Joel Spolsky On Tech Hiring: Beware the Exploding Offer
I'm surprised this is coming from Spolsky. Spolsky's companies must be getting big.Small companies can often only hire one person at a time and therefore need short acceptance windows. Small companies (< 50 people) often have only one specific position open. It is unethical to make more than one offer if you hiring for a single position. Therefore small companies often need short acceptance windows so they can make an offer to someone else who might want the position and fill the job.