Verbal Job Offers

EP 3134 Getting a verbal job offer feels like a victory, but it's not the finish line. This video explores why a verbal promise lacks legal protection and explains why you should continue your job search until a written contract is signed. Timestamps0:00 – The excitement of the verbal offer: Is it the finish line?0:56 – Decoding the "14-day wait" and why it poses a risk to candidates.1:47 – Verbal vs. Written: Comparing the lack of protection to a "career safety net."3:13 – The Golden Rule: Why you must keep interviewing despite the good news.4:01 – A 4-step proactive strategy for handling a verbal offer professionally.5:01 – Final takeaway: Being your own #1 advocate in your career. ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTERPeople hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS job search coaching and career advice globally because he makes job search and succeeding in your career easier. Schedule a discovery call to speak with me about one-on-one or group coaching during your job search at ⁠www. TheBigGameHunter.us. You will also find great info and job search coaching to help with your job search at ⁠⁠JobSearch. Community⁠⁠ You can get free copies of 25 Interview Questions and Answers, How to Craft a Compelling Elevator Pitch in 20 Seconds or Less, Get Ready for the Job Jungle, Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems, No BS Resume Advice, and Prove Your Worth First, Then Negotiate. Receive free weekly suggestions and more. Subscribe to No BS Job Search Advice Radio, the #1 podcast in Apple Podcasts for job search with more than 3100 episodes. Connect on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/T⁠⁠heBigGameHunter⁠ We grant permission for this post and others to be used on your website as long as a backlink is included to ⁠www. TheBigGameHunter.us⁠ and notice is provided that it is provided by Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter as an author or creator. Not acknowledging his work or providing a backlink to ⁠www. TheBigGameHunter.us⁠ makes you subject to a $1000 penalty which you proactively agree to pay. Please contact us to negotiate the use of our content as training data.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:59Speaker 02

  All right. Let's just jump right into it. Picture this. You've gone through what feels like a million interviews. You absolutely crushed the final one. And then, your phone rings. It's HR, and they've got amazing news. But here's the thing. Is this really the finish line? Today, we're going to talk about that super intense moment when you get a verbal job offer, and why what you do next is, well, it's everything. And this is a real quote, you know? It sounds so familiar to so many of us. You get that rush of pure excitement, that feeling that all your hard work finally, finally paid off. You hear those magic words. You've been selected. And you think, yes, the job is mine. It's a massive moment. And that's the big question, isn't it? Your first instinct

• 1:44Speaker 02

  is to breathe a huge sigh of relief, maybe pop open something bubbly, and immediately shut down your job search. But hold on a second. Is that actually the smartest play here? Let's really dig into this. Oh, that phone call is pure adrenaline. It's total validation. It means they want you. But let's be super clear about what you've actually received. It's a promise. It's an expression of their intent. And that's a fantastic, wonderful sign, but it is not the same thing as a locked in, confirmed job. Okay, so here's where things get interesting. What often comes right after the good news is something like, "We'll get the official offer letter to you, but it'll probably take about 14 days."

• 2:25Speaker 02

  And this, this is where that little seed of uncertainty starts to get planted. 14 days, just think about that. That is two whole weeks. They might just call it getting the paperwork together, but for you, it's two weeks of being in total limbo. Two weeks where, let's be honest, anything could happen. That waiting period, that's a risk. And this brings us to the absolute heart of the matter. The huge, enormous difference between a verbal offer and a written one. You gotta understand, one is basically just a conversation. The other, that's your career's safety net. I mean, just look at this side by side. A verbal offer, it's a conversation. It's almost never legally binding.

• 3:06Speaker 02

  But a written offer, that's a formal document. That is a real commitment from them to you. It's why we say one gives you zero protection, while the other is your shield. This quote right here, it says everything you need to know. Until you are holding that official document with the salary, the start date, all the benefits, everything confirmed in black and white, you have absolutely no security. It's a tough truth, but that's the reality you have to operate in. So, knowing all this, what's the game plan? Well, the best strategy is actually the exact opposite of what your gut is telling you to do. It feels totally counterintuitive, I get it, but it is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself in this situation. Okay, so you're in this waiting game.

• 3:51Speaker 02

  You've got a really promising verbal offer on the table, but nothing, nothing is guaranteed yet. So what is your next move? I mean, do you just wait? Sit by the phone, refresh your email every five minutes? And basically put your entire career on pause? That's the passive approach, and honestly, it's a huge gamble. It puts all the power in their hands, not yours. So here it is, the most direct, most powerful advice I can give you. You have to keep interviewing. Seriously. Do not pause your job search. Do not cancel those other interviews you have lined up. You keep moving forward like nothing has changed, until you have a signed contract. Now, listen, this isn't about being negative or disloyal to the company that just called you. Not at all. This is about being strategic.

• 4:35Speaker 02

  Think of it as your job search shield. You are proactively making sure that no matter what happens, you are coming from a position of strength. This right here, this is your new mindset. It's the logic you need to live by. If another potential employer asks you if you're still interviewing, your answer is yes. And why? Because you're right. A verbal promise is not an offer. This phrase should be your mantra. So here's the playbook, plain and simple. Step one, acknowledge their call. Thank them, tell them you're excited. Step two, immediately get back to your job search. Step three, absolutely go to your other interviews. And step four, you don't stop any of this until you have secured that signed written contract. So why is this strategy so effective?

• 5:20Speaker 02

  Well, because there's simply no guarantee with a verbal offer. Things happen. Budgets get cut. Priorities shift. Key people change their minds. Heck, even written offers can get pulled back sometimes. By continuing to interview, you keep all your options on the table, and it puts you in the strongest possible position. You're not desperate, you're in demand. If you take one thing away from all this, let it be this. This is the golden rule of job searching. An offer isn't real until it is written down and signed by both of you. Until you have that legally binding document, you do not have the job. So yeah, celebrate the good news from the phone call, but do not stop until the ink is dry. And that just leaves us with one last thing to think about. At the end of the day,

• 6:04Speaker 02

  a company is always, always going to look out for its own best interests. So who is the number one person responsible for protecting your career, your finances, and your future? The answer is simple. It's you, always.

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