Oops! I’ve Been Offered a Job!

You have been looking for a job for the last three months, you sent applications to hundreds of companies, you got dozens of interviews and, at last, one of them has resulted positively; you have been offered a job. Would you make your decision right away?

Even if you are quite certain about it, I don’t think you should answer right away.

As a matter of fact, you should make an overall assessment of the situation, by comparing the pros and cons on paper. John Lees, a British career expert, says that people tend to think moreover where to go for their holidays than considering a job offer, which I agree. You cannot reach a decision all of a sudden that will directly affect the rest of your life.

Let’s start with the interview part. While having the interview, you must specify your expectations in the most honest way. You should express yourself with your expectations as much as your technical and social skills. You will probably be asked only about your salary expectation. Yet, I prefer to ask candidates about their expectations of the working environment and colleagues, as well. For instance, if you will be working on fixed working hours and you don’t know about it, and if you want to be working in a place with flexible working hours, then you better specify that. Or if you hate the hierarchy, and maybe you feel like you want to have a word on company management even if you’re in the lowest position, don’t say “I wouldn’t mind working in a hierarchical order” just to be employed. Otherwise, the employer will make the offer and you’ll take it. Or maybe, you will quit your current job and start working in that place and be unhappy.

If you did not mention these things during your interview, try to learn more when you go to have the second meeting: What are the side benefits offered for the employees?

If you didn’t do this while or before going to the meeting, please do it:  ask about what you expect. If there is no one who works there you know, try to look up the reviews on such sites as glassdoor, etc. Or try to find the names of employees working there on Linkedin and look up their profiles on Twitter. They may have left a comment about the company. You may find useful information that might affect your decision.

Let’s say that when you went to the first interview, you realized you actually didn’t want to work there too much, yet you went to have the second interview after being invited. Even more, you went to have the third one and you still act like you want the job. You don’t need to be malevolent. For example, at the beginning of my job life, I had some interviews with a hotel in Greece and the people I met were so kind that I didn’t even want to say that I wouldn’t want to work with the manager for whom I was going to be subordinate, just not to upset them. The manager didn’t speak English, and I didn’t speak Greek. So we had to communicate through an interpreter. Clearly, I didn’t like this situation. Neither did I say anything. Then they offered a job. Again, I lied just because I didn’t want to get them upset. I said that I would love to work with them so much but my brother had an accident, so I couldn’t move to another country during that time. Even now I get angry with myself about it. Because, after that lie, they kept calling me again and again and asked about my brother’s health status. I don’t even have a brother! I had to keep telling that lie whenever we talked. I literally regret that. I could have been honest in the first place and thanked them sincerely and kindly, that way I wouldn’t be stealing their time and lying. I did it, but you take my words and DON’T it. Thank them for their time and express your reasons why you don’t want this job.

In summary, you should use all the effort you put until getting the job after the offer, as well. Nobody would ask you to make such a decision that is so important for your life all of a sudden.