August 29, 2023, by Leah Sharpe
Why You Shouldn’t Always Accept Your First Job Offer
By Grace Smyth, student blogger
During my final year at university, it has felt like a pressure cooker of nerves and stress about finding a job for after graduation. However, something I have learnt this year through the job-hunting process is that sometimes the job you want with all your heart might not actually be the best fit for you – and that’s okay! Sometimes you just have to take a step back and look at all your options.
When you start to feel hesitant about the role
In April I was offered a job that I had wanted since September and was the only job offer I had received despite so many hours of completing long application forms and travelling the country for interviews. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to tell people!
However, the longer I thought about the role and my experience during the application process I realised that the job I had in my head was very different to the one I had in front of me. The job offer came after a bad interview experience where I felt like I had to prove to my interviewer that I was good enough for the role even though he didn’t think I was, to the point where they phoned me a week later to tell me they still didn’t think I could do the job even though they had sent me an offer. Once I was sent the offer and thought about it for a few days, I had this feeling that I was making a mistake.
The importance of taking a step back
When you have been searching for a job for months and it feels like everyone around you is accepting offers and is making plans post-graduation, it is so tempting to accept the first offer you receive in the excitement. Yet, it’s crucial that you take a step back and look at it with fresh eyes.
A month after I had been offered my first job, I randomly stumbled upon a job online that I had no confidence that I would get. Yet, within a week I had an online interview and had been sent a contract. I went into my interview with the second organisation with no confidence and no self-belief from my first experience, but this time around the experience was very different. I connected with the interviewer and felt like this was a team I wanted to be a part of, and that the interviewer believed in me.
Trust your gut!
So, my advice after this past year is that during your job search, don’t always assume that a job you have set your sights on is going to be the perfect fit. The right job for you could be just around the corner and there is no shame in admitting you have doubts once you have been offered a job. It’s important to trust yourself and be honest with yourself if the company or job isn’t what you thought it would be.
Explore our Graduate jobs webpage for information on different career paths, how to find vacancies, and navigating the workplace once you find the right role for you.
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