Five Things to Remember When You Receive a Job Offer

It’s awesome when the phone rings with good news, right? We get all excited and we just want to shout to the world that our efforts paid off; we were successful.

Not so fast, buckaroo. (I’ve never said that word before; hope I’m using it correctly)

We spend so much time preparing for the interview that sometimes we forget to prepare for the offer.

And unlike most marriage proposals, it’s not all about just saying “yes”.

The job offer is an extension of the interview process. There are more questions to ask; negotiations to be handled; paperwork to be done.

So what do you do when the phone rings and it’s the hiring manager ready to discuss an offer?

Here are five things to remember when you receive a job offer:

Be gracious.

Thank the hiring manager for the offer. In all conversations, be polite and courteous.  Be humble and respectful.  And act excited!  As a hiring manager, there’s nothing worse than finally finding the right candidate and calling to tell them the good news, only to be met with a “meh” attitude or one that implies, “So what? I get these calls everyday”.

Be Prepared

Job offers are really negotiations in disguise. Yes, ultimately there is the job offer. But it’s a friendly game of tug-of-war, with the company trying to get the best deal for its money while you are trying to get the best deal for yourself.

Give this some thought before you receive an offer. Research salaries and benefits for similar positions at other companies in your area. Think about things like vacation, parking allowance, gym memberships, healthcare, 401K, tuition reimbursement, and any other stipulations that are important to you.

Know what you want to get out of this job deal and understand that you will have to compromise on some things.

Listen

During the call, let the hiring manager do most the talking; usually they will answer many of your questions automatically. If they have not, ask! Now is the time to get the information you need in order to make your decision.

Ask Questions

Review your offer carefully. Compare it to your list of “must-haves”.  Ask your significant other or a close confidant to review it with you, to make sure you are not caught up in the bright, shiny object that is a job offer.  You might be missing something.

If something is unclear, don’t assume it can – or will be – made good once you are employed. The time to get it right is now, while you are still in negotiations instead of six months down the road.

Follow Through

You may need time to digest the offer – that’s perfectly acceptable. Tell them again how pleased you are to have received an offer and that you would like a couple days to review it.

Caution: whatever you do, follow-up with the company! Do not leave them hanging. This is the first day of your new job, so to speak, and you want to be known as someone who “Does what she says she’ll do”.

This includes sending in any necessary paperwork or bringing whatever they ask for the first day on the job, showing up on time with a smile on your face ready to go.

Hear that phone ringing? You’ve got this! Now go out and make it happen.