The downside to 'probationary period' is that as a candidate you're limited to a single company. If you have to spend a week/month at X, you can't really consid

The downside to 'probationary period' is that as a candidate you're limited to a single company. If you have to spend a week/month at X, you can't really consider Y, you won't be able to give them the time. Then at the end of the week/month X gives you an offer and you can't even compare it to any other offer, because you didn't have time to get any. Another thing is, if they let you go after the probationary period, you pretty much start the search anew. If you applied to another company while you were 'employed' by X and you managed to schedule another probationary period with Y right after the end of the trial period with X, you have to refuse them last second in case X wants to hire you. If you didn't search for anything while at X, you're off work for another week/month while you search for another trial. If X ends up giving you an offer and you want to consider Y, what are you gonna tell them? Please wait a month for me while I work for this other company and see if it's any better than you? This simply doesn't work, for both companies and candidates. Your proposed solution works, if X is your dream company and you will accept their offer no matter what. That's not how most job searches go though.