There is always a lot to consider when you decide to embark
on a new opportunity. Around this time of year, many of you are interacting
with employers, starting to receive offers for full-time jobs, internships,
co-ops, and are finding yourselves having to make decisions on WHICH TO CHOOSE.
The
following are issues to consider…
Business Communication
- How has your experience been interacting with the recruiter?
- What are good questions to ask when you are trying to make a decision?
- How do you respond to an offer letter?
- What parts go into this personal evaluation?
Evaluating the Offer
Negotiation
- Is this even an option for the company I am interacting with?
- Outside of salary, what else can I negotiate?
Accepting and Declining Offers
- How do I this both professionally and timely?
To answer
those critical concerns….
How has your experience been interacting with the
recruiter?
Maintaining open communication with employers is crucial to
making a well-informed opinion. Be sure to stay positive, professional, polite,
humble, clear, direct, and easy to reach. Never complain, assume, or brag.
What are good questions to ask when you are trying to
make a decision?
Ask questions and take notes as you receive answers! You are
going to want to know about expense accounts, amount of travel, opportunities
for advancement within the company, what your work hours are going to be, who
you are going to be working with, insurance package and benefits, moving
allowances, and retirement benefits.
Other questions some students forget to ask, but are equally
as important are about vacation and sick time, dress code, start dates,
frequency of pay, and how pay is evaluated (salary, hourly, commission?)
How do you respond to an offer letter?
An offer letter is a formal agreement that officiates the
offer the company is giving you. It also describes the position you will be
taking, and other pay and date specifics.
When you receive one, be sure to do the following things. Ask
for time to think about whether or not you want to accept, set a date to decide
that the employer is comfortable with, thank them for the offer immediately,
and start the evaluation process!
What parts go into this personal evaluation?
Consider what is important to you. Think about how you want
to spend work and personal time, is this job a good match for your skills and
interests, does the company have similar values to your own? Map out the
company’s logistics:
- Size of the company, hours, pay, location, benefits, opportunity for advancement
- Do these details align with your personal preferences and career plan?
Is salary negotiation even an option for the company I am
interacting with?
This does not mean you look greedy! There is a very
appropriate way to handle part of your career decision. Do keep in mind most
companies do NOT actually do salary negotiation. But if they do allow it, be
sure to research what an appropriate number would be for the position you
intend to take.
It is very important that you are never the
first person to even mention salary when communicating in the hiring process!
When the employer does bring it up, you will have an idea of
what you want to say. You can use salary negotiating calculators online. Here
is an example of one that considers location of the job: http://www.salaryexpert.com/
Outside of salary, what else can I negotiate?
You can negotiate things such as time off, re-location
expenses, your start date, and much more.
Here are some more sites that are used for calculating
appropriate salaries:
- The Post-Graduation Report on career.vt.edu
How do I do accept and decline offers both professionally
and timely?
When declining the offer, do not feel bad! Remember, this is
a business decision. Be sure to thank them for the offer, give an idea as to
why you are declining, do it over the phone, and do not delay the time that you
decide to decline. Be aware of not burning a bridge with these companies. At
the time that you are declining, they may not be the best fit; however, you
never know what the future holds for your career.
When accepting the offer, you want to do some similar
things…minus the rejection! Be sure to accept over a phone call, thank them for
the offer, indicate why you wanted to choose them, and follow up about
officiating the acceptance.
From there, you will likely follow company protocol as to
how to really get started. Be prepared for talking start dates, background and
drug checks, and things to do for that first day of work!
Lastly, always remember to congratulate
yourself on a job well done! You are officially on your way to a career path.
For a quick reference to answer some more FAQ’s about salary
negotiation and making career decisions, visit the Virginia Tech Career
Services site: https://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/SalaryQuestionsNegotiating.html
