---

Quite simply, an official offer of employment comes in the form of a letter or document inviting you to accept a specific post. It should be signed by someone in authority, eg a director or manager of the organisation. It is possible that you will receive a telephone call to offer you the job in the first instance, or be told on the day of your interview, but remember until you receive something in writing the offer is not legal. A formal written offer should include the following information:
• your name, and the name of the employing organisation;
• the date of the offer;
• the job title and department/location;
• salary details;
• period of notice required for either party to end the contract;
• your start date (or it may state that this is negotiable).

 

It may also give:
• your hours of work;
• your holiday entitlement;
• details about pension schemes, bonuses, salary reviews, company car schemes and other benefits.

Telephone or write as soon as possible if there is any information you feel you need before accepting the job.

Conditions
The offer may be conditional upon a number of things:
• satisfactory references from your nominated referees;
• a satisfactory medical examination, because of the nature of the work or as a means of meeting the requirements of the company's pension scheme;
• a specific classification of degree. This could be a requirement of the employer or an associated professional body if professional training is part of the job. If you don't make the stated grade, don't assume that all is lost; contact the employer to discuss the situation;
• satisfactory completion of a probationary period. The time should be specified;
• acceptance by a given date. This can pose problems if you have other applications in the pipeline.

---

Timing
A common problem for finalists and graduates can be the timing of offers. The employer of your dreams is running later than expected in completing its selection process, but you have an offer from another, less preferred, organisation. Should you cut your losses and secure the offer you have, or take a risk, turn it down, and wait for the one you really want? The following pointers may help.
• It is worthwhile going to see a careers adviser, re-examining the options and weighing up the pros and cons of each. Think beyond starting salaries and look at the total packages being offered. Firm A might offer you a generous joining bonus, but Firm B might offer better training and prospects in the long run.
• Contact your preferred employer and ask how far they have proceeded with your application and when you are likely to hear of their decision.
• Contact the employer who has made you the offer and ask if they are prepared to extend the acceptance date.

• Don't accept an offer that you feel unhappy about. You have successfully secured one offer - you can do it again.

It could be the case that you have an interview approaching with an employer who you view on equal grounds as the one making the offer, but would still like to go to the interview to find out more. Explain to employer A that you have another interview and, in order to make a fully informed decision, you would like to attend. If the interview with employer B is several weeks away, contact them explaining that you have another offer and can the interview be moved forwards. As long as you keep both employers informed and work to reach a decision as soon as possible, they should be happy. It can cost a company over £10,000 to recruit a single graduate, and it is important for recruiters to secure the right candidates. If they do insist on your making a decision quickly, you might ask yourself whether you want to work for an organisation which is pressuring you to make a hasty and ill-informed choice. Remember, however, that you can't stretch their patience forever - they need to know your decision so that they can offer the position to someone else, if necessary.

Multiple offers
If you are fortunate enough to have several offers, and there appears to be little between them, you may need to revisit your original list of needs and reflect these against the current offers in terms of location, company culture, approach to training, how you felt at interview, and so on. It is probably worth trusting your instincts, but you still have time to do some extra research if it will help you to make a better decision. Again, talk the situation through with a careers adviser if you can.

Try to answer these questions
• What are the responsibilities, pressures and demands, both intellectual and physical, of each job? Does the work that you will be expected to do conflict with your values?
• Will you be given training? Few employers expect you to be 100% effective from the start and most expect to train you while you are working for them. What form will the training take? Who pays the fees? Is study leave given where appropriate?
• What will the salary be? How much of your salary will be commission or performance-based? Are there shift allowances or overtime payments? Are there any fringe benefits? What are the opportunities for promotion and salary increases?

Remember that if you accept a job, and later find you have made the wrong decision, all is not lost. Applying for other jobs in the light of this experience and with a greater knowledge of your needs usually results in a positive outcome. After all, if you were successful in being offered a job which you did not, in retrospect, want, you should be able to obtain the job that you really do want and to which you feel your skills, experiences and values are best suited.

---

Accepting an offer
A contract of employment has two parts:
• the letter offering you the job;
• your letter of acceptance.

Write to thank the person making you the offer, mentioning any reference number they have given you and enclosing any information that has been requested. You should also mention the date of the letter and quote the full job title and the starting date if stated. Say that you wish to accept the offer and that you are looking forward to starting work with the organisation. Keep a copy of this letter as, along with their letter, it forms your contract of employment. As the word contract implies, if you accept the offer you are making a legal undertaking. You should not accept a job with the intention of rejecting it later if something better turns up.

 

Declining an offer
If, after serious thought, you decide that the job is definitely not for you, write back thanking the organisation for the offer and politely declining it. You might find yourself working with or even applying to that organisation again at a later date, so it is worth remaining on good terms. Try to send the letter as soon as possible so that they can offer the job to someone else.