Would you accept a job position knowing that you were second choice?

[Slartibartfast]

Wow, I'm the only "no" so far!

For me, the big warning would be TELLING me I'm the second choice.  They might not have called me first because I and someone else were so close they had to flip a coin - or they hired someone else who quit immediately when they found out how bad the job was.  Or there was a senior manager who said "I don't think a {gender | age | marital status | ethnicity} person can do that job" even though I was the best candidate, so someone else who fit a different demographic was offered the job first.  I wouldn't want to work in that environment.

If the company had tried to hide the fact I wasn't their top choice, that's fine - it's professional, which is a good sign.  If I knew I were second (or third or . . ), though, I would examine the workplace a lot more thoroughly before accepting.

[lilaenne]

Every time there's an opening where I work, we get 10 or so applications and do 3 interviews. And every time, my boss has to get out her magical three-sided coin to flip for who is offered the position. It's so difficult to quantify each candidate's different good qualities ("her computer skills are worth 38.7 hire-points, while his previous customer service experience is worth... 39 points even?" And how do you assign a number value to how well this personality fits with the existing staff?).

So, unless it's someting that has actually hard data and the difference is significant (ie, candidate 1 scored a 98% on the written applicant exam, and candidate 2 scored a 83%) first and second are nearly irrelevant. I'd say take the job.

[HogwartsAlum]

I wouldn't mind being second choice, but I wouldn't want them to TELL me that.  It might be that it was really close, but I wouldn't want to know.

I have been told that there was another candidate when I DIDN'T get the job. That is bad enough. Also, it's kind of obvious - "We didn't pick you because we picked someone else we thought was a little better." Well, DUH. 

[Xanthia, Maker of fine Tin-foil hats since 2007]

I was "second choice" for 2 positions, the first one is the one that got me in the industry, the second one is the one I have now.  In the first one, it was a coin flip between me and one other girl, the chose her and "gave me" to someone else who hired me on the spot.

For this position, someone had been doing side work for them and getting paid "per file" the salary they offered her was less than she was making so she turned it down, I got a call from a friend that they were looking for someone to fill my position, had lunch with the VP, and the VP spent the entire lunch convincing me to take the job.  I am making 10 thousand more a year than I was making 2 years ago, and really like my job.. I am SO GLAD their first choice refused!!!

[kingsrings]

I've never heard of anyone being told that they were second choice, and I hope it doesn't happen on a regular basis in any job field. But sometimes it's pretty obvious that you were second choice. If you were told, say, that a job offer would be made to the best candidate by Thursday and they will start on Monday, and then Thursday comes and goes and you don't hear anything. Then the following week on Wednesday you hear that you did indeed get the job. With that timing, it's pretty obvious that they had picked someone else and for whatever reason it didn't work out.

[DottyG]

Wow, I'm the only "no" so far!

For me, the big warning would be TELLING me I'm the second choice.  They might not have called me first because I and someone else were so close they had to flip a coin - or they hired someone else who quit immediately when they found out how bad the job was.  Or there was a senior manager who said "I don't think a {gender | age | marital status | ethnicity} person can do that job" even though I was the best candidate, so someone else who fit a different demographic was offered the job first.  I wouldn't want to work in that environment.

If the company had tried to hide the fact I wasn't their top choice, that's fine - it's professional, which is a good sign.  If I knew I were second (or third or . . ), though, I would examine the workplace a lot more thoroughly before accepting.

You do have a good point.  The fact that they told the person that they were 2nd choice is a bit shady and suspect.  I see your point and will agree with you there.

[kethria]

At my current job my boss flat out told me that had the person who was on a temporary contract applied for the job they never would have selected me because he liked her better. (She was a huge butt-kisser) I just said well, she didn't apply so you've got me. 3 years later I am being transferred to another lab and there is much wailing and lamenting and gnashing of teeth because they don't know what they are going to do without me. Perhaps if he had been nicer to me I would have done more to avoid being transferred. Ah well. New job is better position with more pay. Awwww...

[VorFemme]

I would remind myself that the first choice didn't work out - so what did "they" know!

I have lost a job offer because my due date (pregnant) was on the date that I was supposed to start training............I would have liked to have had that experience on my resume.  But looking back, hindsight tells me that counseling people with drug & alcohol problems was probably not the best fit for my personality.  

[Tabris]

Back when I had no self-esteem, I dated a guy for a year who was quite open about the fact that I was his third choice. When he realized I liked him, he went to Choice #1 and asked her out, got turned down, went to Choice #2 and asked her out, got turned down, and then came to me. Who, being a dingbat, dated him. 

For a job, though, where there's no emtional commitment, I wouldn't care unless the managers were forcing it into my head that I was second-best. Do you see the difference?

And I figure after working there for a while, I would have proven I was first-best all along, only they didn't realize it. 

[Evil Duckie]

Yes I would. Hopefully you wouldn't be told that you were the second choice, but if you are so what.

This is business and often in business you don't get your first choice. That doesn't mean that being second choice means that you aren't qualified it just means that you were second on the list.

[kiero]

I was second choice once.  I was fine with that.  Because of when the interviews were (right before Christmas) it was a little while before they made their choice.  I e-mailed them after the Christmas break to ask if they'd made a choice and they told me that they'd waited to tell me because they hadn't gotten confirmation from the first choice yet. 

I wasn't offended.  I knew that I could do the job - but that I wasn't acedemically trained to do so - and so if someone else had the right training they would get it over me.  As it was I found out later they wished they'd given the job to me.  (DH got a job working for the same guy and the 'first choice' ended up being a total flop with no personality.)

[magicdomino]

I'm the second choice?  Great, it got me the job, didn't it.

I would kind of wonder why the first person turned this wonderful job down.

[Twik]

When I graduated from university, jobs were scarce as hen's teeth. I kept going on interviews, and being repeatedly told "We like your qualifications, but there's ONE person ahead of you. If they turn the job down, it's yours." If they had turned it down, there would have been great rejoicing.

I could never figure out why I was always in second, and why eventually they didn't run out of people who could edge me out.

[nonesuch4]

One job I had, I found out later no one else had actually shown up for interviews.  I don't think the owner told me, though...iirc, the context of this news coming out was a co-worker mentioning how pleased Manager was with my performance, since the other two people who called about the job were never heard from again.

[Tosha Go]

Back when I had no self-esteem, I dated a guy for a year who was quite open about the fact that I was his third choice. When he realized I liked him, he went to Choice #1 and asked her out, got turned down, went to Choice #2 and asked her out, got turned down, and then came to me. Who, being a dingbat, dated him. 

ouch.. i just had a bad freshman year at college flashback (was the 3rd choice too!).

As far a work goes, I wouldn't have a problem being the second choice.  In fact, in my current job I pretty much was a second choice, they were hiring for 2 positions, and the main reason for me not getting the first job was a conflict in start time (I couldn't start work as soon as the other person).  I didn't feel offended or suspicious of the job.  I'm there 7 months later and get a long great with my coworker.