You tailored your resume to apply for the job of your dreams. You did your homework on your prospective employer. You nailed the interview. And now, you’ve gotten a job offer. It’s a dream come true, right?
Well, it’s not quite time for a victory lap yet. Just because the company you applied with has extended a job offer, that doesn’t mean you’re immediately hired. There are steps both you and the employer need to take before the job is officially yours.
The Steps You Need to Take After a Job Offer
- Ask for time to review the offer. If you accept a job offer right away, you’ve locked yourself into whatever terms the employer set in its offer. Instead, ask for a day or two to review the terms of the offer and come up with any questions you may need answered before saying yes. Note: This is completely appropriate and expected. You’re not stringing the company along by not immediately accepting a job offer.
- Review the terms. Study the job title and responsibilities, the salary and benefits package being offered, and the start date. Make sure none of these elements are ambiguous or unclear. If something needs clarifying, ask questions.
- Negotiate if necessary. All the elements of a job offer should be considered negotiable. That means, for instance, if the stated start date doesn’t give you enough time to give notice or make other preparations, it’s fine to ask for a different date. The same goes for salary, title, and responsibilities. You have the right to negotiate so you can change a good opportunity to a great one.
The Steps an Employer Can Take After You Accept Their Offer
The law allows a prospective employer to rescind a job offer at any time before actually hiring you – even if you’ve accepted the offer. The first hurdle you’ll need to clear will be passing a background check, which often includes a drug test. If any red flags appear, the company has the right to withdraw their offer.
The reality, though, is a company that made you an offer can pull it back for almost any reason at all, because employment laws in every state but Montana provide for “employment at will,” which means they can fire employees or rescind offers employment for any reason, except discriminatory reasons: race, religion, gender, age, or national origin. Additionally, employers can rescind offers to disabled applicants only if their disabilities would keep them performing essential job functions.
Getting to Yes
The upshot of all this is a job offer isn’t the finish line. Make sure the terms are terms you can accept, and realize that once you do accept an offer, it doesn’t mean you’re on the payroll. And if you need assistance getting to a job offer, Mega Force can help. We help job seekers in High Point and throughout North Carolina find great opportunities. (Assembly jobs are especially hot right now!) To get started, visit our job search page.
