How Long Can I Consider a Job Offer?
A few weeks ago, a young man I was representing almost lost a job. He had interviewed with the firm on Thursday afternoon and received a job offer that day. He wanted to consider the offer until the close of business the following Friday . . . and almost lost the opportunity he ultimately accepted by insisting that he had �a right� to �consider it� until then.
From my client�s perspective, they understood that he was comparison shopping, had actually hired three people from the firm he was waiting for an offer from, were interviewing more people from there and didn�t want to risk losing everyone.
This situation offers an opportunity to examine how long you have to consider a job offer once you receive one.
The correct answer is that you have as long as they will give you.
Most firms would like an immediate or almost immediate response. I don�t mean an answer in 10 minutes. I mean an answer where you sleep on it. After all, in most cases, you�ve interviewed there several times, why haven�t you been thinking about it before now and able to make a decision?
And delaying for too long gives a message to the hiring firm of how you make decisions . . . or that you are shopping for another option . . . or just aren�t that interested.
The fact is everything you do on an interview is a reflection of you and how you will work with your new employer. A day to think is OK (truthfully, now, you�re not going to take a day off from work, sit in a chair in isolation and contemplate the job offer, are you), two days is often OK and more gives the employer reason to feel hesitant about you and your thought process.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you or Jeff’s free job search ezine, Head Hunt Your Next Job, go to http://www.jeffaltman.com For information about Jeff’s personal search agent service, go to http://vippersonalsearch.com
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you�re looking for a new position, include your resume).
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November 9th, 2008
Skin the Cat
Skin the Cat
by Bob Osgoodby
No we’re not talking about upcoming “Yo-Yo” events, but rather different ways of doing business. Those with a “brick and mortar” business, quickly learn that there are two types of people they will meet in their store. Those who can afford to pay for the goods and services, and those who can’t. Now that seems simple enough.
Someone who leaves the store without buying, because they couldn’t pay now, will seldom be seen again. Sure, some go to an ATM, withdraw the cash and return, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Others will write a check, but there are people who can’t afford, at this moment, to write a check either. If you can’t close a sale when they are ready to buy, they have time to cool off, and you will most likely lose the opportunity.
The same holds true on the web. If you can’t close when someone has made up their mind to buy, you will probably lose the sale. Now there are several methods of accepting payment on the web. One is to have them send you a check or money order. They have to write out the check or get a money order, and time passes - in other words you have lost the immediacy of the moment.
Many people buy on impulse, and if you provide a convenient way for them to pay for the purchase, you have a better chance of making the sale. This can take several forms on the web, and let’s talk about just two.
Many online business barely make expenses when starting out. As you get known, it will increase, but after awhile will level out. You are losing the impulse purchases. Once you install online checks, your business should immediately increase.
Obviously the online check submission has an effect. But, you can then expect your business to level off again, even though it will be at a higher level than before. Realize that people will not submit a check online if they are tight on funds.
Some people will write a check or submit one online knowing they don’t have sufficient funds to cover it. Yes this is illegal, but there are those who will do it, hoping to get the merchandise. Those that do are fairly comfortable in the fact that it is usually not worth the merchants time and effort to prosecute, and they will simply write it off as a bad debt.
It is then time to take the next step. Acquire merchant status and be able to accept credit cards. People can now make the purchase knowing they have 30 days to make payment. If they were financially tight at that point, they could make a minimum payment, but still have the advantage of making their purchase now. At that point, your business should take a huge jump.
If you are doing business on the web, and selling either a product or a service, and feel you just can’t afford to get a merchant account, it is costing you lost sales. Sure, it costs about a 700 - 800 dollars to become fully operational with online checks and a merchant account, but you will recover that very quickly.
But I have to have a “secure site” to accept these you might think, and you are right. You can do this in one of two ways that make sense. You can contract with a company that provides web space and get a “secure site” from them, but this requires a knowledge of HTML coding. You also have to manually enter the credit card information, and you have little defense against a disputed claim, and may have “charge backs”.
A second way is to set up a shopping cart. This is probably the best way to do business online. You don’t need a secure site of your own as the company providing the shopping cart does. An added benefit is that the customers enter the information themselves and their “IP” address is automatically captured. If the credit card is declined, they can immediately enter another. You are only notified when there is a successful transaction. The customer is automatically sent a receipt, so the chances of a charge back are significantly reduced.
If you don’t have merchant status, you should at least consider “Paypal” which is probably the easiest and cheapest way for small businesses and websites to accept payments online. There is also a shopping cart available, but does require basic knowledge of HTML. “Paypal” is a viable solution for a small business. The only drawback is that your potential customer has to sign-up with “Paypal”, and “jump through a few hoops”. This does risk “cooling off”..
There are many ways to “skin the cat” and if you find one that works for you, your online business will prosper.
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Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby’s Free Ezine the “Tip of the Day” get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter. Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm
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November 9th, 2008