What Should You Do After Receiving a Job Offer? (2024)

When you get a job offer, you may think your work is done. All you have to do is say yes, right? Actually, experts suggest taking some time (one to two days) to make sure the job is aligned with your goals and has reasonable expectations, and to consider negotiating certain aspects you find most important.

By Helen Harris

Recall the feeling of opening an email and reading the first couple of sentences, realizing all your hard work has paid off. They’ve offered you the job.

Or pull from your memory that time you received a phone call after a series of interviews, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious answering. But you hear on the other side of the line, “We’d love to extend you an offer.”

You wanted the job and felt the word “yes” bubbling up in your throat.

But, did you immediately respond to the job offer, or did you take some time to think?

While this end-of-interview process may seem straightforward, there are a few advisable steps to take once you receive a job offer.

Janine Wiggins, federal resume writer, certified federal career coach and job search trainer clarifies that there are essentially three options when it comes to getting a job offer:

1. You can immediately accept.
2. You can also immediately deny.
3. You can negotiate.

“What I recommend doing is asking the hiring manager or whoever you get your offer from for a day or two so that you can review the offer,” said Wiggins. “And then, let them know that you would like to negotiate. Everything in this life is negotiable, and if you don't advocate for yourself, they're not going to offer you anything extra.”

Harvard Business Review further stresses Wiggins’ point, noting that once you receive a job offer, you have more leverage right then to shape your job description and improve your salary and benefits package than you will in your first two years of employment.

“Step back and think expansively about your objectives,” said Jeff Weiss, president of Lesley University and author of the “HBR Guide to Negotiating,” referenced in the article. “Think about the offer in terms of your development, your quality of life, and the variety of the work you want to do.”

Take Some Time To Understand the Position

“Take some time and make sure the position is in alignment with your goals,” said Melanie Mitchell-Wexler, Career Coach & LinkedIn Strategist. “I think sometimes, of course it feels good to get a job offer. And job seekers have a tendency to move forward and accept things for face value, but you should always analyze it and ask yourself if there are areas you should negotiate.”

Mitchell-Wexler states to make sure that your understanding of the job offer and responsibilities is the same in writing as it was in your interviews.

For example, if the hiring manager said you would have two weeks of paid time off and the job offer only indicates one, that is a red flag that needs to be resolved before you accept.

Or, if you were told you’d be managing certain accounts or on a specific team within the company but something drastically changes in the job description, that too is cause for concern. You should feel comfortable and clear with your position and bring to light any questions you have before accepting the job.

HBR suggests that you also consider the long-term job satisfaction you will get from the offer as it is.

You should be aware of the skills you want to utilize in the position, how you want to grow, and the activities you want to be involved in.

To gauge your contentment with the job as it is — and what may need to be modified — HBR recommends asking yourself the following questions:

• Do I want to lead a big team, supervise only a few others, or have zero management duties?
• Do I want to be in front of clients, or do I crave autonomy?
• Do I want lots of international travel — or no travel at all?
• What kinds of projects do I want to be engaged in?
• What kinds of professional tasks do I wish to avoid?

“Also, look at what you will be doing, what success looks like, and what benchmarks you’ll be judged against,” John Lees, career strategist and author of “The Success Code,” told HBR. “Having a deep understanding of what’s expected of you is critical for deciding whether you do indeed want the job.”

Lees concludes by emphasizing that you should consider whether the job set in front of you and the benchmarks you need to meet are achievable. Do you feel comfortable with the targets set each month or each quarter? Is this a role you can succeed in? If you don’t feel prepared to meet the employer’s expectations or feel the role is ill-conceived, the job is likely not a good fit.

Consider Negotiating Your Job Offer

While it may be tempting to immediately say “yes” to a job you’ve been interviewing and waiting for, Wiggins states that you take some time to look over the formal offer letter and consider negotiating both in the federal and private sectors, as companies often have budgets on what they can pay you and other things that they can allow. And if you don’t ask, the company isn’t going to volunteer the information and readily offer you extra.

In the private sector, Wiggins explains that you can negotiate just about every aspect of the job ranging from pay to PTO to relocation to possibly having shares in the company. For the federal sector, she notes that you can negotiate your PTO and pay.

After taking one to two days to review the offer and prepare your negotiation letter, she emphasizes the importance of a paper trail. Make sure to either have a hard copy of the letter or email it. Next, you should allow the employer a day or two to review that negotiation letter. Just like your letter, any counteroffer should be in writing.

“You need to have a clear understanding of everything in writing,” said Wiggins. “You don’t want them to verbally tell you that they’ll pay you a certain amount because the verbal doesn't mean anything if you can't go back to it.”

HBR cautions that once you’ve decided to submit your counteroffer to remember that you can’t negotiate everything — and that once you’ve agreed on something, you can’t go back on it.

“You want to maximize the cost of the things you are prepared to accept and minimize the things you’re asking for,” said Lees. “Seek to come across as a tough but cheerful negotiator. Go into the deal-making with your eyes open.”

Above all, after a job offer, you want to show your gratitude for the offer and be well-prepared, respectful and constructive with whatever next action you take. Whether that be a counteroffer, immediate acceptance or decline, remember to always ask, and take the time necessary to carefully consider your decision.

Top Takeaways

What Should You Do After Receiving a Job Offer?

• After getting a job offer, you can immediately accept, immediately deny or you can negotiate.
• “What I recommend doing is asking the hiring manager or whoever you get your offer from for a day or two so that you can review the offer.”
• Once you receive a job offer, you have more leverage right then to shape your job description and improve your salary and benefits package than you will in your first two years of employment.
• “Take some time and make sure the position is in alignment with your goals.”
• “Look at what you will be doing, what success looks like, and what benchmarks you’ll be judged against.”
• Look over the formal offer letter and consider negotiating both in the federal and private sectors, as companies often have budgets on what they can pay you and other things that they can allow.
• “You want to maximize the cost of the things you are prepared to accept and minimize the things you’re asking for.”
• After a job offer, show your gratitude for the offer and be well-prepared, respectful and constructive with whatever next action you take.