The Art of the Job Offer: How Not To Screw It Up

You've applied to the job and you're feeling confident.  You had your first phone interview and you're thrilled that you made it this far.  Then you rocked your in-person meeting and now have that nervous, excited feeling.  Well, what happens next?

Not surprisingly, that depends on you.

It's been my experience that many job applicants handle prospective job offers in one of the following ways:  they're either a little too tentative and don't negotiate reasonable terms before an offer is on the way, or they are the polar opposite and are too aggressive and unrealistic.  Take a look at the following four mistakes so you don't fall into the same trap.

1.)  Don't be wishy-washy!  Figure out if you're really serious about making a career move before you even think about taking an interview.  We recruiters can figure out which of you are simply looking to boost your pay via the famous counteroffer.  If you don't like where you're at now, see if there's something you can do to fix the problem or determine if things just aren't working out and it's time to move on.

2.)  Do your salary homework!  Research salaries in your field for people at your level of experience around the region.  That last point is important because salaries can be significantly different in major metro areas v. secondary markets.  Try to steer clear of sites like salary.com as they don't often take regional differences into account.  Instead, try networking with peer groups on social media sites like LinkedIn or trade industry organizations in your area.

3.)  It's all about trade-offs.  Don't have rigid expectations when you start your job search.  Be clear about what is most important to you and what you're willing to trade to get it.  Think about it like this:  you are a senior level project manager making top salary and enjoy four weeks of vacation.  Now, if you switch jobs and want to keep those four weeks, don't expect a 15% pay increase.

4.)  Learn to dance.  Think of an employment offer as a marriage proposal.  You've courted each other, figured out if you're a good team together and now it's time to commit.  Don't ruin the romance by saying, "I'll need a week to think about it", or worse, "Sorry, I'm waiting to hear on two other potential offers, as well."  Scandalous.  You obviously don't need to respond immediately and asking for 24 hours to think about it, talk to your spouse, etc., is perfectly reasonable.

Remember, how you handle the offer will set the tone for the entire working relationship.  So put your best foot forward and jump-start a successful career move!