You’ve been offered the job – Woo-Hoo!!

Congratulations! Finally, you’ve received the highly-anticipated phone call and have been offered the job.

While this is definitely a time to celebrate, it is also an important time to pay attention to details and carefully consider your future steps.

Before Accepting the Job Offer

Before getting all excited and saying yes straight away, realise that by verbally accepting a job offer, you can be considered legally bound by Australian law. It is for that reason that it is best to wait for the written contract to carefully review and not to immediately rush in and say yes to a job offer. So, how can you state your positive intentions for the job being offered, without immediately saying yes?

A good response is to ask to receive the employment conditions in writing (the contract offer), via email and ask your potential new employer when they would need a final response.  In your immediate response, you can still express your interest in the position. For instance, ‘I am happy to receive the job offer – is it possible for you to email me the employment contract conditions to review? If everything is fine, as I am sure it will be, I will give you my response within 24 hours of receiving this’.

Many a person has been stung in this limbo time! While it is exciting, it is wise not to race into resignation with your current employer (if you are currently employed) before reviewing the written offer from your new employer.

Regardless of what was stated in the job advertisement or the interview, you may not be 100% aware of the conditions of employment for the new role and you need to take time to review these. Important conditions like pay, leave, expected working hours, rostered days off, equipment for the role (eg mobile phone, laptop or car) will be outlined in detail in the written contract. Any misinterpretation of these can be clarified and resolved upon review of the written offer.

For example, some positions may advertise the pay range as the package rate (which includes superannuation and other benefits) and you have mistaken this as the salary range, without superannuation. On review of the contract, you see this is not the case. There may also be conditions of the role that you need to consider, like flexi-time that was promised in the interview but not spelled out in the written contract.  This is when you clarify with the employer and then decide whether to negotiate further, back out of the offer (politely of course) or accept the conditions.

The point is, make sure you are happy with the conditions and the written contract before making your final decision. If all is well, you can confidently move forward on your acceptance.

Accepting the Job Offer

Once you have reviewed the employment contract and are happy with everything, you can accept the job offer. It is good practice to accept both verbally (calling your hiring manager and accepting) and written (usually responding positively to their written letter of offer that they have emailed or mailed to you).

At this point as well, make sure you are clear about your starting date and time, parking arrangements, where to be on your first day and things like dress codes for your employment. Your new employer is likely to let you know all of this but if you are unsure, always ask. You want to start your first day feeling confident and unflustered, and a smooth transition will help.

All the best in your new role!