How to tell your preferred university that you received another offer? and What type of reply will you get if you are a top candidate?

Question

What is the best way to inform my preferred university that I got another offer?

What type of reply I can expect iff I am a top candidate?

Position: Tenure track Country:USA

Answer 1

This answer assumes that you have already been interviewed and likely flown out at the preferred university...

The general rule is to match the other parties’ preferred correspondence style if you want a fast reply. If the search chair has conducted most of their correspondence with you by phone, then use phone. If by email, then use email.

You should emphasize (if it is true) that you would strongly consider a reasonable offer from them to avoid some of the game playing that Buffy is concerned with. You might also refrain from saying where the competing offer is from to avoid this type of thinking.

You can expect that if you are their top candidate they will tell you and work internally to expedite their process of making an offer. They may also push their first candidate to decide more quickly if you are ranked second and they are worried the top candidate may not accept.

Answer 2

A warning, and maybe an answer.

Telling them is very unlikely to boost your application and might sabotage it. If you aren't already the top candidate they won't put you ahead of others. But they might just figure that you may not accept their offer, no matter what you say about preferences. You'd have to assume that they would believe you and you are dealing with a committee of individuals with their own preferences.

I wouldn't bother to tell them unless you have an action item based on their response. For example, if you have to make a decision soon on the other offer you can ask for information.

Actually, you can ask for information about the time scale in any case, even without revealing the offer.

If you do want to communicate, then you don't need to say that the reason is another offer, but that you have decisions to make and a looming deadline.

But by speaking of an offer you are rolling the dice. If they think the other place is lower on the scale then they won't think better of you than they already do. I they think it is higher, then they might doubt that you would accept an offer and put their efforts elsewhere.

Nothing is certain here, of course, but I advise caution. Ask if you have a need to know. But don't ask if you think it is a goad to increase your chances. That seems unlikely to me.

Serendipity sometimes happens, but don't lose track of the fact that you aren't in the driver's seat until you get an offer.

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Your other option, which may be more fruitful, is to work with the place from which you have the offer to assure you have enough time to make a good decision. Carrying on discussions over compensation and such can sometimes be fruitful, though not always. And asking for a reasonable time in which to make a decision is sensible.