3 ways a candidate can ruin a job offer

Receiving a job offer after a long search (or even a short one) is such an exciting experience. Unfortunately, there are quite a few things that a candidate can do to put that fantastic job offer at risk.

If you’re currently searching for the next amazing step on your career ladder, please take note of the following things that may hinder rather than help:

3 major mistakes a candidate can make

1. Taking too long to accept an offer

As a candidate, being indecisive and taking an age to accept a job offer is a sure fire way to sour a great first impression. It’s ok to take the necessary time to make such a big decision, just make sure to keep the company in the loop. If you need to meet with more of the team members because you’re having trouble making a decision, then that’s fine. What isn’t fine is going silent or disappearing for weeks!

2. Being unrealistic when negotiating your salary

Negotiating the salary and terms of your job offer is definitely something you must consider before accepting, but don’t be unreasonable during this process. If your potential new employer accepts your higher salary request quickly, take that as evidence that they really want you to work for them, not necessarily that you didn’t ask for enough. Don’t unreasonably keep trying to negotiate a higher and higher salary or asking for more and more things in the offer — it’s not a good impression to make, and it’s not unusual for a company to have second thoughts and withdraw their offer.

3. Pushing for things that may be non-negotiable

Some things a company simply cannot offer you. If something is extremely important to you then it’s worth discussing, but if the company policy is, for example, to not pay for employee parking then there may be nothing they can do. Fighting for a perk that just isn’t part of the offer can be a losing battle and is usually not worth it. Another way to look at it is to consider the financial value of the perk you’re seeking, and add it to the higher salary you’re trying to negotiate.

A job offer should feel exhilarating, but the way you conduct yourself before hand can easily dampen that spirit. Be mindful of the other party during the whole process. This should be the beginning of a wonderful relationship – some thoughtful care and attention will help the magic last.

Vanilla will help to guide you through the full process of finding your ideal next job, and we’ll use our wealth of expertise and knowledge to ensure the best results possible for you. Contact us if you’d like to discuss anything further and use our job search to find your perfect position.