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Got two competing offers at once — herE's how I used them and what happened

by Syafiqah Salleh·May 21, 2026

Timing worked out (accidentally) and I had offers from two companies arrive within 10 days of each other. Here's exactly what I did.

Step 1: Responded to the lower offer enthusiastically, said I was very interested but needed a week to wrap up some personal commitments. This bought time.

Step 2: Told the higher offer that I had a competing offer and named the package. Asked if they could improve their offer before I needed to decide.

Step 3: They came back with RM500/month more and an extra week of leave. I accepted.

Step 4: Went back to the lower offer, thanked them sincerely, and declined.

Important: I was honest about having a competing offer but didn't reveal which company. You don't have to. And I never lied about the package amounts, that can backfire badly if they know each other.

#competing-offers#negotiation#job-offer#strategy
334 upvotes6 comments

Comments (6)

Cindy Ho24

Technical tests should be reasonable in scope. If a take-home assignment takes more than 4 hours they are getting free work from you.

Shahril Zain20

I now ask upfront: how long does this assessment usually take? If they say "2–3 hours" and it takes 8, that tells you something about the company.

Penny Toh15

Submit a summary document with your technical work. One page explaining your decisions. Separates you from candidates who just submit code.