Mistakes to avoid when you accept a graduate job offer

You’ve gone through the whole graduate job process, from application to interview and all the rest. You’ve fought off the competition and been offered a job. Just saying ‘yes’ should suffice, right? Wrong. Even at this stage, some job-hunters mess things up.

How do you choose between job offers?

Here’s a nice scenario to imagine yourself in: you have two job offers on the table, and you aren’t sure which one you should go for. One area where this is a particular problem is investment banking. Students may feel obliged to take the most prestigious offer due to peer and parental pressure. Having a ‘big’ bank on their CV is seen as important for their career development.

The reality is that it is just as important to be comfortable in your working environment. This is particularly true in careers like investment banking, or law, where you will be working long hours in a career that will have a big impact on your lifestyle. When making the decision try to ignore other peoples’ input and what you ‘should’ do. You are the one who has to do the job, so the decision is yours alone.

That said, what you shouldn’t do is try to play the offers against each other. You are a capable and talented graduate, sure, but one among many. You are not a premiership footballer, and by trying to start a bidding war you are going to annoy everyone. At most, employers will accept that you may have applied to other companies, and may give you time to consider their offer. This brings us to our next point…

Accepting the offer

…You have to make sure that – if you are going to – you accept the offer within the allotted timeframe. If your answer isn’t an immediate ‘HELL YES’ (and it shouldn’t be, a bit of deliberation is a good idea here) you need to find out how long you’ve got to decide. It is certainly worth thinking twice before accepting the first offer that comes along. You may find that an offer from one company will give you the confidence to apply for your ideal job.

What’s more, you should make sure you pick up the phone, and check your emails. Some people don’t answer their mobile if they’re getting calls from an unfamiliar landline. Similarly, if you’ve set up a new ‘sensible’ email address to apply for jobs, make sure you check it fairly regularly. If they can’t reach you, an employer can’t offer you a job. For much the same reasons, if you are going on holiday, make sure you’re easy to reach.

Going public

It is important to remember that, while you may have signed a contract, you have not guaranteed yourself a job for life. At least for the first few months at any company, you will be in a probation phase – whether this is formally recognised or not. The lesson to learn is that, until it’s blatantly obvious that you can relax, you have to tread very carefully.

There was a story in the press this year about an applicant who was offered a job. He accepted and published extracts of the correspondence, with the company’s logo, on his personal blog. Unfortunately, the company saw it, and rescinded their offer. They argued that he had disclosed contents of a private correspondence, and used their logo without their permission. To some this might seem a bit heavy-handed, but this kind of attitude is not uncommon in the business world.

Source: Targetjobs.co.uk, Thursday 16th August 2012