The Triad Tipster - Winter 2004

Information for you and your career...

Ethics and Professionalism in Accepting a Job Offer

Imagine this...You have accepted a contract position and are excited as you begin getting ready for the change. If you were working, you gave notice to your current company. If not working, you took your resume down from the job boards and notified your recruiters  that you are no longer on the market. Then, two days before you are to start, your recruiter informs you that the company is rescinding the offer because they found a better candidate. What do you say?  What do you do?

Fortunately, companies don't do this. There are unwritten rules, for both companies and candidates, that cover ethics and professionalism once a job offer has been accepted. If companies understand their obligation to candidates, and do not  interview additional candidates after an offer has been accepted, why do some candidates continue to shop around for a better opportunity after accepting an offer?

Too often, candidates 'hunt' around for a better deal using the offer in hand as leverage and as a fall-back option. As a result, candidates 'back out' after accepting an offer more then one would think. When this happens, the company and the recruiter are both put into a difficult and professionally embarrassing situation. Time and money have been wasted. The relationships between the recruiter and company, as well as the recruiter and candidate, are probably destroyed.

There are three honest and ethical responses when receiving a job offer or upon the end of negotiations related to the offer:

1. "I accept the position."

2. "Thank you for the offer but I decline"

3. "I have another potential offer and feel I need to hear back on that offer before making a decision. Can I have a few more days to make my decision?"

Remember that the technical community of recruiters, companies and candidates is surprisingly small. Keep your good name intact, work honestly with your recruiter, be up-front regarding your goals and your needs, and accept an offer only when you are sure the position is the one you want and you are ready to make a commitment.

Have You Looked at Your Resume Lately? (Overview)

Now more then ever, your resume can make you stand out from the competition and may sell you into a face to face interview. Recruiters may modify resume format and edit for misspellings and punctuation; however, you still want to make sure your resume is professional before sending it to a recruiter. Remember, your resume helps the recruiter form an initial opinion of you and you want that opinion to be a good one.

Top Resume Tips from previous Tipsters:

  • Use spell check and grammar check. Most resumes are written using a word processor, all of which have spell check functions. There is simply no excuse for misspellings.

  • Classic format works best. Objective, Summary, Skills (optional), Work History, Education.

  • List jobs in reverse chronological order. List your most recent job first. The resume is easier to read when the most pertinent information appears first.

  • Don't leave gaps in work history. If you have worked outside of your technical field, indicate it on the resume and include the dates. You can detail the work if you wish, using the same formatting as your other jobs.

  • Use skill words.  Listing skill "buzzwords" helps recruiters quickly match you to appropriate jobs.

  • ...But don't use confusing jargon. Overly technical jargon clutters the resume and is not beneficial.

  • Include dates for each job. This is very important.

(Next time: More Top Tips/Resume Review)