Offer letters and contracts

[theprince911]

As I near the end of my training, I find myself navigating interviews, offers etc. I'm sure I am not the first to have had these questions, but I cannot find any threads here or on Reddit that would guide me in this specific situation. I appreciate any wisdom those of you with more experience can share while navigating this.

I have basically narrowed down my job search to two positions. Both know me pretty well, and both have made it clear they want me to join their practice. One of them (Practice A) has sent me an offer letter, with pay, RVU threshold and all of that info. The second one (Practice B) is sending me a contract soon. I want to go with Practice B, but don't want to turn down A until I have something in writing from B. I would be happy at either place, and both have pros and cons, but Practice B is more in line with my professional and personal goals.

Of course, the longer I put it off, the A is inquiring whether I will sign the letter or not. I don't want to be dishonest, but I also don't want to say "no" then be screwed if something happens with B or if I don't like the contract (very low probability, but until I have it in writing I cannot help but try to protect myself).

My plan is to have the contract for Practice B reviewed by a lawyer just to cover my bases (which will also take some time), then sign. I should receive it very soon, but feel like I've been keeping A hanging for a while now.. I've also started to fill out other paperwork for Practice B as if I will be starting with them, but just waiting on the contract as it passes through committees.

How would one navigate this? Do I just bite the bullet and tell Practice A that I will be joining elsewhere? Do I wait until the contract is signed and executed, or just until I have it in hand? I want to protect myself but also don't want to waste anyone's time.

This community has been instrumental in helping me shape my career. I look forward to seeing what you all think. Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mikeGR]

I think you should be honest with everyone. It is a small world- I would tell them that I am considering my options and will have made a decision by xx date. If this is too late for them, they can move on. Just letting them hanging is disrespectful and hurts the other applicants as well.

Btw, I would caution you that "very soon" can oftentimes take a very long time. It would be fair to let practice B know that you need the contract by xy date (something reasonable). Also, I see that you "trust" practice B, but it is pretty common for verbal offers and other provisions to fall through unless there is a signed contract.

Good luck!

 

[Smurfette]

1. you should tell practice B you have a contract in hand with another group and that you are waiting on their offer because you are really interested in joining them. They may move faster if they know you have an offer to compete with.
2. you should tell practice A you are waiting on another offer before you decide how to proceed. Is their letter a formal contract or will they send you a contract only if you sign the letter? How binding is the letter? I have not been in a situation where I got anything other than a contract myself.
It is ok to let practices know you are interviewing at other places. However, you also need to give them a timeline for you to make a decision as they may want to extend an offer to someone else. How long have you been sitting on this?

 

[theprince911]

Thank you for your replies. I should clarify. Practice B knows I have an offer already, and since I last posted actually did send me the contract which I am having reviewed before I sign.

Practice A knows I was waiting on B. I've been pretty upfront with them and have told them that I am waiting until I have both offers in hand and talk to my mentors etc, before deciding which way to proceed. Practice A also knows that I am more inclined to go with Practice B (I really have been very upfront with them). And yes, A would send me the contract if I signed the offer letter; B just sent me the contract. I have been sitting on this for a couple weeks and have been openly communicating with both. I told A I would make a decision by the end of the week, but won't have the contract for B reviewed until early next week. Based on your advice and my earlier disclosure to Practice A about when I would make my decision, I plan on telling A at the end of this week that I am going to sign with B, but am in the contract review part of this. Hopefully there are no hiccups; all that really needs to be done now is for the contract to be signed.

Please do let me know if any of this sounds idiotic. I'm sure I'm significantly overthinking this, but it's one of the biggest decisions in my life so just want to make sure I'm doing it right. Thank you!

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

While it feels like a huge decision, it's probably not. There are many places that might provide what you're looking for. And you can always change if needed. The likelihood that you stay with one practice your entire career is very low. It took me a couple of stops to get it right. Not ideal for life. But the world is your oyster finally. They want you and need you a lot more than you need them. Good luck