For more tips like the ones below, read ZipRecruiter CEO Ian Siegel’s new book, Get Hired Now! You can buy it here.
If you’re reading this, it could mean that you’re in the home stretch of your job search. (And if you’re not, kudos for planning ahead!)
You’ve likely written a web-friendly resume, made it through pre-screen calls, dressed for interview success, sent a great thank-you note, and used these tips to negotiate your job offer. The hard part is over. Now, all you have to do is formally accept the offer.
Here is the right way to do that:
Ask for It in Writing
Nothing in this world is guaranteed, but getting it in writing sure helps. Get your offer in writing so that you can review it and confirm both sides are on the same page in terms of compensation, title, start date, and anything else that has been discussed. DO NOT quit your current job until you’ve received the letter. You don’t want to risk ending up in a situation where you give notice at one job, then find out there was a miscommunication about the new one.
Don’t Sell Past the Close
Once you have the offer in writing and have formally accepted, tell your new employer how excited you are to join the team. No matter how difficult the interview process may have been or how heated the negotiation got, move on from it and share your excitement and gratitude. This moment is about making your new employer, and yourself, confident that you’ve made the right decision.
Shift Immediately to “We”
As soon as you accept the job, you become a member of the team. But there is a good chance your teammates will still see you as the “new” person. It will take some time for everyone to get comfortable, but a shift in the way you speak about them, and yourself, can help speed up that transition. From the moment you join, when you speak about your new company and the work you’ll do together, use words like “we” (“We are going to crush our goals this quarter”), “our” (“Our presentation is going to blow everyone away”), and “us” (“You can count on us to deliver this on time”), to make it clear you’re in this together.
Now that you know how to accept an offer the right way, the only thing left to do is submit your letter of resignation. Are you nervous about that? Don’t be! We’ve written a guide on how to quit the right way, too.
