HR Exec Shares 3 Things You Should Do When You Get A Job Offer — And Why You Should Never Just Accept It
Whatever you do, don't accept that first offer!
Elnur / Canva Pro With as difficult and taxing as job-hunting can be, especially if you're unemployed while doing it, many of us are just relieved to finally get an offer.
But many experts, including one HR exec, say the job search process shouldn't stop at the first offer. In fact, it's a great way to let an even better opportunity slip right through your fingertips.
The HR exec shared 3 things you should do when you get a job offer and one you definitely shouldn't.
Listen, there's no two ways about it; job-hunting is a nightmare, and it only seems to be getting worse. So, when you finally get that offer in hand, your first inclination may be to heave a sigh of relief, sign on the dotted line, and be grateful that the search is over.
But Amy, an HR exec known as @hackyourhr on TikTok, says this is pretty much the opposite of the tack you should take, and as a Chief HR Officer at a global company, she knows what she's talking about.
In fact, she says one of the first things you should do when you get a job offer is to not accept it.
This is especially important if the offer hasn't been put in writing yet. Now, of course, this may sound totally counterintuitive, but there's an important distinction to be made here. Not accepting is not the same thing as declining!
Rather, Amy suggested taking a few steps back to slow the process down in order to make sure you're getting the best offer possible. She offered three tips for how to do just that, while also making sure you keep the process as positive as possible. It all comes down to an acronym: PTQ.
1. Keep your responses positive, even if you're disappointed in the offer
The P in PTQ is for positivity. "You want to start with saying something positive," Amy said, like "'thank you so much. I'm so thrilled to get this offer,'" even if it's way below what you were hoping for.
This keeps ears and minds open, of course, and confirms for the employer you're still very much on board with the position and they've hired the right person before you begin gently pushing back on the offer
2. Say what's true for you about the offer
The T in PTQ is for "truth." Amy advised that if the job offer is below your salary expectations, "you want to say what's true for you. 'This is a little lower than I was expecting, but I'd love to see the written full offer.'"
For many of us, this is the hardest part of all. So hard, in fact, that many of us will just skip it altogether, thinking that if we push back on the offer it will disappear. But experts say that almost never happens.
In fact, a 2021 survey of employers found that 89% were open to salary negotiations during the job offer process. And the other 11% didn't necessarily rescind the job. Most likely they just stood firm on the first offer they gave.
The stakes are almost never as high as we think, and many experts say you should always negotiate your salary just on principle, even if you're happy with what they offered you!
3. Ask questions about the salary offer you've been given
Once you've opened the door to negotiations, Amy's final step detailed how to get the deal done. You start the actual negotiations with one simple question, the Q in PTQ: "Can you help me understand how you got to this number?"
"This is important," Amy said, going on to say that all of this should be done via email so that it's in writing. "Ask your clarifying questions." This gives a launchpad for a dialogue to make your offer even better.
And several people in Amy's comments said it works. "This happened to me," one woman wrote. "They offered 10k higher than I said. I came back and asked for more and got it.
Following these three steps might just lead you into a professional situation far better than you might have expected and more in line with what you deserve.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.