Episode #53 – Why and How to Make a Quick Decision About a Job Offer
Sharita: Welcome to “The Animal Health Employment Insider,” brought to you by The VET Recruiter. In this podcast, Executive Search Consultant and recruiter, Stacy Pursell, founder and CEO of The VET Recruiter, provides practical advice and insight for both employers and job seekers. The VET Recruiter’s mission is to help animal health companies and veterinary organizations hire top talent, while helping animal health and veterinary professionals attain career-enhancing opportunities that increase their quality of life.
In today’s podcast, we’ll be discussing the job offer stage of the hiring process. Specifically, we’ll be addressing why and how to make a quick decision once an employer extends an offer of employment to you. Welcome, Stacy. Thank you for joining us.
Stacy: Hello, Sharita I’m glad to be here today.
Sharita: Stacy, we’ve talked about the job offer stage of the hiring process before, haven’t we?
Stacy: Yes, we have, and there’s something that I believe strongly about and that I’d like to reiterate before we dive in today. I want to mention once again what accepting an offer of employment is NOT. By way of illustration, if you accept an offer, what you are NOT saying is something like the following:
“Yes, I accept your offer of employment, unless my current employer or some other company I’m interviewing with offers me something better, in which case I will take their offer instead.”
This is not what you’re saying when you accept an offer of employment. And it probably goes without saying, but you should not be thinking this while you verbally accept the offer, either. If you accept an offer, you are making a commitment to the organization that extended the offer. It’s a commitment, and you are giving your word.
Sharita: Stacy, as our listeners can tell from the title of this podcast, we’ll be discussing both the WHY and the HOW of making a quick decision. Which one will you tackle first?
Stacy: We’re going to look at the WHY first, because that’s the logical place to start. Before you can learn how to do something, it’s often helpful to know why you’re doing it in the first place.
Sharita: What about the definition of a quick decision? What kind of time frame are we talking about?
Stacy: Typically, making a decision within 24 hours is considered to be quick. You might even be able to stretch it to 36 or 48 hours, depending upon the circumstances involved.
Sharita: So we’re basically talking about a next-day decision?
Stacy: In the majority of cases, yes, that’s correct.
Sharita: So why should a candidate make a quick decision regarding their job offer?
Stacy: Well, there are two main reasons a candidate should make a quick decision on their job offer.
First, when you take too long to make a decision, the hiring manager may start to think that you’re really not that interested in the position. They might even start to think that perhaps you’re negotiating with other organizations at the same time you’re considering their offer. The rule is simple: the longer you take to make a decision, the less that the hiring manager will view you in a positive light.
Second, when you take too long, the hiring manager will start to think that perhaps you’re an indecisive person. The next logical conclusion is that you have a problem with making important decisions quickly. Then they start to think, “Well, if they can’t make important decisions in a timely fashion, then do we really want them to be part of our team?” Once again, the longer you take to make a decision, the worse the situation can become.
Sharita: So unless there are special circumstances, the longer you wait, the less leverage you’ll have in the situation overall.
Stacy: That’s right. You want the hiring manager to believe that you’re both very interested in the opportunity and that you are capable of making important decisions quickly.
Sharita: Let’s move to the second part of the podcast, and the HOW part. How can job seekers and candidates make a quick decision regarding their job offer?
Stacy: Well, right off the bat, there’s one reason why you would make a decision quickly when it comes to an offer.
Sharita: What’s that?
Stacy: If you are not 100% sure that you can make a commitment to the employer, then do NOT accept the offer.
Sharita: I know that we just touched upon this earlier, but what are some examples of specific situations?
Stacy: If you’re not sure that you want to accept the offer because you’re waiting on an offer from another company, then do NOT accept the offer.
If you’re in the hiring process of other organizations and you want to see how those “shake out,” then do NOT accept the offer.
If you’re hoping to receive a counteroffer from your current employer, then do NOT accept the offer.
These are situations in which it is easy to make a decision quickly. That’s because you know that you can’t make a 100% commitment to the employer.
Sharita: Okay, all of that makes sense and falls in line with what we’ve been discussing. But what about outside of those situations? What do you do then?
Stacy: The key is planning, and this planning process is made easier if you’re working with an Executive Search Consultant or recruiter. But I’ll get to that in a minute. First, there is a set of criteria that must be addressed prior to the job offer even being made. The closer that you get to the end of the hiring process and the closer you get to the offer stage, the more that these criteria must be addressed.
Sharita: What are some of the criteria involved?
Stacy: They include:
- Your interest level in the position
- Your interest level in the organization
- Your commitment level in terms of your willingness to leave your current position and employer
- Your commitment level to relocating if relocation would be necessary in order to accept the offer
- What exactly would convince you to accept an offer of employment within 24 hours, including salary, compensation, perks, etc.
Sharita: So what you’re saying is that if a candidate knows all of this information before the offer is even made, then it’s much easier for them to a make a decision in regards to that job offer.
Stacy: That’s correct.
Sharita: So how can an Executive Search Consultant or recruiter help in this situation?
Stacy: Well, Sharita, as you know, I have more than 20 years of experience as an Executive Search Consultant and recruiter. Recruiters have extensive experience in all aspects of the hiring process. This includes the offer stage and everything that it entails.
However, there is one important key, and that key falls on the candidate. They must be 100% honest, both with themselves and with the search consultant. They can NOT hold back information or be selective when discussing the details of the criteria that I listed a few minutes ago.
Sharita: What are some examples of when it’s important for a candidate to be 100% honest?
Stacy: For example, if a candidate’s spouse doesn’t really want to move, then that must be addressed. Or if a candidate thinks that their current employer might make a counteroffer, then that must also be addressed and discussed.
A search consultant can help because they’ve been trained to ask the right questions leading up to and during this critical stage of the process. Not only that, but they also have experience with salary negotiations, as well. That means if you want to negotiate the job offer, they can help you do that, too.
Sharita: What you’re talking about is if the candidate wants more in the way of compensation or benefits, then the recruiter can help them with that stage of the process?
Stacy: That’s right. However, in order to successfully negotiate the job offer, you must make the decision to negotiate quickly, so that negotiations can begin. Remember, the longer it takes for you to make a decision, the less likely that the hiring manager will view you in a positive light.
Sharita: And the key to all of this is preparation?
Stacy: Correct. As a candidate, if you’re prepared to make a quick decision, then you’ll be able to make a decision quickly. It’s definitely a great strategy for your job search, your candidacy for the position, and also your career. And as we just discussed, aligning yourself with an experienced Executive Search Consultant or recruiter in your chosen field is a great way to make sure that you’re prepared for every step of the hiring process—especially the job offer stage.
Sharita: Stacy, thanks once again for sharing all of this with us today.
Stacy: Thank you, Sharita. I look forward to our next podcast!