(Editor’s note:  I would like to thank those who volunteered their experiences for this week’s writing.  In return for their stories, I have changed their names to insure anonymity).

One of the most critical times during job search occurs when you receive an employment offer.  If you have done your homework and impressed your future employers, the offer should represent fair and equitable compensation for your abilities.  If however, you feel that the offer has come too quickly, or you notice a problem with the employment offer, it is best to ask questions before you accept the offer.  If you are one of the few fortunate individuals who jumped directly from your previous position to new one, the degree of caution you need to exercise must be even greater.  You will discover the dangers of accepting an offer too quickly from today’s lessons.  

Lesson Number 1 (Major Misrepresentation):   Charles thought he was making a good career move…

He left the company he was working at for over a decade.  He received an offer from an employer that seemed too good to be true.  After some aggressive negotiations, he was offered a 30% raise over his previous salary.   So Charles gave his current employer two weeks’ notice. He was very excited about this new opportunity. 

   Less than a month later he felt differently.  He noticed that his first paycheck was actually lower than the paychecks he received from his previous employer.  When he confronted his direct supervisor, the supervisor stated that the company was unable to meet the salary that Charles requested.  This supervisor further stated that it was “routine company policy” to overstate employment offers.   Charles was told that he would just have to live with the lower salary.  What seemed like a good career move turned sour.

The lesson to be learned:  I found out that Charles never signed an employment agreement with his new employer.  That was his first mistake.  Several years ago I came up with a formula which I called the 20/20 formula. The formula works like this; If you are unemployed and accept a position that requires more than a 20 hour work week, or pays greater than $20,000 per year, make sure you get a written employment agreement.  If you have another job, do not give any notice to your current employer until you sign an employment agreement. The employment agreement gives you legal recourse in the event your future employer defaults on the terms. Unfortunately, the best action Charles can take is to see if his previous employer will re-hire him.

Lesson Number 2: (Was it a scam?) Here is an instance where the right actions prevented someone from accepting a position that was probably a scam.  Pete posted his resume on several job boards.  He received an e-mail from a freight company which appeared to be an offer of employment.  According to the e-mail, all he had to do was to agree to receive shipments, re-package them, and send them to a new location designated by his employer.

    Although Pete was thrilled that he received an offer so quickly, he was also skeptical.  Something didn’t sound right.  Pete wanted to make sure that the offer was legitimate.  Fortunately, one of the individuals in Pete’s network happened to be a freight forwarder; the perfect person to answer questions related to the shipping business.

    Pete called his friend, who agreed to research the company that made him the offer.  A day later, Pete received an e-mail from his friend.  “This definitely looks suspicious”, his friend stated, “I traced the e-mail’s web address to a location in mainland China.  The fax number your perspective employer provided is a Florida based number, yet the phone number they gave you is a New Jersey based Number.  I strongly recommend that you disregard their offer; however if you decide to look into this opportunity further, I would definitely proceed with caution.”  Pete decided to discard the offer.

The lesson to be learned:  It is a tragic fact that there are people who take advantage of those who can least afford to be taken advantage of.  The internet is ripe with employment scams. During my job search, I discarded all offers that asked me to provide money up front.  The outplacement firm that provided assistance in my previous position also warned against scams of all types, especially internet scams.  The bottom line is that if an offer looks too good to be true, chances are it is a scam.   

Lesson number 3: (Sometimes too much truth is hazardous): This writing would not be complete unless I offered something from my personal experience.  In the early 1990’s I interviewed for a small company.  I had heard rumors of an upcoming layoff, so I wanted to get my job search started.  I was pleased that the company which interviewed me arranged the meeting outside of my regular working hours.

  At around 6:30PM I met with the President of that company.  The interview started on a cordial note; after the President reviewed my credentials, he told me that I was just the candidate he was looking for.  He asked if I would consider an immediate employment offer.  Everything seemed to be happening much too quickly, so I asked some key questions.  I wanted to know how many people he employed (the company was privately owned).  He told me there were only two people who worked for him.  This immediately set off a yellow flag.  Although my objective was to work for a small company, a three man operation was smaller than what I had in mind.  Then I asked the President what he wanted me to accomplish.  His answer was as follows: 

   “I am looking for an individual who is talented in machining, production planning and warehousing.  My goal is to use as many of his talents as possible, while paying him as little as possible.”

   His response set off an immediate red flag. My response was immediate:  “Sir, if I am leaving my current employer, it has to me worth my while to do so.  What can you offer me as an incentive?”  He responded, “Based on the salary you listed for your current job, my question is how much of a pay cut are you willing to accept in order to work here?”   I stood up and immediately responded:  “We have nothing more to discuss.  This interview is over!”

  To date that is the only interview I have ever walked out on.

The lesson to be learned:  As far as the employer is concerned, the lesson he should have learned is that too much honesty may not be the best policy.  Even if he was not honest, it is unlikely that I would have accepted that position as I had intended to work for a slightly larger firm.  From my point of view, asking questions was the most intelligent action I took.  In any case, it is better to go on a bad interview and learn a lesson than not to go on an interview at all.

In any case, no matter what stage your job search is in, I wish you the best of luck, and of course…Good Hunting.

-By Howard K. Young, Contributing Writer & Member of The 405 Club.

View all of Howard’s posts here.