Evaluating the Job Offer, Making the Decision and Beginning Work

Almost the worst part of being unemployed is being on tenterhooks after you've had one or several interviews that seemed favorable. You want to get back to work. Remaining unemployed is too emotionally draining. But until the job offer is in hand, you can't let down. You must continue to look and not put all your eggs in one basket. How will you deal with the disappointment if the offer you're depending on doesn't materialize? The situation is a little like the favorite vaudeville saying: "It isn't over until the fat lady sings." In this instance, the "fat lady" is the job offer and your acceptance.

You can you get the "fat lady" to sing earlier? Let's say you just completed one or several interviews with a company. You haven't received a job offer yet, but you know the interviewer was interested. Can you do anything to push for the offer without seeming pushy. Yes. You have several options, all of which fall in the area of "asking for the job."

Write an enthusiastic letter. Tell the interviewer how impressed you were with the company. Tell him/her that you're "raring to go." You really are interested in the job.



Telephone the interviewer every five to 10 working days. (If you can't reach them, leave a message with the secretary.) Explain who you are. Tell who you are and that after the interview, you really think you are the right person for the job. You're calling to see if a decision has been made. If not, when will it be made? If you have had to leave a message, you may not get an immediate return call. If your call isn't returned, at least you've left the message that you are interested.

According to Marilyn Moats Kennedy1, managing partner of Career Strategies in Wilmette, Illinois:

When you're told that someone will be in touch, don't wait for them to call. Call every five to 10 working days... Don't apologize for calling or suggest that you're being a nuisance. You are a serious job hunter and seriously interested in the job.. .Write a letter. Restate your interest in the job, desire to work for the company and belief you can make a contribution. Give some examples based on your observations during on-site interviews. Don't assume that unless you're invited back, you're out. Consider how tedious and time-consuming interviews are from the other side of the desk. Persistent, low-pressure wooing works best... Recontact the company by telephone or letter every 10 days, probably every other Friday... The longer the delay, the more likely some of your competition will evaporate. Six weeks from now, you may be the only remaining candidate-if you have the patience to wait that long... But while you're looking, following up isn't wasted time.

If your interview was arranged by an agency, follow-up with the counselor. Ask to talk with the counselor, either in person or on the telephone as a debriefing. Tell him or her the full results of the interview. Then, follow up with the employer yourself.

You'll know a company is serious when it asks for your references and begins to check them.