon how you come by your relationship with the recruiter. Most of the recruiters that have reached out to me have just been spamming and wasted my time.

      However when I asked my network for recommendations when my company was going through a redundancy process I found a couple of fantastic recruiters whom I’d use again in a heartbeat.

      Ultimately, like in every profession there are good and bad ones. Recommendations can be a good way to find a good one.

      Reply ↓
  10. RLC*

    Had an interviewer ask this after they made their offer; I asked about the long term goals and expectations for the position. To my astonishment they said “oh, didn’t you know this is a 3 year term position? Long term only happens if funding is renewed after 3 years”. This tidbit was NOT anywhere in the announcement or any other materials. I explained that I didn’t wish to leave a permanent position for a term (no increase in pay or benefits) and noped right out of there. Interviewer tried to guilt me into accepting offer, telling me that there would be long term consequences to my career for turning down offer (spoiler alert, there were no consequences).
    Was most thankful for opportunity to ask my question.

    Reply ↓
    1. I'm just here for the cats!!*

      WHAT!! I’d love to know why he thought there would be long term consequences to your career for turning down his offer. Especially since you had a job already. Like who’s going to know except you and the company.

      Reply ↓
  11. Bookworm*

    Several friends have been approached by recruiters after they posted their resumes online. They were very explicit with the recruiters that if jobs weren’t at least 3 days a week remote, they wouldn’t take the positions. And they needed a firm agreement those 3 days would not change for the worse. That worked out for them, as the recruiters didn’t waste their time on jobs with 1 WFH day a week. They did find jobs that met their requirements

    Reply ↓
  12. Someone Else's Boss*

    I’m uncomfortable with you being told not to ask about what the company can do for you. You’re supposed to trust 100% what the recruiter tells you? I wouldn’t.

    Reply ↓
    1. Recruiters*

      If you’re working with an external recruiter, it’s not only normal, it’s required. Their entire job is to be the middleman, and there are financial relationships between the recruiter and company that the candidate isn’t allowed to know. Similarly, the recruiter gets paid more if you get a better offer and only get paid if you get and take the job so it’s in their interest to get you the best deal possible without doing anything that will make you walk.

      Reply ↓
      1. N.*

        Wait, so an applicant with specific needs (work from home days, for example) cannot even confirm that themselves, they have to just hope the employer goes along with whatever the third party recruiter said “they were totally fine with it, don’t worry about it or ask about it to make sure please and thank you”? Sounds like a good way to get duped after accepting the job to me, honestly.

        Reply ↓
  13. A Book about Metals*

    It’s a pretty common question, even if not phrased exactly that way. For instance if they have multiple candidates interviewing, they may want to know who’s likely to accept, who’s the first choice, etc.

    Reply ↓
      1. A Book about Metals*

        I agree completely – I would always claim I’m 100% interested. You’re not committing yourself to anything. If I get an offer and then don’t want to accept for whatever reason that’s ok

        Reply ↓
        1. Lisa*

          I agree except, if there’s something that’s truly a dealbreaker for you this is your opportunity to stop wasting time on the process. For example if you’re absolutely not going to take a job that doesn’t allow WFH at least X days a week, and they don’t allow it at all, better to find that out now.

          Reply ↓
  14. Also-ADHD*

    I actually love this question! My VP asked it before she hired me, and I told her straight up my considerations, what I was looking for, etc. and it meant my offer was easy to accept with no negotiations or back-and-forth.

    I also always see this question as a sign they want to move forward and quickly. My VP said right upfront she was asking because once they put together an offer, it’s time-consuming to go back and get a different offer – she wanted to get the right one the first time. The offer was above market, above the original posted on the job ad, and more than fair. I know some people will say “always negotiate” but I think the best offers are the ones where everyone is so transparent you don’t have to. (I’ve only ever gotten those twice, both from ass-kicking female VPs who are a joy to work for, but just my experience.)

    Also, benefits usually are one of the least negotiable parts (at least healthcare etc.) and there’s usually a folio. Recruiters often just send them with or before an offer. I think in my current job, they sent it after the first recruiter screen as a matter of course.

    Reply ↓
  15. Beth*

    I understand why this would be asked, but it’s always felt like a gotcha to me too. I’ve always been able to give an answer like Alison’s “I’d need to see the specific details of the offer, of course, but based on what I know so far, I’m very interested in the role” suggestion, but unless this is a final-stage interview and they’ve already told me I’m their top choice, I don’t like it. It feels like they’re trying to get assurance that I’d accept their offer before they commit to actually making one.

    I’d rather an interviewer just stick to something like “Do you have any questions about this role/the company/next steps?” Or, if they have a specific concern (worry that their benefits package isn’t up to par, needing someone to start by a certain date, needing relocation, navigating an industry where noncompetes are common, etc.), I’d rather they bring that up directly.

    Reply ↓
    1. AlsoADHD*

      I guess the times I’m thinking of it was after a lot of transparency, and I felt I could get into the nitty gritty (working conditions, flexibility, pay, development funds, etc). I never heard that question until I was working at a higher level and getting better jobs really, so I have always associated it with respecting me and truly wanting to see my needs / thoughts.

      Reply ↓
      1. Beth*

        It definitely feels different as a “we’re making an offer, we just want to make sure the terms are right the first time around” question! In my most recent job hunt, I had a few interviewers bring it up when it was very clear they were still deciding who to hire–for example, asking on round 2 of a 5-round interview process, or telling me I was advancing to the final round along with 3 other strong candidates and then asking this. That’s likely colored my perception of it.

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  16. Scarlet ribbons in her hair*

    One big obstacle that would prevent me from taking a job would be if the company did not offer health insurance. When I was working, I applied to many companies that had been around for years (they were not start-ups) located in high-rises, and you would be surprised at how many of them not only did not offer health insurance, but the interviewers were completely baffled when I asked about it. They always claimed that they had NEVER heard of such a thing, a company providing health insurance. One interviewer grudgingly told me that if I took the job, I should find my own health insurance, and they MIGHT pay half. No thank you. At one company, when I asked about health insurance, the interviewer snapped at me that IF they decided to hire me, THEN they would tell me about their health insurance.

    Not only would the lack of health insurance be a big obstacle to me, it would also be a huge obstacle if I were not even allowed to ask about it during an interview, because I was told that the recruiter “would handle all negotiations for me.”

    Reply ↓
  17. iglwif*

    I can’t remember if I’ve ever been asked this, but if I were, I would answer with my one true and immovable deal-breakers: (1) I can’t regularly be in-office more than 1 day per week (my ideal number of in-office days per week is 0) and (2) if/when I am in-office, I will be wearing an N95 and I will be cranky with anyone who hassles me about it.

    I would probably not mention things that I definitely want, but which aren’t deal-breakers, such as starting at 3 weeks’ vacation instead of the standard 2, flexible work hours, and an office culture that doesn’t require dressing up every day.

    Reply ↓
    1. RC*

      Now I’m wondering if I should be mentioning masking— it’s also a dealbreaker for me, but usually people haven’t been assholes about it in these parts. In my non-work life someone was recently surprise-pikachu’d by my restating that I don’t do indoor dining (despite us meeting outdoors last time and the last public event I was masked even though it was low-occupancy), so I’m aware it’s not really a norm. But anyway I haven’t gotten to an offer stage in my casual search so it’s moot.

      Reply ↓
      1. iglwif*

        I honestly haven’t been hassled about it by anyone at work … but then again, I worked remotely even before the pandemic, so I am not around people in person very often. I have mostly not been able to avoid taking my mask off to shovel some food into my mouth at meals — it’s very hard to go eat outside when you are at an event in the bowels of a hotel, for instance — but have kept it on otherwise. At one big event for a previous job, I got fun-coloured KN95s and matched them to my outfits, and got a weirdly high number of compliments, to which I responded with “COVID safe, but make it fashion!” and jazz hands.

        The hassling has mostly come from other sources. A couple of people in my congregation are somewhat to very weird about it (most are fine, although very very few mask themselves). One person in my choir is extremely weird about it (again most are fine; several others also mask consistently, and quite a few mask sometimes). People on the bus and subway occasionally give me and other masked passengers a Look, but I’ve also gotten Looks on the subway for all sorts of other and equally innocuous behaviours, so who cares.

        Like you, I get the most weirdness from (some) family members and friends when I don’t want to have long leisurely unmasked meals in restaurants full of people.

        Reply ↓
    2. TimeOff*

      2 weeks vacation is the normal? In my experience ( tech positions in lots of different industries in the Boston/Cambridge area) 3 weeks has been the norm as a starting point since the early to mid 90s (it moved from 2 to 3 in the mid to late 80s with a few stragglers into the early 90s). Many places give more than three weeks now, or have extra other types of time off. Well, other than those that have gone to the awful “unlimited” option.

      Reply ↓
        1. TimeOff*

          Wow, your location sucks. Anything less than 3 weeks would be considered lousy here and a definite blot against the company. A non-negligible minority of companies give more, infrequently to start but more normally with extra days or weeks granted on work anniversaries (I’ve worked at places that go up to 6 weeks for employees of >10 years and several that go up to 5 weeks by year 4). Most companies also give 3-5 personal days and/or floating holidays. Set holidays vary from 6-12 and sick time has traditionally been 8-12 days but a newish state law requiring a minimum of 5 sick days for full time employees has had some companies downgrading to 5.

          Reply ↓
      3. iglwif*

        Where I live (Canada), 2 weeks’ vacation (10 days) is the minimum — often you start at 2 weeks and once you’ve been working at the same place for a couple of years you go up to 3 (15 days), then the number slowly goes up from there. People coming into a more senior role will often negotiate to start at a higher number of days. At one place I worked, I was there so long that I accumulated 24 days’ vacation (~5 weeks)! But most people don’t stay in most jobs for that long.

        I just started my current job in mid 2024. As a brand-new employee in an individual contributor kind of role, I get 10 days’ vacation time, another 10 days’ “wellness” (combined sick & personal) time, plus 12 stat holidays. (Not every org gives you all 12 but everyone gives you 10; if your job requires you to work on those holidays, you get time and a half or sometimes another day off in lieu.) This organization also does an “end-of-year shutdown” — this year that will be from 25 December through 1 January — which functions as an extra week-ish of vacation that you just don’t get to pick the timing of.

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  18. Always Tired*

    I’ve interviewed several candidates where it came up that they needed to remain at their current role until X date for bonus payout or shares/401(k) vesting, and if we can’t be flexible about start, they don’t want to leave that money behind. For some we could wait out the extra weeks, some we offered a signing bonus, some we said we’d circle back if we hadn’t filled the position. It seems an incredibly reasonable question, having come up in tech.

    The weird part, as others are saying, is the recruiter keeping you in the dark about the benefits/full compensation picture. I am a control freak, so when I was last interviewing, I had a modified payroll calculator/budget tracker where I could plug in benefits details and days commuting to ballpark what I needed to pay my bills and throw a few hundred in savings each month. If a recruiter told me that, I would ask them to get me the details ahead of time, because I’m not bothering with a company that only has health plans with HSAs attached (for those outside the US, those are terrible plans.)

    Reply ↓
  19. Arrietty*

    I am very literal and don’t always remember to engage my NT babelfish under pressure, so my answer might well be “I’ve not had an offer yet”.

    Reply ↓
    1. Celeste*

      But taking the question literally, they’re acknowledging that there hasn’t been an offer yet – “if it were extended.”

      Reply ↓
    2. E. Chauvelin*

      For the same reason, and because it was phrased as “an offer” and not “our offer at this time,” my brain started generating reasons why I might reject an offer under any circumstances, like that I found out that I was going to be reporting to a serial harasser or a bunch of other things that I wouldn’t willingly accept.

      Reply ↓
  20. AthenasTree*

    I had an interview experience where I was asked this question by the hiring manager and it helped clarify that I shouldn’t take the job.

    I’d had a couple excellent interviews, and the hiring manager had made it very clear that the team culture was very good. But I was concerned because the entire C-suite team appeared to be young white cis-het men, and I’m a woman in a male-dominated field. So I answered their question by asking if they had any information on DE&I initiatives or support for minorities.

    They didn’t have an answer for me at all. They responded that they addressed ‘complaints’ on a case-by-case basis.

    Their lack of preparation solidified that they were not going to be a better placement for me, so I turned the job down even though the salary, title, and workload would have been better.

    Reply ↓
  21. Tired and Discombobulated*

    I once had a candidate do the reverse version of this to me at the end of the interview: “Is there anything we’ve talked about in this interview or in my resume that would concern you or prevent you from offering me this job?” I said, no, I had no concerns. So he informed me there was no reason for me not to offer him the job on the spot. I said I still had other interviewees to see, and pretty much shredded his resume right after. I didn’t have concerns *until that moment*

    Reply ↓
    2. Rainy*

      Whoa. That dude definitely did not understand the idea behind asking that type of question! I hope he eventually talked to someone about that, because I can’t imagine any other response to that level of audacity.

      Reply ↓
  22. The Real Bespoke Adventure*

    Ugh. I mean, if that’s the intent, why not just ask, how are you feeling about this opportunity and are there any concerns we can address for you now?

    I feel like no matter how innocent the question may be, any variant on “will you take this job if we offer it to you?” is a terrible question, especially for women candidates, who are socialized to feel stress around not disappointing people/meeting expectations.

    It’s the same amount of cringe for me as job candidates asking “which seat will be mine?” We’re both still weighing things, don’t pressure me right now.

    Reply ↓
    1. Kella*

      I feel similarly. I can definitely see how valuable information could be unearthed by the resulting conversation, but that specific phrasing is framed as if the assumption is that OP *will* accept the offer, as opposed to gathering information about what would influence OP’s decision about whether to accept an offer. By answering the question, I’m sort of forced to agree with the premise of the question, which is what makes it feel like a gotcha to me. That kind of assumption would make a bit more sense if OP was unemployed or looking to leave their current job, but since this is very much optional for OP, it seems like the question should actually be, “What would be the deciding factor in you leaving your current job for this one?” or something like that.

      Reply ↓
  23. Gotcha OP*

    Thanks for posting my question Alison! I now understand better from the hiring manager’s perspective, but I have to admit I still don’t love this question. If it comes up again, I’ll be sticking with my bland “it depends on the offer” answer. It still just feels like a salesman tactic to me, like a “what can I do to put you in this car today” type thing. I now recognize this is a me problem, which is fine. At least I know.

    Also, to clear up some confusion, this was a third party recruiter.

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  24. Coverage Associate*

    One thing I am surprised hasn’t come up is if conflicts have to be cleared. I don’t think that’s only a lawyers thing, though it’s an all lawyers thing. If I knew I was interviewing with opposing counsel on one of my cases, and the interviewer wasn’t aware, that would be something to raise early. I’m not sure I would raise the specifics directly with the hiring manager, though. I might ask to be put in touch with whoever clears conflicts where I am interviewing.

    Usually, though, it’s because we have shared a case that I got the interview, but I did have to decline an offer, or have an offer withdrawn, because a conflict came up. (It was a waive able conflict, so I could have explained to my current employer and asked them to ask the current client for a waiver, or the potential employer could have asked their client for a waiver, but neither side asked, and we ghosted each other.)

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  25. The_artist_formerly_known_as_Anon-2*

    The question may seem like a “gotcha” but it has to be realistic. Obstacles to accepting a new job =

    – long commute
    – benefits at the new company might stink (example = my “dream job” chance , they would only match my salary and there was a lousy life insurance plan, so I had to shell out $600 a year for a term policy for my family’s security)
    – DO YOU HAVE A NON-COMPETE AGREEMENT WHICH CAN PREVENT YOU FROM WORKING FOR US (as a competitor)….

    Reply ↓
  26. Filicophyta*

    Based on experiences I’ve had, I would want to say “If there are any changes in the offer or conditions during the interview process, I will have to take them into consideration”.
    More than once I’ve had changes appear in the written offer after everything was discussed in interviews.
    No one has asked me that in the way it’s worded by OP. I’m sure I couldn’t really give the above answer without sounding mistrustful or confrontational. It’s not their fault that past hiring experiences weren’t great.

    Reply ↓

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