How to Handle the Job Offer like a Pro....

  Congrads , you just received a job offer ! Now what ? Here are some helpful suggestions to maximize your opportunities. First of all, ask to receive the offer letter by fax or email in addition to the hard copy they will be most likely be mailing to your home residence. This will  assure you immediately that your job  offer has been finalized by the company's  Human Resource Department. After receiving the offer, review the offer letter very carefully. Make sure that all promises have been met and are clearly defined in the offer letter. If they are not in the offer letter, I highly advise that you request for them to be inserted. Don't expect to get anything that is not in that offer letter ! On Occasion, HR will purposely omit information from the letter. Things to look for are training policies, bonuses, and benefit  details such as vacation or sick time. 

 If you are juggling multiple job opportunities and you want to stall the company for more time because you're anticipating another offer from another company, be sure to handle the situation with white gloves. You are playing with a time bomb waiting to go off in your face ! Once again, here a few little secrets. 

  Tell HR that you are extremely interested in the position; however, you would like to finish up with your interviewing. Give them a specific day and time you will get back to them with your precious answer. If you are lucky, they may give you a week ;however, you probably won't get more than 4 business days. Most seasoned iT recruiters or HR Reps will most likely lie to you at this time telling you some well written scripted story about why they need an answer by a certain date. Most likely sooner than later !

 Like other silly iT recruiters, I was no different.  When I did heavy IT recruiting, I use to pressure my candidates almost to the extreme of them getting physically sick because of the pressure I put on them to give me a decision.  I knew from past experience, that the more time I gave them the more time it gave them to beat my  offer. I would rather loose a candidate because of pressuring them for their decision than to get beat by another silly recruiter from another company. I don't like to loose ! Once again, most candidates accept the offer within days of the extension date. Delaying your decision will set a red flag to an experienced recruiter.

 My feeling on delaying the job offer is simple. Most companies will give a few days; however, any time you attempt to extend past this time may prove to be a bad move. In other words,  don't  play this game unless you are willing to loose the job   offer ! 

 For those companies in which you have completed the interviewing process but are anxiously awaiting a job offer, be sure to inform them that you have received an offer at this time. Inform them that you are more interested in them; however, you would have to except the offer with the other company by a certain date if they do not make you an offer.

  Keep in mind to be careful with this approach. You may be destroying an opportunity with the second company due to unobtainable time constraints. The Corporate politics of the second company may be too time consuming to get back to you with a job offer in the noted time period you gave them. In other words, the fact that a large corporation may be dragging their feet in conveying a job offer back to you may not truly reflect their level of interest in you. Large corporations move slow. This once again goes back to the Human Resource Policies that are set into stone by the company.  

 On the other hand, by pressuring the second company  this may work to your advantage. If they realize they may be loosing  you as a potential employee, it may cause them to stop interviewing other candidates  and proceed with a job offer to you. In addition, if you are really a risk taker, you can exaggerate the salary offered by the first company and pressure the second company for a higher salary. Once again, keep in mind if they can't pay the extra money you will loose ! 

 One final note, don't ever tell companies who you are talking with during your iT job search. Recruiters network very heavily with other iT recruiters from various companies.  If they have friends inside the company you are talking with, be assured they won't hesitate to pick up the phone and call  them!