None of us can read the minds of anyone at Job A or at Job B. The simple fact is the truth can be at one extreme
(everyone you interviewed with at Job A is real eager for you to get the job, but the vp is caught up in something which may affect whether the organization can hire ANYONE, let alone you.)
or the other extreme
(they are trying to let you down easy because nobody wants to bite the bullet and tell you flat out you didn't measure up.)
or anywhere in between.
Jim is absolutely right: if you say anything about another job, 99% of all executives I know would consider you were trying to play Job A into making a faster decision, implying they would lose a great guy like you who was in great demand. Their response would be to call your bluff by saying, "Hit the road, Chump! We don't need arrogant prima donnas around here." regardless of how politely they tell you to your face to take the other job.
think of it this way:
no executive in his right mind would tell you you are number three on their list and they are only waiting for number one or two to accept an offer. If one and two turn the job down, it might be offered to you. The problem is the executives will always think of you as "third rate" and you'll KNOW they think of you as third rate and that will color the relationship in a negative way as long as you remain (usually not long.)
Since they won't tell you where you rank among the candidates, you should not tell them similar information about where THEY rank with you among companies at which you have applied.
Generally (even though I can't think of exceptions right now). if you are asked whether you are looking at other companies in your job search, always answer, "Of course!" If they ask you for specifics, simply say, "I prefer not to discuss specifics. I protect their privacy the same way I protect yours."
Do not, under ANY circumstances, get on your high horse and tell the recruiter you are protecting YOUR OWN privacy! It is the surest way to fail an interview.
Given a choice, it is always better to avoid an answer rather then tell a lie. Weasel phrases used to avoid an answer might include:
"Golly! That's an interesting question. I'd have to think about that for a while before I could give an answer that I would feel comfortable with."
"Gee. That's an unexpected question. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable answering it here and now. Could we move on and maybe get back to it later?"
"That's an unusual question to ask before giving someone a firm job offer. Are you giving me a firm job offer?
The toughest question of all to answer is "How much money do you make right now?"
Any answer you give with a real number is liable to paint you into a corner. If the number is too high, they may wash you out on the theory you will always be dissatisfied with the pay scale they offer and will soon leave for a better job if they hire you. If the number is too low, they may lower their opinion of you and offer you much less than the job is really worth and maintain the low opinion of you throughout your career.
The ideal counter to such a question is: "I've researched the salary rate for this job at a number of reliable sources and I find the range to be between A dollars and Z dollars. Does that meet with the wage rate you are prepared to pay for this position?"
The plain truth is every job interviewer is different and some might interpret such a response as "smart axx" and wash you out on the spot. The more incompetent an interviewer, the more likely he is to ask such a question and to interpret evasion as a direct challenge to his authority to have life and death control over you the interview. Only the candidate facing such an interviewer can judge whether the interviewer is an anomoly or a true picture of the conditions throughout the recruiting company. Then the candidate has to decide if he wants to work for a company that appears bent on the course of exploiting personnel without just compensation.
