From Job Application to Job Offer
Are you Ready to Negotiate?

It may seem a little strange to fill out the application paperwork now (after the job interview), but many hiring managers and human resource (HR) personnel will ask you to fill out an employment application form at this point.

The form you may have filled out when you applied for the position is often not the job "employee" application you see immediately following the job interview.

The main reason is...they don't want to waster your time (or theirs) by filling out a job application when they don't have any interest in hiring you.

Let's just say for argument sake that the application process leads to a new job opportunity. Wonderful news right? Do you sign on the dotted line immediately...before they change their minds? Not necessarily.

There is a certain hiring process that most job offers follow.

• Whether the job offer comes electronically, by mail, phone, whatever, it's always a good idea to take a little time to figure out how to proceed.

• From my personal experience and research, I recommend taking a day or two (sometimes more) before making a decision. Whether you are a recent hire or an old pro, it’s basically the same.

• You will need some time to decide on a negotiation strategy. This would be a good time to review the career resources available to you, such as salary negotiation strategies.

• There are a lot of career resource websites out there. The problem for me was finding one that actually applied to me.

• Or better yet...finding one where I could get some career information without signing up for something.

• Salary negotiation is one of the trickiest aspects when searching for (and landing) a new career?

Take some time to think it over and weigh all the potential pros and cons before jumping into a new employment opportunity.

Part of the hiring process will involve you communicating your decision (via a job acceptance letter perhaps) to accept, reject or make a counter to the offer.

Writing any kind of correspondence to the employer needs to be handled respectfully. There are ways to reject an offer...and there are ways to reject an offer.

Key Job Application Advice:

• Unless otherwise stated, you should make your decision in writing.

• Make sure the salary you request is reasonable. Review the salary negotiation site.

• Make your decision in a timely manner.

• Don't make a counter-offer unless you are willing to accept it.

If the job offer is something you cannot live with, you may want to consider a career change.

For additional job application information, please don't forget to check out the job opportunity, salary negotiation, hiring process, job offer and career resources sections.

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