How to accept a job offer

It's everyone's dream to be offered a job, but make sure of a couple of things before saying yes!

You may be looking at the title of this article thinking, “how about saying yes! When do I start?”

Simple, right?

Especially when you have been job hunting for an extended period, it’s your first job or it signals a move in to a new area you are really keen on. Basically any situation in which your position is not strong.

However accepting a job which you might stay in for years is a big decision and rarely is it the right choice to accept without taking a moment to reflect on what that means for your career.

Questions to ask yourself before you accept a job offer

Therefore, before you jump into the brave new world of a different position, company or career. Sit down and ask yourself some questions.

1. Do you fully understand what this job entails?

Perhaps in your desire to find a new position you are quite willing to let a lot of things slide. Perhaps the job description was a little vague. Maybe during the interview other roles and responsibilities were briefly mentioned but, hey, you’re quite flexible, right? 

However at some point you should be clear on what is expected of you, how your performance will be judged and what is not your responsibility.

2. Will this job make appropriate use of your skills?

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

All of us have strengths and weaknesses. What we must do therefore is to search for a position that maximises the use of our strengths and allows us to improve on our weaknesses at an appropriate pace.

Of course this is an ideal and like most reasonable people we are constantly trying to reconcile ourselves to the world rather than expecting the reverse.

Nevertheless, take a moment to reflect. If you know you are a brilliant ‘ideas person’ yet this role is primarily about organisation and you struggle to keep your room clean perhaps you might end up a fish trying to climb trees on a daily basis.

3. Will this job take me where I want to go?

It might be a position in a large company where the question will be, ‘what are my chances of promotion and how long will it be before I get that opportunity?’ or it might be a ‘stepping stone’ to bigger things. Either way you have to ask yourself if this job is the next step towards where you want to go. The years slip by quickly and we have to ask ourselves the hard questions if we want to achieve our goals.

Questions to ask your Employer

In the time period referred to as the ‘offer window’, after the offer has been made and before you are expected to refuse or accept the offer, you are perfectly entitled to ask your prospective employer any pertinent questions.

The main purpose of these questions should be to dispel any ambiguity between what you imagine the job to be and what it is in reality. Of course many of us want to come across as easy to work with and therefore we ‘choose the path of least resistance’ as Heather Philips put it in her article, “The right way to accept a job offer”, which you can read on Linkedin.

However suitable, politely put, questions which seek to clarify exactly what is expected of you and what benefits you will receive in return should be graciously responded to by any decent employer. Indeed any attempt by an employer to avoid answering should be treated as a red flag.

For a recommendable employer a politely assertive employee would be perceived as one who is taking their position seriously and is determined to be successful in it.

Therefore we can break the questions down into:

  1. Black and white details: clarity on payment, benefits, healthcare and holidays should be standard and you have every right to ask if it isn’t.
  2. Performance: how will success be measured? How will I know if I am being successful? How often will feedback occur? What form of training or courses can I expect?
  3. Individual: these are the questions relevant to the role you will play in the company. For example, if you are part of a design team it may be a question about how the design team and the marketing team collaborate. Anything which gives you a clearer insight into how healthy your role will be.

The offer window: the time between the job offer and your response

How long the offer window will stay open will vary however it is always best to be upfront with an employer and be clear about when they will receive their answer.

This will require a certain diplomacy on your part as depending on the time taken the employer may view this as prudent stock taking or a lack of interest. However if you follow these steps you should come across as a serious and thoughtful future employee to any conscientious employer.

  1. Thank the employer for the job offer and say how excited you are about the prospect of working for the company.
  2. Have a prepared phrase that will allow you to establish a clear offer window in a diplomatic manner. For example, “As you can imagine this is a big career move for me so, if possible, I would like some time to discuss it with my partner and family. I would very much appreciate if we could maintain communication during this period in case there are any aspects of the contract I would like to clarify. How does a period of forty eight hours sound?”
  3. Could I receive written confirmation of the terms of the offer?

Of course other conditions will be factors but for any serious job offer if an employer is not willing to grant a period of forty eight hours to the candidate that they feel is right for the job it should raise doubts in your mind.

Negotiation

Of course it depends on how strong your position is but as a rule of thumb always try to negotiate. In the world of private industry rarely is a first offer a final offer.

So again while it does depend on numerous factors: for example, if negotiating payment, the amount of pay may have already been discussed or may not have yet been mentioned. These are two extremes: the first leaves lesser room for returning to the same topic and the second is basically an invitation to begin the negotiating process.

However if done politely and professionally there is no reason not to ask for a reasonable improvement in conditions.

Again it comes back to asking the hard questions and not simply taking the path of least resistance so as to appear likeable. You may be reluctant to ask but think how you will feel in a few months if you were to find out that your, perhaps not as competent colleague, is on more money than you simply because they asked?

Finally remember negotiation isn’t all about pay. If that is an immovable issue there are a lot of other ways in which an employer can sweeten the pie for the right candidate.

The job offer acceptance letter

Okay you have crossed all the ‘T’s and dotted all the ‘I’s. You are clear that this is the right job for you, of what your role and responsibilities are, how your performance will be evaluated and how you will be remunerated.

It is time for you to write your official job offer acceptance letter or email.

Either way put it in writing.

You written acceptance should express your enthusiasm for the role and how pleased you are that they have chosen you.

It should also state the basic terms on which you are being hired particularly if those terms are the result of negotiations and which differ from the original offer. Remember: clarity at all costs.

Be brief. Be professional. Be polite.

Dear Ms. Lindsey.

Many thanks for the time you took on the phone yesterday to answer my questions. I would be delighted to join the design team at Upsize Down as a team copywriter.

As we discussed my salary will be 30,000 per annum with three weeks yearly holidays and the possibility to work remotely one day per week.

I am delighted to have been granted this opportunity and look forward to meeting the team on the 25th of this month.

Thank you again for your courtesy and clarity regarding my questions throughout the recruitment process. I look forward to working with you.

Kind regards,

Finally:

Clarity is king. Polite Negotiation is perfectly acceptable. Asking the hard questions now rather than six months down the line shows you know your worth and that you intend to perform.

Other than that. Best of luck in your new job.

 

Written for CareerJunction by Mark Dempsey.

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