April 7, 2017, by Carla
What You Need to Know About Accepting Job Offers from Companies
By Erica Sparkes, Employability Education Projects Officer – Placements
You have attended the interview, you may have even gone through an assessment centre, and finally after the hours you have put into your application, you have received an offer of employment. What a relief! Or is it?
Accepting an offer can be a tricky business. Your reputation and the reputation of the University could be on the line if you don’t handle the situation professionally. This is especially true in the situation where you are going to decline the offer.
Take some time to think
Recruiters are well aware that it is a competitive market. Once they decided to offer you a role, they may be quick to request a response from you. It might be tempting to accept your first offer, given the pressure you faced finding a role and the hard work you put into applying. However, it is critical you take your time to reflect on what decision is right for you.
Consider the following questions:
- Is this your preferred job or employer?
- Did they make a good impression on you at interview?
- Is this the only company you’ve applied to?
- Is this the only company you are waiting to hear back from?
- Is this the right job for you?
If the answer to the above questions is a resounding ‘Yes,’ then congratulations it’s time to accept the offer. This will be verbally – over the telephone or in person – and formally in writing – either via email on in an acceptance letter.
What to do if you’re not sure
However, what do you do if your answer to any of the above questions is ‘No’? Maybe you’re just not sure and need help making the decision At this point, you need to speak to either a member of the Careers and Employability Service or the contact in your School.
It might be that you have attended a number of interviews and your preferred employer is taking their time in making a decision. In this case, it may be appropriate to delay responding to the first offer for a short time in order to allow to you consider your decision further.
I think I’ve made the wrong decision– what next?
Once you have accepted a job within a company you have made a commitment to join that organisation. Your formal acceptance should be final. If you decide you need to go back on your decision then you need to handle this carefully. You must communicate this to the employer in a way that does not damage your future career prospects with them. What’s more, the network between employers in some industries is really small. You don’t want to find that future doors are closed to you because of handling a job offer unprofessionally in the past. Need help handling a tricky conversation? Careers are here to help.
Are you celebrating your first job offer? For expert help making a decision, just get in touch. If you’re graduating this year and still looking for your ideal role, sign up to jobs by email.
As an employer, I find this advice somewhat disappointing. I think that after an interview process, which is definitely a two way street, then you should know whether you want to work for that employer or not. Having to delay to wait for a decision from another employer simply tells me that the person doesn’t want to work for me, and to paraphrase Jim Collins, I want the right people on the bus with me. I don’t want someone who thinks of my organisation as a second choice.
Use the interview to find out if you want to work for that organisation, as well as if they want you to work for them. When the interview is finished, you know what you think. If and when the offer arrives, if it meets your desires/needs/wants, then either accept or don’t.
Hello Stephen,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’ve passed it onto the author, who has written this reply:
Thank you for your comments. Ideally a candidate will know whether they want to work for the company and accept a position after their interview. However for some students this isn’t the case. Many feel an increasing pressure to secure a job, especially students seeking to find a placement for their year in industry, and will make several applications in the process. This article is intended to support those students with the decision making process and to encourage them to seek help in order to handle the situation professionally.