The Career Brief

Receiving a job offer for an internship or post-graduate law job is very exciting – and also a little daunting. Receiving multiple job offers can be beautifully anxiety-producing. Here are some quick tips on how to handle one or more simultaneous job offers:

Accepting Job Offers – If you received one offer, or your preferred offer, and you intend to accept the job, then the process to accept that job offer is pretty simple:

• Get written confirmation of the offer containing the essential details of the job. Because it is not always industry standard to receive an offer in writing, it may be up to you to make sure you have all of the important details you need in order to make an informed decision, such as title, salary, benefits, start and end dates, schedule, location, and hours expected or billable requirements.
• Call the supervising attorney to accept (or discuss) the offer, with an email confirming the details discussed to both the supervising attorney and human resources.
• Once you accept the confirmed offer, don’t forget to decline other open offers (see below).

Considering your Offers – If you receive more than one offer, or you received an offer while waiting on another, you may need to weigh your offers before deciding which to accept:

• Rank your preferences with pros and cons for each position. Complete this Offer Analysis Questionnaire to assess whether the offer will work for your personal and career needs.
• It is acceptable to ask for more time to consider the offer – whether you need more time to decide or you are waiting for another offer to come in before you make your decision. In the latter case, you may contact the second employer to ask about their decision timeline (you can notify them that you have received an offer but are still very interested in working for them). If you are a top candidate, the employer may appreciate the opportunity to move more quickly and if not, then you can move forward to accept the prior offer.
• Career Services can help you consider whether and how to engage in tricky offer negotiations. Remember: an offer is more than just the salary and it can be well worth it to negotiate other offer terms like remote work flexibility, start date, bar study/exam expenses, relocation assistance, PTO, bar dues, etc.
• Consider the value of the offer you did receive when weighing whether to wait and hope for an offer somewhere else. Look at the positive things about the position, including the experience and skills you will gain from this work that could lead to your dream job down the line. Most people do not land in a “forever” job straight out of law school and it can take a few employment adjustments before finding the right fit. (And you may end up surprising yourself and like the job more than you thought you would).

Declining Offers – Nobody likes to deliver bad news but it is important to decline offers as soon as possible:

• Promptly decline any offer you know you will not accept, either because you decided against the position or because you already accepted another offer. While it can be tempting to delay making this call, please don’t. Employers will appreciate your timely response so that they can quickly turn to the next candidate. And you are building your professional reputation through every interaction you have with the legal community, so treat others with kindness and respect.
• It is also a professional courtesy to notify any employers with whom you have recently interviewed or are under active consideration if you have accepted an offer elsewhere.
• Call the person who made the offer to you, or as instructed otherwise, and let them know you need to decline the offer. It is a good idea to follow up the phone call with a brief email addressed to them, along with human resources, thanking them for the opportunity and their understanding.
• If the employer does not already have another candidate in mind, connect them with Career Services so that we can help them find another candidate.

Handling Rescinded Offers – If you received an offer but it is then rescinded, handle your disappointment with professionalism:

• Understand that the employer most likely still wants to hire you and would if they could; there can be a number of reasons why an employer needs to rescind an offer that have nothing to do with you and are not an indication that you have done something wrong.
• Be gracious.
• Offer to work with the employer in another capacity or at a future time – as a contract attorney, an intern for a different semester, or possibly as an unpaid extern for credit and experience. You never know when another opportunity to work with this employer may present itself, so strive to maintain a positive relationship and leave the connection open.

When you need assistance or someone to help walk through your options, feel free to contact Career Services. We are here to help you with all things career related. For more information about managing job offers, see NALP’s quick video: Managing Job Offers.