What to Do After You Get a Job Offer

Nice work! You got a job offer. However, before you celebrate too much, it’s important to note that your interactions with the company now are just as important as your interactions with the company during the interview process. After all, if you do decide to work for this company, you want to make a great impression every step of the way.

Typically, job offers will come via phone call (or voicemail, if you don’t answer). Here are some steps to take if you get a job offer on the phone:

If the person leaves you a voicemail:

1. Listen to the voicemail from start to finish, and write down any important notes. Listen one more time to make sure you have all details written correctly. Assuming they ask you to call them back at a specific time, call them back at that time, and follow the steps directly below.

2. If they do not tell you to call them back, then email them within 24 hours to thank them, and say that you are excited to learn more details about the offer over email.

If you are on a live phone call with them:

1. Thank the employer graciously and tell them how excited you are to have received an offer of employment. (They probably spent a lot of time choosing you over other candidates, so it’s nice if you let them know that you appreciate their time!)

2. While on the phone, ask the employer about any deadlines you should know about. For example, when do you need to let them know if you formally accept the job offer?

3. If they have not mentioned information about salary (or benefits) on the call, ask them when they plan to follow up by email with more details. Tell them you’re excited to learn more about the offer.

Pro Tip: Unless the offer is in writing, it’s not official. Make sure you get everything in writing!

4. If they DO mention salary information on the call, and you are surprised or confused, ask them if they can email you the information, and tell them you may follow up with questions for clarification.

Pro Tip: The offer phone call is not the time to negotiate. You should make sure you have everything in writing first.

5. For ways to negotiate or ask questions about your offer, see How to Negotiate a Job Offer.

Some employers prefer to extend a job offer in writing.

If you get a job offer by email:

1. Send them an email within 24 hours (the sooner, the better!) to thank them.

2. If the offer’s details (such as the start date, salary, deadline to accept, etc) are included in the offer email, then read through all information thoroughly. Reply with any questions you may have.

3. If the offer details are not included in the initial email, mention that you are excited to learn more about the offer when you email them to thank them. You can also ask about when you should expect to receive more details, such as the official offer letter and start date.

Here is one example of a “thank you” note:

Dear Ms. Blocs,

I just received your voicemail; thank you so much for extending me an offer to the Boogity Bank internship program for this summer. It means the world to me that your team believes I’m a good fit for Boogity Bank.

One quick question: When can I expect to receive more details about the offer? I’d love to review the offer letter and understand the timeline by which I must inform Boogity Bank of my final decision.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you so much again,
Katie

Final Pro Tip: If you have a question about something in the offer letter, don’t be afraid to ask your main point of contact (usually someone in HR). It’s vital that you understand all that details of your offer ahead of signing so that you don’t find yourself quitting after one week!

Next, get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Check in With a Recruiter When You Haven’t Heard Back and find answers to common interview questions such as What Are Your Weaknesses?