Why a good recruiter will never rush you to accept a job

Feeling pressure to accept a job? Massive red flag!

Here's why a recruiter worth their salt will never rush you on their timeline to accept a job offer.

When you get a job offer, you should be given ample opportunity to consider it fully, think through your options, discuss with family and friends, take counsel and calmly make your decision.

You may even have multiple opportunities on the table in front of you. If you're interviewing for one job, you've likely interviewed for multiple roles. So, there's a high chance that you may find yourself with another offer to consider as well. Don't panic!

Your recruiter should help you to conclude all the processes that you're currently involved in in a timely manner so that you can get all possible offers on the table before you make your decision. 

It's in your recruiter’s best interests for you to have the RIGHT role for YOU, and if a firm wants to hire you, they should allow you a decent amount of time to make your decision.

So if a recruiter is putting pressure on you to accept an offer quickly, is that pressure coming from the client as they say, or is it coming from the recruiter themselves? If so, why might they be rushing you?

They're living in the past
Still in their 70s pin-striped suit, they believe that urgency at this point of their outdated 'sales' process is necessary. News flash, it's not.

They have KPIs
They might be working to make sure they fill a certain number of roles per month based on targets set for them. Therefore, if you start your new job in one month or the next, it makes a significant difference to the amount of commission they're able to earn. This is self-serving, and not in your best interests at all. You should not ever feel that the recruiter's interests are at the forefront of your timeline.

A recruiter's job is to bring together the needs of the client and the candidate with regards to the start date, keeping transparent lines of communication open between the two.

However, if you do take too long to decide, clients have been known to get cold feet. If your decision takes a long time, it can send a signal to the client that they weren't your first choice. There is a balance to be had between taking enough time to feel confident and settled in your decision and taking too much time to make it appear that the role isn't your first choice and you're waiting on a potential second offer from another firm.

If you're stuck here, talk to your recruiter! They may be able to offer you advice, and will likely have experience in these situations, to help you work through this decision-making process. They will also have a personal relationship with the hiring firm, so will be best placed to advise you on how long is too long. A good recruiter won't prioritise their own agenda, they'll just help you work through this in your own best interests.

They'll answer your questions, they'll give you market info, they'll talk you through the career paths available to you, all of which will help inform your decision of which role is right for you. A great recruiter may be able to get more information from the client for you, or even book a follow-up call with them if you have questions to ask.

So if you've got questions, ask away! The more information you can give about what you want and need, the more transparent you are, the better placed your recruiter will be to help you make the right decision for you and your long-term career progression.

Even if you decide that another offer gained through another recruiter is the right step for you, we'll always encourage you to take it. This is about you, not us.

If you'd like more advice on accepting a job offer, give us a call on 0207 117 2542, email us at jobs@ajfoxcompliance.com, or message us on LinkedIn. Yes, we'll support you even if we're not representing you!

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