How should I communicate with recruiters when interested in opportunities but not ready to interview?
I recently left my company after taking a separation package rather than initiating a PIP. For personal reasons, I'm not looking to start interviewing immediately. However, I'd like to keep the door open for potential opportunities in 3-6 months. What's the best way to communicate with recruiters and companies? Should I say I'm not currently interested but willing to revisit in a few months? And is it okay to use this time to prepare for future interviews? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!
![Senior Software Engineer [E5] at Meta company logo](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffirebasestorage.googleapis.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Ftech-career-growth.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fcompany_logos%252Fmeta.jpeg%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Da7a5bcc0-e178-4b5b-b71e-09bf6c6aefae&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
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Discussion
(2 comments)- 1
4 months agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero"Thank you for the opportunity! I think your company's great, but I have some things I need to sort out right now. Can you contact me again in 3 months?"
If they don't reach out to you after 3 months, you should reach out to them.
Keep in mind that the market is brutal so a lot of these opportunities that you're being reached out to right now will be filled after 3-6 months.
- 03 months agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
You should absolutely be proactive with interviews and command the timeline! This is the key to gaining leverage, as I discuss in the negotiation course: Get Other Offers.
Alex's phrasing is great. You don't need to reveal exactly why you want to delay the interviews (vagueness is your friend). Use the time you ask for to line up other interviews and do more interview prep.
If it's a company you really care about, you may want to ask the recruiter about open positions at the company in a few months, or to hop on a call now to learn more about the needs.
