Dawn Williams No Comments

I get this question from candidates all the time because they don’t know what the protocol is. Here are some tips to consider if you should accept the offer on the spot: 1. Is the offer written down? I can tell you of many offers where people accepted verbal offers, started the jobs only to find out that after they started, promises were not kept. Make sure that what you were promised is in writing. 2. Ensure that there are no surprises. If you have discussed things in advance and now at the offer stage there are no surprises, go ahead and sign the offer. 3. Your minimum requirements are all there. If you made a list beforehand of the “must haves” and “nice to haves”, check the offer against this list. 4. Are promises made by hiring manager in the offer? Perhaps there were other conditions spoken about during the interviews. Are these in the offer letter? These too need to be written down. Here are instances where you should wait to sign and take your time: 1. It’s not written down. Before you accept a verbal offer verbally, wait to get it all in writing. You don’t want to accept even verbally and then have to back down. You want to have a paper trail of all promises made to you. 2. Does taking this job change your family life at all? If this job will see you switching cities, increasing commute or travel time, it is very normal to let the employer know that you will need to discuss with your spouse or partner. 3. Many changes have been made from the original offer. If you find yourself in a position where there have been many changes made to what was originally discussed, you now need to start the negotiation process. 4. You’re waiting for another offer. In the case where you are waiting for another offer, you might want to hold off signing this offer. You need to buy yourself some more time. You need to become creative for the other job that you might want more. Whether you expect to accept the job or not, make sure to thank them for the offer. Also, be professional in your dealing if you don’t accept because this world is a small place. Be honest and come to the table prepared to talk about your non-negotiables. If you are not completely honest and walk away with a bad feeling, you may not have given the employer a chance to meet your demands. Don’t be greedy and think win-win.