How to Respond to a Job Offer

Alison Green wrote a great article on titled “5 Things to Do When You Get a Job Offer.” Out of the 5 tips, my two favorite tips are:
Negotiate
It never hurts to negotiate. Who knows? You might get what you ask for.

Ask for the offer in writing
Verbal offers, while helpful, do not offer all the details. Always insist on a written offer by paper, fax, or email. A written offer allows you to consider the offer in its entirety.

In addition to Alison’s 5 points, here are two more tips that I’d consider when responding to a job offer:

Do your salary research
Get a sense of what the company is paying other candidates for a similar role. Glassdoor.com is a great resource for corporate salary information. During negotiations, you can use salary calculators from Salary.com and PayScale to help establish your market value. Lastly, if you need a refresher on negotiation, my two favorite negotiation books include Getting to Yes and Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People.

Ignore the pressure
Before receiving a job offer, you are chasing after the company. Once you get the offer, the employer is now chasing you. They’ll be very aggressive in pursuing you. You’re the one for them! Not only is there an emotional attachment, but also finding a replacement candidate is quite costly.

With this in mind, the employer wants you to accept the job offer as quickly as possible. Don’t succumb to the pressure. If you need more time to assess the offer, ask for it. Finding the right job takes time. There’s no reason to rush your decision-making process, only to regret it later.