Receiving an Offer On The Spot

Surely all of us have imagined scenarios where we so impress our interviewers that they flat out offer us the job right then and there. But it never happens. Or at least I’ve never seen it happen in any company I’ve worked at.

I have heard of situations where a candidate is told up front (and I was told this myself once) that they might be offered a job at the end of the in-person interview, but then they’d have to accept it or reject it right then and there. That’s a terribly unfair situation to put the person in. Usually the practice is to give a candidate a day or two, or possibly the weekend to accept an offer.

Sometimes the interviewers will say things to make you think you’ve landed the job. But don’t be fooled. They may indeed be impressed with your qualifications, but they will most likely interview multiple candidates, and the next person to sit in your cahir may impress them even more.

My advice? Never assume you have an offer until you have it in writing. Definitely do not stop interviewing elsewhere just because you think you aced an interview, or worse, because you were sweet-talked to by an interviewer.