With the Career Fair earlier this semester, you may have interviewed for several jobs and, even better, gotten multiple offers! Continue reading for tips on how to professionally handle having multiple offers.
The first thing to consider when you have multiple offers is that you have no control over the timing of the offers. Every company has a different, unique hiring process and it is rare for these timings to align across different companies and fields. The most important tip when thinking about timing is that you typically don’t have to accept a job offer on the spot or the same day.
Accepting a job is a big decision, especially when you have multiple to choose from. It is perfectly acceptable to thank the company for their offer and ask for time to think it over or ask relevant follow up questions that will give you more information that you need to make the decision. If you were given a deadline, it is best to stick to that timeline. Most companies will give you a few days to think the offer over.
If you need to ask for more time, remember to be courteous of the employer. If you ultimately do not take the offer, an employer will likely offer the position to another candidate. Therefore, it’s unreasonable to expect to have weeks or a month to decide, but you also should not be expected to make a decision overnight or on the spot in most cases. Two to three days is a reasonable expectation for both you and the employer.
Timing goes hand in hand with communication when it comes to multiple job offers. It is essential to communicate with a company when you are extended a job offer, whether you are accepting, declining, or asking for more time to consider. When responding to a job offer, while email can be the most convenient, a phone call is more professional and respectful. If you have an available phone number of the representative you have been in contact with from the company, it is always best to call, especially if you are accepting or declining the job. You can then follow up with a formal email stating your intentions or returning the signed offer letter.
Another important channel of communication is communicating with yourself. You need to know what you value most in a job, whether it is location, pay rate, a particular company, or the job description. These can be deciding factors when picking between two different jobs. It is important to research the job opportunities you are being offered, so you can be adequately informed when making this big decision!
Lastly, always remember that at the end of the day, it all comes down to which job is best for you. Picking a job from multiple offers can be nerve wracking, but remember to always do what is best for you!
