Shades of Gray - Offer Letters - CareerAlley

Shades of Gray - Offer Letters - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Today, there is no black or white, Only shades of gray Barry Mann Cynthia Weil (recorded by the Monkees, et al) One of my friends received a job offer last week. The position was with a stable company, higher pay (after lots of back and forth), better benefits and more responsibility. This particular opportunity was through a headhunter (there is a reason Im using this phrase, read on) and there was some negotiation required. Unfortunately, the headhunter could care less about ensuring the fit was good on both sides (employer and candidate). He was only interested in my friend (lets call him Paul) accepting the job no matter what the concerns. At first there was no question, Paul was going to take the job. But the more the headhunter pushed back on negotiating the terms, the less interested Paul became (and the more concerned). By the end of the day, Paul decided not to take the offer. This, of course, just set-off the headhunter, who called and emailed Paul no less then 20 times in the span of a few hours (not a very professional way to conduct business). So whats the point (there are actually several)? First off, not all headhunters are professional recruiters. Some headhunters are only out for their commission and are only interested in getting a warm body in the role. Second, job offers are not always cut and dry. Most require additional negotiation and some level of tweaking is expected by the hiring manager as well. Of course you need to be reasonable, but you would not get to the offer letter stage if all of the particulars (your comp, your experience, your qualifications, your willingness to see the interview process to its logical conclusion) were not in line with overall expectations. Likewise, very few people get the perfect job with the perfect offer. It can happen, but generally does not. There is always give and take and some level of trade-offs on both sides. Job offers are very often shades of gray. So how do you know if the job offer is right for you? The Job Offer Everything has come together and youve gotten a job offer, now what? How do you know if it is a good offer? How do you know if there is some room to negotiate? The following links will help you through the process. How to Evaluate a Job Offer Great article from Alison Doyle. Alison covers the major items to consider: Compensation, Benefits and Perks, Hours and Travel and Flexibility and Company Culture (plus a few more). There are additional related links at the bottom of the page that will help you get the best answer for you. Job Offer Sound Too Good? 10 Tips on How to Avoid Job Scams and Schemes You know the old saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Job offers may not always be what they seem. Take a look at this article, posted on Quintcareers.com, the article covers 10 items you should consider in both your job search and any job offer. To Negotiate or Not to Negotiate (that is definitely the question) One bit of advice I always give job seekers is that everything can be negotiated. You might not get everything you want, but you will come a lot closer if you ask for what you consider to be fair requests. There is a delicate balance between pushing too hard and not pushing enough, but in any negotiation you need to be prepared to either settle on some items or walk away. Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers Evaluating a job offer is also covered above, but you must complete this step before you can negotiate. This article, posted on The Riley Guide, provides advice and links for evaluating your job offer, Negotiating and declining the offer. Lots of links, lots of great information. How to Negotiate a Job Offer Some more of the same, with some different twists. This article, posted on Jobsjournal.com, covers the basics of negotiating as well as preparing your counter offer. Counter Offers So, you got your offer, you successfully negotiated the fine points in your favor and youve accepted the job. Now comes the hard part (depending on your current situation), giving your notice. What happens if your current company is just not ready to see you go? What happens if they make you an offer that is difficult to refuse? You thought you had it all worked out, now what do you do? There is no right answer. My personal view is not to take a counter offer (does it take a resignation to get better pay or a promotion?). There are very good arguments on both sides of this question. The following link is but one of them. Receive A Job Counter-Offer? Dont Take It Posted on Forbes.com, take a read. Good luck in your search.Visit me on Facebook