Hi Nie!

Last week, you heard why it's a pretty big red flag if a recruiter gets huffy when you negotiate for more equity to mitigate your own risk.

This week, I'm back with yet another red flag to look out for: Companies getting jumpy and rescinding your job offer when you ask for time to think it over.

Carrie wrote in to share her own story of a manager who showed his true colors when she simply asked for some time to consider his offer. It's such a good story that I'm sharing it with you exactly as she told it. Take it away, Carrie!

Having recently completed my MBA and in the process of pivoting careers, I have been job searching pretty seriously for about 2 months. A couple weeks ago, I received a call from a recruiter from a company for a position that I had not even applied for (this probably might have been my first clue that something was up).

He told me he had this great position as a product manager. I would have full responsibility for a line of products in this growing company with tons of opportunity for future growth. It sounded exciting and like a great opportunity. He said he would talk directly to the hiring manager and get back to me.

Two hours later, he calls me back. They wanted to meet with me! We scheduled an interview for a few days later. Then he says, "Ok, before you go to this interview, I need to brief you about some things." Ok, well that sounded a little strange. The HR recruiter for the company then goes on to tell me what I needed to know before meeting with the hiring manager, "Bring 3 copies of your resume, don't use staples, he likes paperclips, when you go in to his office, don't touch his desk, he likes to talk about himself, so don't talk too much." What?! Was this guy kidding?

Needless to say, I thought about not showing up to the interview. However, it was the first call I had gotten about a job since starting my search, I needed the interview practice, and I was morbidly curious, so I decided to go.

And they were super nice! The interview lasted about 2 hours, they talked about the company, its history, and how they thought I could fit in to their culture and their team. They invited me back for a second interview the following week. I was so excited!

The next week, I went in for the second interview. We talked briefly about salary, they had me choose and office and told me they would be sending a letter out later that day via e-mail. (This was when I looked up your website, by the way. I wanted to be prepared to negotiate.)

I received an offer letter from their HR department the next morning, a Tuesday. It was a reasonable offer, enough that I could live on, but not up to what the position should have paid, there certainly seemed like room for negotiation. I responded to HR within the hour, "Thank you, may I have some time to think about it." He responded saying they would like a response within 48 hours. Wow, that is not much time, but I started drafting my negotiation letter.

That afternoon, I got another phone call. It was from the hiring manager, the EVP of the company. He asked why I had not accepted the offer yet. I let him know that I was thinking about it, I had some other companies interested in me and I wanted to make the best choice for myself and my family.

He EXPLODED! (this is the guy I had been warned about, apparently he had been hiding this side of himself throughout the job interview)

He was obviously angry, and seemed to think that I had personally offended him in some way. "That offer was fair and reasonable, way above the max for that position! I will not be PLAYED like that! If you don't want to accept our offer, we are rescinding it!" Mind you, by that last sentence, he was practically yelling. This was literally hours after receiving the offer, I had not even begun to negotiate yet.

After that, I politely said, "Thank you, have a great day." And man, I meant it. He really did me a favor. I cannot imagine having to work for a company that treats candidates like that. What would working there be like?

It turns out, I should have listened to HR, and my gut feeling in the beginning. But I am so glad I didn't take that first offer. I will always try to counter, even if it doesn't work, you learn a lot about the company in the process.

Carrie

Look out for red flags like this when you're considering a new job. If they treat you poorly during the negotiation phase, when they're trying to convince you to join their team, things will likely get worse once you start working there.

Have a good week!

Josh