Ask HN: Advice on handling multiple concurrent hiring processes?
New account not tied to my real identity.

I work remotely for a small/medium startup. I love the company I work for, and the people I work with. I believe in the product, and I want to see the company succeed. However, like any job, nothing is perfect. A little while ago, due to layoffs going around at my company and perceived instability, in addition to simply wondering about a change of scenery and new opportunities, I fired my resume off to a number of job listings.

I'm fortunate enough that with my area and level of expertise, it still seems there is plenty of demand. I got a hit almost immediately for a job listing at Big Corp A doing something I find interesting and challenging, yet out of my current range of experience. Regardless, I've done two interviews so far, and the process seems to be going well. I have a third scheduled for next week.

Shortly after the first interview at Big Corp A, A recruiter from Well-funded Startup B initiated contact with me, in regards to a position that is much more aligned with my current preferences and experience in technologies, and they're only a couple hours' drive away. I'm excited about this one. Not only could I have a large impact, it would look great on my resume, and I had a great time interviewing with them, so the cultural fit seems pretty good. I'd like to commute to the office nearby occasionally and be physically present to work with colleagues.

Not long after a series of interviews with company B, I was contacted by Mega Corp C, which I did submit a resume to a couple months ago. Company C is well-established in hardware and software, and they have plenty of need for skills like mine in a number of areas. They would probably be the most competitive in compensation, and their hiring manager seems especially keen on talking to me after going over my resume. They don't have a nearby office, but remote is an option just like the other two.

This level of interest is sort of new to me. I started professionally in software about eight years ago, and in earnest about five years ago. I have no degree, I've simply developed my experience through creating software and contributing to open source. At my previous occupation, I contributed to a handful of high-profile open source projects, a number of which were deeply integrated into the product I worked on. A product I largely engineered and developed myself.

To recap, I've got multiple companies shepherding me through their hiring processes concurrently, and I'm at different stages with each one. I've been following up with recruiters to stay informed as to where I am in the process, but I'm nervous about getting an offer from one before the others, and perhaps not having enough time to properly consider all my options. To make matters worse, I applied to what you might call my Dream Company at the same time as Company C, and I have yet to hear back. I expect that Dream Company would be quite interested in my expertise, given their success in recent market offerings, and my resume simply hasn't seen the right eyeballs yet. I have a gnawing feeling that as soon as I accept an offer, I'll be contacted by Dream Company for an interview.

At what point do I stop accepting new interviews?

To what extent can or should I tell other companies that I'm in the process of interviewing elsewhere?

Especially if I get an offer, how should I handle dealing with the other companies, and possibly nudging them along to avoid losing an opportunity?

If I get multiple offers, is there a good way to leverage them to my benefit?