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Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Picking a start date
December 1, 2011
Introduction: We're starting to wrap up our
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series, which has featured insight for students on the job hunt from Lead Engineering Recruiter
Jeff Moore
. Today Jeff talks about what you should consider when choosing a start date.
Welcome back everyone! If you started your job hunt in the fall, there's a chance you may have already received a few offers and may even be making your final decision on what company to join. (If you're not at this point yet, don't worry, there's still plenty of time left in the recruiting season, and you can keep this week's tips in mind for later.) Once you’ve accepted an offer, though, you need to get down to the business of picking a start date. Sounds easy right? Well, it can be harder than you think and here are few thoughts on how to pick a great start date and make a solid first impression with your future employer.
Ask when you
should
start
- Companies have a lot of requirements around start dates (i.e. everyone starts on Monday). Tell your recruiter or manager when you graduate and then ask them when they’d like you to start. You may find that the date they’d like you to start is a perfect date.
Be Realistic
- Remember, you’re picking a date that might be six or eight months away, so there is a high likelihood it will change. However, you want to be realistic and pick a date that seems reasonable based on when you are finishing school. If the company wants you to start the day after graduation but you’d rather take a few weeks off to get life in order, you should politely push back and let them know what you’d like to start a few weeks later so you can be 100% focused on the new job. Communicating honestly with your future employer will go a long way to starting your relationship together on the right foot.
No Surprises
- Planning to hike across Europe? Sail around the world? Those things are all cool—very cool, actually—but make sure you’ve communicated your plans to your recruiter or hiring manager. Being upfront and honest about your plans is the responsible thing to do and your future colleagues will appreciate your honesty (and probably be a bit jealous of your plans).
Stick to your commitment
- Don’t move your start date around constantly. You’ll drive your future boss crazy as they won’t be able to properly plan your on-boarding. Your start date is your first chance to make an impression as an employee, not as a candidate. You want to make sure you can show your team that you are able to stick to your commitments and show up when you say you’ll show up.
That’s it this week. Good luck wrapping up your offers and finding time to study for finals....with all this talk about jobs you can’t neglect your classes!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
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