Accepting A Job Offer

Accepting a job offer is an exciting part of the job search process and is usually fairly straight forward but now is not the time to make a mistake!

Make sure you follow the instructions of the employer in terms of how and when they want the job offer returned to them.

Don't miss the deadline to return your signed copy of the offer to them!

They might assume you aren't interested and offer the job to someone else! It does happen.

Typically the employer will tell you how they’d like to receive your signed offer from you ie. by fax, by courier, in the mail, etc. Get confirmation from the hiring manager if you are unsure.

After you've returned your signed job offer using their required method(s), I think it's best to ensure that the employer has received your signed offer with a quick phone call or email.

It doesn’t hurt to follow up at this point. I like to make sure that they have it in hand before you go and resign from your current position.

Plus, it’s a good time to confirm some specifics that you may or may not already be aware of for your first day on the job:

• Start date (you should already know this)
• Start time
• Where you will be sitting
• Who you should ask for when you arrive on your first day
• Dress code
• Your plan for the first few weeks on the job ie. exactly what you’ll be doing and an idea of who you will be meeting, training with.

Of course, not every job offer letter you receive has to be accepted...

Declining A Job Offer
Not every job offer gets accepted. Instead of accepting a job offer, some people choose to reject it and there are a number of reasons why you might choose to do the same.

Employee Probation Period
The employee probation period can have implications on when your benefits start and can also have other implications that you should be aware of before accepting a job offer. Is is possible to get the probation period waived or reduced?