Which accounting offer should I take, how should I turn down the others, and should I counter offer?

Which accounting offer should I take, how should I turn down the other offers, and should I counter offer?

1. If you have multiple offers, how should you decide which one to pick? And what criterion should be used to weigh the options?

While I would love to give you a bullet point list regarding this topic, I just don’t believe in that. Right off the bat, DO NOT make a decision based on compensation. If you need the “stop caring about money speech,” have a listen to a previous show guest, Caleb Newquist of Going Concern for that. Unless there is a 20-30% pay difference, compensation does not matter. The real questions is are you excited about where you will be spending 250+ days in the next year and every year after? Do you feel good about the people who interviewed you and the people you’ve met at the company? Does the company want you as a part of its firm, specifically for who you are?

As I mention in the podcast, you’re interviewing the firms as much as the firms are interviewing you. How you are treated during the recruitment process is a sign of how the future will be. If the recruiters and representatives are flaky, don’t get back to you, and don’t show a lot of interest in you, then working at that company may not give you a sense that you’re special or that you are wanted for all you can bring to the firm, despite it having the best “name” or the highest pay up front.

2. Can you turn down an offer without burning any bridges?

Yes. In fact, you must do all that you can to not burn bridges with the employers you turn down. Let them know how much you appreciate the time, effort, and resources they poured into recruiting you. Express that while their firm is not your final choice, you think they have a great company and you would speak highly of them to all other potential employees. Explain that you look forward to staying in touch and that you hope to meet at social events or campus events in the coming months.

3. Should you call or email employers when you turn down an offer?

Yes, you should contact employers when you turn down an offer; however email is too impersonal, especially for delivering bad news. You want to keep the relationship healthy since you may want to work with that company down the road. For instance, maybe you turn down an internship offer at one company and accept an internship offer at another company. If so, you should give the first company a call and express how much you appreciate all that the company has done for you, but that you’ve selected another option that you think would be the best fit at the current time. If your internship at the second company doesn’t ultimately convert to a full-time position, you may want to reach back out to the first company. Having that relationship still intact could make all the difference.

4. How do you stay in touch with people you have turned down?

First thing to do, if you haven’t already, is connect with them on LinkedIn. When there are campus events, career fairs, or socials, spend a few minutes talking with them. The conversation doesn’t need to be extensive, but enough to let them know that you want to remain in touch with them and you appreciate what they did for you. You should not try to spend the whole event with them, maybe just a few minutes catching up and saying “great to see you here.”

5. What if you have to respond to an offer, before your interviews are done? Should you ask for an extension?

You should set up a call with the company that gave you the deadline. Express to the representatives the importance of this decision in your life and how you want to evaluate all of the options at hand. Tell them you have other offers and you want to make sure the company you choose is the right fit for you and your employer. In the podcast, I explain how the conversation should go and how to communicate the request for an extension. If you’re in this situation, I recommend you have a listen. Most likely the company will grant your request. If the company does not grant your request, it doesn’t mean you should take the offer, as it’s certainly a strike against the company. As I mentioned above, how the representatives treat you, resolve conflicts, and solve problems is a sign of how they will handle issues once you work full-time. If they can’t be flexible now (in the courting stages of the relationship), how will they treat you once you’ve committed with a job contract?

6. How can I make a counter offer? 

While this is a complicated topic and every situation is different, have a listen to Max’s story on how he was able to navigate a compensation negotiation with his employer. I also spoke about my experience in trying to raise my level of compensation and the circumstances under which it makes sense to do so. Be on the lookout for a full podcast on salary negotiation coming up soon!