How to Accept a Job Offer

You’ve done the hard work and have now been offered a job. It might sound trivial, but how to you accept a job offer? We explore the job offer process, teach you a few ways you can negotiate your salary and other perks, and show you how to accept your job offer.  

Read more: How to know if it’s time to change jobs

The job offer process

Post interview stage, there are a couple potential stages your application will go through, which include some background checks and then the job offer itself.

Background checks

It’s likely that your potential future employer will want to run a background check on you, or at the very least, follow up with some of your references. It’s important to make sure that the references you have listed are people who will speak very highly about you, and make sure their contact details are correct. It’s always worth letting them know there’s a chance someone from XYZ company might call them for a reference. The Hiring Manager might also want to verify your education information and any other facts you have supplied them about yourself.

If you added social media account details on your CV, it’s possible that they will explore your posting history, so it makes sense to remove anything that could be damaging to your job application.

The job offer

You will most likely receive your job offer via a phone call or email. If by phone, expect a follow-up email soon after the call, with specific details of your job offer, such as salary, start date and any benefits you may be intitled to. Remember, you don’t have to accept their offer straightaway. You can reply with a counter-offer or ask to negotiate the salary before you accept or reject.

How to accept a job offer

Are you wondering what do you say when you accept a job offer? Don’t worry, we’re here to help you!

Accepting a job offer is relatively simple and can be broken down into six stages:

• Take some time to consider the offer. If you’re happy with the offer, you can accept the job offer verbally over the phone.
• Follow up with an acceptance email or confirmation letter.
• Negotiate your terms of acceptance (see below for a detailed breakdown).
• Ask any questions you may have about the job before starting.
• Discuss the process of serving your notice period.
• Check and confirm all the details of your responsibilities and contract.

How do you accept a job offer via email?

Like the above, accepting a job offer via email is simple. You can either reply to the original job offer email, or you can call back your Hiring Manager, or the person who interviewed you, to accept the offer.

In your acceptance email, be sure to include the following elements:

• Thank them for the opportunity.
• Formally accept the company’s offer of employment (including the job title you will be taking on).
• Provide a recap of the salary and benefits as you understand them.
• Add your proposed start date and availability.
• Be sure you follow the below guidance for negotiating your terms.

Read more: What to include in a resignation letter

Negotiating a job offer

So, you’ve successfully passed your interviews and have received a phone call to say you’ve got the job! Great! At this stage, it’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the process and forget to try and improve your offering through negotiation.

Below, we provide you with some tips on navigating your negotiation.  Hopefully you have thought about what you’re willing (and not willing) to compromise on before this stage, so you can use this time to discuss your terms and identify your negotiables and non-negotiables with a clear head.

Discovering your negotiables and non-negotiables

One of the best ways to find out what your non-negotiables are, is to create a Venn diagram about your professional and personal goals. Anything that sits in an area of overlap is something you’re not willing to compromise on. These could include location, working ours, childcare, or a salary over £50,000. Everything else is considered something you’re happy to comprise if needed.

Discussing the salary

Arguably one of the most important factors we think about when we consider a career change.

It’s best to have carried out some research of similar job titles and salaries offered before you start interviewing, so you can be prepared for this stage.

Think about what the minimum salary you would be willing to take is, and then think about what your ideal salary would be. Your ideal salary will sit somewhere between your minimum salary and your dream salary. This is the number you’ll want to aim for in your salary negotiation sage.

Discussing your benefits package

Once your take-home salary has been agreed, you can now look at your benefits package.

This can go one of a couple different ways: a) your employer doesn’t offer anything at all and all you can do is ask if there’s anything they’re willing to offer for you on this occasion, or b) they currently offer a benefits package and it’s down to you to negotiate yourself a better deal.  

Negotiating yourself the best deal

So, how do you negotiate yourself a great deal? There are four main ways you can negotiate yourself the best deal.

Ask if there is flexibility in the offer – They will likely have an offer in mind, but you don’t need to accept it if you’re not completely happy with it. Asking outright if there is scope for an adjustment will show you know your worth and have placed a value on your skill set. This needs to be realistic and in line with the going rate of pay for the job you’re applying for. 

Counter the offer – If you’ve been offered a salary that’s lower than you were expecting, explain why you’re looking for more or why you think the role is worth more. Even if your offer is close to what you’re after, you can still attempt to negotiate further, explaining how your skills, experience, career development, and qualifications position you highly in the market.

Explore our other Career Advice articles

Notifying your existing employer

If you haven’t had to give notice before, it can be quite daunting.

The simplest way to hand your notice in is to:  

Meet with your manager one-on-one – Tell your line manager that you are resigning in person and then follow up with a notice letter. Follow their advice and feedback for the transition period ahead before leaving, to help keep the business running as smoothly as possible.

Give as much notice as possible – Tell your current employer that you have found a new job as soon as you can, to give them, as much time to find your replacement and likely have you train your predecessor. Two weeks will be sufficient notice, but you may be contractually obligated to provide more notice, or work a longer than two weeks, so keep this in mind and check your contract for your notice period.

Provide feedback – Let your current employer know why you’ve decided to leave and give them some feedback on changes they could make to the role, or how they could help support the next person to take up your role.

Be professional – It’s always best to leave amicably and on good terms. No matter what your reason for leaving is, don’t ever leave on bad terms. You may still need a reference from them, and you never know when your paths may cross again in the future.

Can you change your mind after accepting a job offer?

Thinking carefully about the next role you want and what it is you’re really looking for in your next career choice is so important, especially when it comes to the interview stage.

If you have accepted a job offer and you’re now having second thoughts, it’s worth thinking about your reasons for turning it down and make sure you have what it is you’re looking for dialled in before accepting the next interview.

Typically we turn down job roles for a few reasons, which may include:

• Your current employer offers you a higher salary or promotion to stay.
• You’ve been offered another (better or higher paying) job elsewhere.

There were issues with your new employer, such as culture fit or personality conflicts with senior management or your line manager, and issues with the location.  

Whatever your reasons for changing you mind, you are well within your rights to turn down a job offer, but just be sure you’re making the right decision.

If you do decide to rethink accepting a job offer, there are a few things you can do to leave the deal tactfully:

• Tell your recruiter or employer as soon as possible.
• Always be polite.
• Check your contract for specific terms, such as notice period.

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