Accept the Offer or Walk Away from opportunities?
The hiring manager calls with great news: the job is yours. Phew, the
hard part is over, right? Maybe not. Determining whether to take a job
offer can — and should — be a difficult decision. In a bad economy or if
you're eager to get out of your current job, it can be tempting to
accept any offer. But before you take on job, you need to evaluate the
situation carefully.
What the Experts Say
"Over the last 40 years we've transitioned from an economy where you
work for 30 years and retire with a gold watch to something that is much
more transactional," says Boris Groysberg, a professor of business
administration at Harvard Business School
.
People switch jobs on average every three to four years, says
Groysberg, which means that being able to evaluate a job offer is a
critical skill for today's professional. And yet, most people do it
poorly. "People spend more time thinking about their investments or even
where to go on holiday," says John Lees, a UK-based career strategist
.
Certainly, determining whether to accept a job is an individual
decision. Danny Ertel, a founding partner at Vantage Partners, LLC, a
negotiation consulting firm in Boston
says, "How you evaluate an offer will be different if you are looking
for a job in a fulfillment center in ecommerce or if you are a midcareer
executive who lost her job in a merger." Regardless of where you are in
your career, there are principles you can follow to ensure you make the
right decision.
Shape the offer along the way
When the hiring manager or recruiter calls you with the offer, it
shouldn't be the first time you discuss specifics. "I would encourage
people to have a conversation about their aspirations for the job way
before the point of offer," says Ertel. Be honest when responding to
interview questions such as, "What are you looking for in your next
role?" This increases the likelihood that the offer includes things on
your wish list. Deciding whether or not to take a job usually isn't a
simple yes or no choice, so prepare for the offer conversation as a
negotiation. Rarely should you accept something at face value, even in a
depressed economy. "If you don't ask for anything you're missing an
opportunity," says Lees.
Do more in-depth research
You can find out a lot about a company before you send in your resume,
but once you have the offer in hand, it's time to do more extensive
research. Groysberg writes in his article, that one of biggest mistakes that people make is not finding out enough
about their potential employer. Dig around for as much information as
you can about the organization, the culture, and your future co-workers.
"There is a lot more information out there than there used to be," says
Ertel. Find company employees on LinkedIn and see what they say about
their job on Twitter, Facebook, or other media. You also want to find
out what you can about the organization's future prospects. When the
economy is underperforming, you have to consider whether the company
will still be around in a few years. "Nowadays with industries changing
and very successful companies failing, if you don't scrutinize the
company, you're making a big mistake," says Groysberg."
Be realistic about your prospects
Unfortunately, most job searches do not follow an orderly process that
lets you compare several offers at once. More likely, you'll receive
your first offer when you are still interviewing with or have just sent
your resume to other employers. "You can't compare to fantastical,
theoretical possibilities. You need to be realistic about what is likely
to come down the line," says Lees. Look at the applications you have
under way and reasonably assess which are likely to get to offer.
Groysberg suggests you compare the offer in hand against a wish list of
what you really want in any job. "Sometimes good enough will have to do.
Let go of the idea that there might be something perfect out there,"
says Lees. He finds that most people want to cross off a majority of
things on their lists. However, in some cases, you may settle for fewer
things if the position offers something else: a stronger resume, new
skills, or access to an organization you'd like to work at in the
long-term.
What if you really need the job?
In a tough job market, it's easy to overvalue an offer. Lees says you
need to be wary of "rose-tinted spectacles" you might wear if you are
unemployed or have been searching for a long time. Instead of talking
yourself into something, explore other alternatives like accepting the
job for a short-term period, say six to nine months, while you look
elsewhere. If that's not possible and you really need the job, know the
risks. Groysberg believes people underestimate the transaction costs of
switching jobs: what it does to your family, your client relationships,
and the impact it has on your network and future prospects. "You need to
think about what kind of an investment an employer is making in you and
how disruptive it will be if you leave," says Ertel. Lees advises that
many future employers and search consultants will look down on quick job
switches.
If you decide to say no
Saying no to a job offer can be complicated. You've sent in your resume,
shown up for a series of interviews, and the employer likely assumes
you want the job. "The last thing you want is for the company to think
you played them," says Groysberg. Don't' string them along. If you
realize during the interview process that there is a high chance you
won't accept an offer, let the hiring manager know so she can focus on
more viable candidates, and you can get on with your search. It can be
tempting to prove to yourself and others that you can get the job but
it's a waste of time to do it for your ego. However, it's okay to
continue in a process when you are unsure. Express your concerns and
desires along the way. This will not only keep an open dialogue but
could possibly shape the eventual offer.
If you do say no, remember that a lot goes into generating an offer.
People have invested time and may have even gone to bat for you. Never
imply that the job or the salary was to blame. Instead focus on what's
not a good fit. This will keep the door open for the future. "You'd like
to walk away in such a way that if their needs change tomorrow, you can
walk back in," says Ertel. Remember that everyone you met in the
interview process is now a potential contact in your network. "Never be
so adversarial that you can't have a relationship with the
organization," says Lees.
Principles to Remember
Do:
- Find out as much as you can about the organization, its future prospects and what it's like to work there
- Shape the offer along the way by expressing your expectations and desires about the job
- Be reasonable about what other offers might come in
Don't:
- Take a job you don't want unless you absolutely have to
- Overvalue an offer just because you feel desperate
- Imply that the job offer is not good enough when declining it
Case Study #1: Be honest about your requirements
When Heather Goodman* became a mom to twins two years ago she decided
not to return to her full-time job. Instead, she did freelance work for
several universities and other public sector organizations, not
expecting to entertain job offers any time soon. However, she came
across a position she felt compelled to apply for with an organization
she was freelancing with. She enjoyed the work immensely and counted
Jill, the Director of the office, among her mentors. Jill explained that
it was a full-time job but Heather asked if there was any flexibility.
"She advised me to go through the process," Heather says. If and when
they got to the point of offer, they could figure out the possibilities.
Within a week of Heather's interview, Jill called to give her an
informal offer, explaining that HR would send formal paperwork soon. "I
made the request at that time to take the position on at 80%," Heather
says. It was a formality since Jill already knew that's what she wanted.
"I thought I had a strong negotiating position," Heather says given
that she was the top candidate for the job and she had already shown she
could do the work. Jill agreed to talk with HR, but the department
maintained that it was a 100% position and it would start in 5 weeks.
The job was exactly what Heather wanted: it was in the right field,
it came with great promotional and development opportunities, and
Heather already enjoyed the working environment. Still, she wasn't ready
to go full time. "I had five or six days where I put a lot of thought
into it," she says. She reached out to mentors and colleagues to get
input. "It was the first job offer I had in a long time where everything
looked so perfect," she says. But she felt she couldn't take it, that
it wasn't right for her family. "Instead of thinking of it as turning
down that job, I thought of it as taking the job of being mom to my
girls," she says. She called Jill to share her decision. In addition,
she wrote thank you notes to everyone she interviewed with explaining
her reason for not taking the position and asking that they consider her
for future positions. Heather doesn't regret her decision at all. In
fact, Jill has shared her plans to build the office and Heather's
hopeful she'll have an opportunity to entertain another offer in the
future when her requirements for a position change.
Case Study #2: Turn down the offer that just isn't right
Isabel Soto*, an employment professional based in New York City, has
turned down two job offers in the past year. In 2006, she had started
her own consulting practice but by 2008, most of her larger clients had
been forced to drop her because of the economy. In 2011, she was
stringing together irregular assignments and knew she needed a steady
job. The first job she considered was Director of HR for a company in
Utah. After the initial interviews, she felt the job would be a great
fit except for the location. Still, she flew out west to meet with the
hiring manager, a senior executive at the company, who had been filling
the role. "It was one of the most candid interviews I've been on," she
says. The hiring manager explained that Isabel was the top candidate for
the job but that before she continued with the process, she should
better understand the firm's culture. She directed Isabel to several
YouTube videos of the company's CEO, who regularly appeared in front of
the company in costume as part of morale building exercises and expected
his senior leaders to do the same. "Even though I was desperate for a
job, I knew I couldn't do that," Isabel says. She called the recruiter
to turn down the job and was honest about her reasons for doing so. She
explained that based on what she had seen in the videos she didn't feel
there was a cultural fit.
A few months later she interviewed for another job: a director of
employee relations role at a local university. After several interviews,
the hiring manager told her the job was hers if she wanted it. Again,
she wasn't sure. The job had many positives: it was a low stress
environment, it offered great benefits, and the university was an
employee friendly place. But the job was relatively junior despite the
title and Isabel worried it wasn't going to be challenging enough.
"Again, I thought 'Am I crazy? If I don't take this job, is the right
thing going to come along?'" she says. But still she turned it down. "It
would be great to have a paycheck and great benefits but I would
definitely have trouble sleeping at night. There were too many factors
that caused me to question it," she says.
In both cases, she was upfront with the hiring manager and the
recruiter about why she wasn't taking each of the jobs. "In the past it
felt like dating, I was worried about hurting people's feelings," she
says. However, they appreciated her candor and thanked her for the
honest input. She says it was hard to turn down the jobs and a risk for
her financially but she felt she had to. "When I was younger, I didn't
think to ask the right questions or do the research." In the mean time,
she's secured more consulting work than she'd anticipated and is
continuing to search. "At the time, I thought I was being stupid for
turning down any job, but now I'm glad I did," she says.
*Not their real names
REFERENCE: hbr.org
