Navigating Job Offers
You have received an offer for an internship or full-time job – congratulations! Making a decision on whether to accept or decline a job offer is an important process. We encourage you to thoroughly review all components of the offer and reflect on how well the opportunity aligns with your career goals, financial needs, values, and priorities. As you evaluate the position, key aspects to consider include the nature of the work responsibilities, long-term growth potential at the company, office culture and work environment fit, salary and benefits package, location, travel requirements if applicable, and overall gut feeling based on interactions so far.
Utilize the information on this page as a guide in your thoughtful evaluation process when deciding whether to accept, decline, or negotiate the terms of a job offer match for the next step in your career journey. We encourage taking sufficient time to weigh all factors important to you before accepting.
- Initial offers can be extended by an employer verbally or over email. Be sure to get the details of your job/internship offer in writing. An email from your recruiter or a representative of the employer is sufficient.
- Your offer should include details about potential start dates, location/work modality, compensation (hourly pay rates, salary, or commission structure), and any benefits that are being offered by your future employer.
- You will receive a deadline in which to make a decision on the offer. Timelines can vary for employers depending on the proximity of the start date of the job, but generally will be two weeks or longer in duration.
- Communicate with the employer! If you know right away that you will need more time to make a decision, ask for it. The employer does not need to grant your request, but most employers are willing to discuss deadlines if you communicate openly and can explain your reasoning for requesting more time.
When you receive an offer, there is more to evaluate than just salary. Consider:
- Details and duties of the position
- The organization you will be working for and its culture
- Your supervisor and their leadership style
- Your personal goals and priorities
- Total compensation pay (salary + benefits)
You should gather information about salary averages prior to an interview, or even before you apply to help with application questions about pay expectations. We suggest using multiple resources to review salary data - such as those provided below.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) provides this salary survey data resource. The information is based on a national study of salaries in various career fields.
Search salaries and compensation information for various companies provided by current and former employees.
This resource provides salary averages for your field and in your geographic area of interest.
Should you try to negotiate? Before you can answer that question, you need to ask yourself why you are trying to negotiate and what you hope to achieve through negotiation.
When you have made your decision to accept a job/internship offer, call your recruiting contact to share the good news. You may be asked to also follow up with an email.
- You should notify any other organizations you have been in communication with, or have future interviews scheduled with, that you are now off the job market.
- Keep in mind the ethics of accepting a job/internship offer. You should not back out after accepting an offer, as it is considered highly unethical. This is why it is important to review the details of the offer and consider all of your options before making a decision to accept.
If you are going to decline a job/internship offer, you should call your recruiting contact to share the news. It is a professional way to communicate your decision to the employer.
Need assistance reviewing your offer? We can help!
Schedule an appointment for assistance with reviewing your job/internship offers, strategies for potential negotiation, guidance related to ethical dilemmas, or general questions about the job offer process. Please note that we do not offer same day appointments, but we do offer weekly drop-in hours for career advice.