As in so many other areas of our life, you only have one time to make a first impression! When you are being asked by an employer to join their team, they are opening up their arms and asking you to become a member of their family. This should never be taken lightly! If you have been open and honest to yourself, the company and your recruiter throughout the process, this should be a logical next step in the interview process. You have been chosen because of your skills and ability to present yourself in a positive light…now don’t destroy all that hard work by not accepting the offer the right way. The information below explains how an offers should be accepted.
1. Time: Extremely Important
Q. How much time can I take to review the offer and decide if it is right for me?
A. The short answer is this, “The longer it takes you to accept an offer, the less enthusiastic your future employer is about making the offer in the first place!”
- Your search consultant should have been talking to you throughout the recruiting process about what the offer should look like. Ultimately the offer comes from the company and it is based on many different variable including EEOC guidelines, but there should not be any major surprises when the offer comes out.
- When our team receives the verbal offer, we will in turn present it to you with full disclosure. This is your time to get buy in from whomever you need to get buy in from. The verbal offer should mirror exactly what will come to you in the written offer assuming we move to that step. If mistakes occur, they are almost always clerical, so you should feel confident making your decision based on what our consultants are telling you.
- Our consultants will ask our clients not to send out written offers until we (you and Altimax) have agreed on the offer details. Of course you are going to want to see the written offer, but before we allow that to happen, we want you to tell us that if the offer comes out in writing, as we have described, then you will accept the position. This saves you, our client and our firm from enduring embarrassing moments that should never occur.
- Once you have a written offer in hand, 24 hours is maximum amount of time needed to review the document and make sure that all of the facets that have been discussed are included in the written document. If there is something that is not as described, call you Altimax Account Executive immediately.
2. Process:
Q. How should I tell my new company that I am accepting?
A. Initially, it should be done through your Altimax account executive…
- Our process includes presenting the verbal offer to our candidates, and it is at that time that we will need to know if this is the right opportunity for you. If everyone has been open and honest throughout the process, this is a no brainer!
- Once the initial terms are agreed to, we then ask our clients to release the written offer for you acceptance.
- After receiving the offer, read it completely and thoroughly to ensure that it is correct.
- Follow the instructions attached to the document in order to authorize the agreement and send it back to the company. Also send a copy to your Altimax account executive for your file with our group.
- To set the tone for you relationship with your new company, send an email to the hiring manager detailing out your enthusiasm for coming on board and beginning your new career with your new organization.
3. What’s Next?
Q. After I have accepted the offer and sent back the written letter of acceptance, what do I do next?
A. Go to the section on our webpage that details out the Resignation Process and Addressing Counter Offers. These are two very useful tools that should get you started in the right direction.
- This is a very important time for you to leave your current employer on a positive professional note. Never burn bridges in your professional career!
- Do not tell anyone that you have taken a new position (not even in confidence) until you have formally resigned from you positions with your manager. You can’t afford to have someone in management find out that you are leaving before you have had a chance to do so face to face. This can be a delicate process, so read our page on Resignation carefully. It contains some key areas where many people fail in this process.
Always send a letter of acceptance to the hiring manager detailing your enthusiasm to get started in your new role. This sets the tone for you coming on board! Email is now acceptable.
