Archive for the ‘economy’ Category
Rebounding from a Rescinded Job Offer
Filed under: college students, economy, job search | Tags: economy, job offers
Leave a Comment It’s that time of year, when career center staff track down all their grads in order to record post-graduation plans. In our office, lots of students are reporting exciting full-time and internship plans. A few, however, have had their accepted offers rescinded by employers, due to the economy. I feel for these students. They’ve done everything right, probably turned down other offers, and then all of a sudden, no more job. Here are some tips for job seekers who find themselves in similar situations:
Grieve
A rescinded offer is a total bummer. It’s okay to feel disappointed, sad, upset, and/or really angry. Once you accept how you feel you can begin to move beyond that and start taking steps to recover.
Get clarification about what happens next
Some companies who have to pull offers will provide compensation in some way. Some will let you keep a signing bonus, if you received one, or give you other monetary compensation. A few may even be able to offer you a different position in another division, department, etc.
Ask for a reference or referral
Many recruiters will serve as a reference as you re-launch your job search, figuring it is the least they can do. Their recommendation to other employers is valuable. You’ve essentially been pre-screened, and will be viewed as a highly qualified candidate because you’ve already survived the competition’s interview process. It’s like dating – people are attracted to people already in relationships because they figure they must be a good partner. Employers are attracted to candidates deemed “hirable” by someone else.
Stay in touch
Even though you might be disappointed and angry, be professional when communicating with the company. Maintain your relationship so when things turn around, you’ll be considered for new opportunities.
Contact companies that made you other offers
If you turned down other offers, swallow your pride and get in touch with those organizations to see if they’re still looking for candidates. You may find a company isn’t willing to hire you because they don’t want to be your second choice, but most will still be interested, if you were a strong candidate and they are in a position to hire. Checking back with other employers is much easier if you graciously turned down their offer and maintained professionalism in the process, so remember this when evaluating, accepting and declining job offers.
Contact your career center
Career center staff have relationships with lots of employers and may be able to direct you to employers they know are still hiring. They can act as your advocate as you negotiate for compensation or if you think you’re being treated unfairly.
Let your network know you’re looking
If you kept in touch with your contacts, they probably knew you accepted a position. It’s going to take some work to let them know that your situation has changed. Your story is one people can sympathize with though, so capitalize on that and ask for help.
Please stop complaining about the economy. Thanks.
Filed under: economy, job search | Tags: complaint-free, economy, job search
Leave a Comment This winter I read A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen. The basic idea of the book is that complaining is so common and so normalized by society we don’t even realize how much complaining we’re actually doing. Furthermore, we are often rewarded with a false sense of camaraderie with others as we all complain to one another, even though it leaves us feeling stressed, angry, and unhappy.
Have you ever walked into a co-worker’s office to vent about something? “Venting” is the code word for complaining. You unload complaints on your co-worker, unnecessarily involving them in whatever is going on, and you both walk away feeling worse than when you started. The initial situation causing the complaining isn’t resolved, either. Not productive.
Some researchers figured out it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. So, the complaint-free challenge is to go 21 days in a row without complaining, criticizing or gossiping about others.
Friends, let me tell you, this is more difficult than I thought it would be. I started on January 1 and have made it six full days complaint-free. That’s 6 days out of over 100. When I catch myself complaining I switch a ring from one finger to the next, to consciously re-train my brain to recognize complaints before they fly out of my mouth. It is a slow process, but I’m re-committing to a complaint-free world.
With the economy in the crapper, there is a lot of complaining going on. Lately, I’ve realized almost all my conversations with other career services professionals or employers begin negatively. Is on-campus recruiting on the decline? Are students panicking? Are employers reneging on offers? I answer – yes, some, a few – and then we talk, for the billionth time, about how tough things are right now.
Enough.
These conversations are pointless small talk from which no one gains. Instead, let’s talk about what strategies we’re using to help students deal with this tough market. Can we share ideas about how to work more effectively with recruiters? Can we share success stories about students who are getting job and internship offers? I’m tired of being bummed. I’m ready to put some positive energy out into the world.
If you’re a job seeker, this is even more important. I know it sucks right now so you don’t have to remind me of this. When discussing your search with others, maintaining some positivity will be especially impressive. Tell your contacts what you’re doing to overcome the challenges, and they’ll want to get on board and do what they can to help. According to Bowen, as we re-train our brains to focus on the bright side of things, we’ll feel happier, healthier and good things will come to us.
So, let’s collectively shut up about the economy, stop complaining and start dealing.
