Hiring: Yes Means Yes, Right?

Back in the day, when I was offered the part to wear a wedding dress for Eminem’s Slim Shady video, I said yes. Even though I later recognized it was a very bad idea, I still went through with it... because I said yes. (Then when I saw how many times they played that video, I said... oh no.)

When you’re offering or accepting a job, does your yes always mean yes?

While staying true to your word in one of the most important characteristics a person can have, there are still several instances where people say yes to an opportunity, and then later follow through with a no. I’ve seen this in a variety of instances, and over the last few years, I’ve discovered several people and organizations have been faced with the same issue, with varying results.

The problem is, people don’t recognize how much it can damage their reputation in the immediate future, and the distant one. And for perspectives sake, and full disclosure, I have been on BOTH sides of this at different points in my career.

Here are a few tips on how to avoid falling into the yes means no scenario:

1. Do not say YES until you mean, where do I sign? Do not say yes, and then come back a week later with a counter offer. That’s not yes. That’s let me think about it. While you are more than welcome to offer a counter, there is a professional way to do so, and going back on your yes does not sit well with your hiring counterpart. This is important on a variety of levels. It starts you off on the wrong foot, where now that person is unsure whether to trust your word going forward. And worst of all, it could flat out cost you the job and compromise your reputation going forward.

(Worse than above... Do not say YES and THEN say NO. I have heard from several colleagues about this happening)

2. Don’t make a decision based on impulse or emotion. If you’re offered a job, make sure you thank them for the offer and take some time to think it over before you say yes or no. Any employer you’d want to work for is going to give you those few days. (This advice should be given to people for responding to emails as a general rule of thumb as well... or those accepting to play a role in a wedding dress.)

3. Have your ideal offer already in hand. I have seen candidates waiver back and forth, and literally showcase and share their level of uncertainty. While there is nothing wrong with being honest and sharing concerns, be careful on how candid you are. At the end of the day, someone is offering you employment, so its important on how you come across. Just think, would you date someone if they said, I think you’re kind of attractive and relatively cool and I’m sort of into you... I hope you wouldn’t!

You should have a list of pros/cons, wants/needs, and specific expectations about money, benefits and work environment before you ever get an offer. So when you do get it, you can easily sort through your list and have a clear indication of what your counter offer should look like, if you plan on offering one.

4. Always take the high road. Even if the job doesn’t pan out, or if the offer you received was offensive in your mind, never let that come out in your response. Be thankful and gracious for the offer, and for the consideration and time the hiring party gave you. While you may have found during the process that you’d never want to work for that person or that company, you never know who that person or company knows. So be polite, and let them walk away thinking you were a good person.

While jobs come and go, remember that relationships last forever. So make sure to follow up, follow through, and if you say yes, make sure you truly mean yes.

And if the Slim Shady video wasn’t engrossing enough, I’ll send you off with a positive leave behind...

We have hired 3 interns to full time positions over the years. We made it clear with them that if they worked hard, and followed through on the requirements of the job, there would be the opportunity for full time work at the end of the internship. Yes, we followed through on our promise and gave them jobs... but only because they followed through. They worked hard, stood by their word, and wanted it enough to earn the opportunity. So yes, I’m a sucker for someone with strong character and work ethic, because no matter how hard you try, that’s just something you cannot teach.

Have you had any situations that are similar that you’d like to share? Drop us a comment. And we’ll make sure we follow back up with a counter!