SIU Carbondale College of Business Career Guide

EMPLOYMENT OFFERS

Congratulations! You just received an internship or job offer. Now ask yourself, “Did I do the right things when talking to the informing recruiter?” Getting a phone call —especially one you have been eagerly awaiting—from a recruiter is exciting and gratifying. However, it must be handled properly, with careful thought and consideration. Here are some pointers to follow:

ƒ ƒ Sound enthusiastic to emphasize confidence in your decision, thank the hiring manager again, and express your pleasure at starting your career with the company. ƒ ƒ Be ready with questions and preferences your employer may be waiting to confirm with you, such ƒ ƒ Follow up with others in the company who were instrumental in your interviewing process to let them know you have accepted the position and than them for their help. ƒ ƒ Contact any other employers with whom you were still in the interview process to inform them of your acceptance, and let them know you will not be moving forward with them. Do this as soon as possible so they can move on to other candidates. Make sure to tank them for their interest in you. ƒ ƒ Acceptance of an offer, whether verbal or in writing, is considered binding. It is never permissible to accept a job offer and later decline. This is considered a renege. ƒ ƒ Once an offer has been accepted, either verbally or in writing, interviews should cease. Declining an offer ƒ ƒ Sometimes an offer is not a good fit or you plan to accept another, more suitable internship or job. Declining an offer should be done as soon as you have made the decision not to accept the job. This allows the employer to move on to its next steps for filling the position. ƒ ƒ Calling the employer to communicate your decision is preferred. However, if your conversations throughout the offer process have been via e-mail, you can use this method to share your decision. ƒ ƒ Be sure to thank the recruiter for his or her time, hard work, and interest in you, and share a brief explanation about the reasons for your decision, focusing on your interest in the best fit for both of you. Leave the employer with a desire to continue professional interactions with a desire to continue professional interactions with you in the future. as start date and relocation plans. ƒ ƒ Clarify next steps in the process.

Receiving a Job Offer ƒ ƒ Be prepared; know what you are going to say to the recruiter so that when the offer is made, you are in command of your response. Don’t let the excitement of the moment allow you to prematurely accept the offer before you have had time to weigh its many elements and implications. ƒ ƒ Thank the recruiter, and express your excitement and pleasure about the offer. ƒ ƒ Unless you are 100 percent sure you are going to accept the job on the spot, avoid language that implies that you accept. Remember, a verbal acceptance will be considered by the recruiter as an official indication that you will be joining the company in the job offered to you. ƒ ƒ Ask for details about next steps: When will the offer paperwork be sent to you? Is there a deadline for accepting or declining the offer? Are there other requirement that you must fulfill? ƒ ƒ Tell the recruiter that you are eager to review the offer package and discuss it with your family and career advisor. Ask the recruiter about the best times to contact him/her with any questions about the offer material. ƒ ƒ Be ready with other questions you have for the recruiter. ƒ ƒ Wrap up the call by reiterating your pleasure at receiving the offer, and confirming that you will review the offer materials and respond within the agreed-upon time frames. ƒ ƒ Be sure to report your offer to Career Services so that the data can be aggregated with other offer information to develop the yearly College of Business employment statistics report. Responding to a Job Offer Accepting an Offer ƒ ƒ Once you have decided to accept an offer, it is best to communicate that decision as soon as possible to the employer. This allows the company to move forward with the next phase in bringing you on board. This could include firming up your start date or signing you up for pre-employment training.

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