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Variants of "have I got this job?" come up about twice a day, to which the answer is almost invariably, "if you don't have anything in writing, you don't have an offer, keep looking for other jobs".

I think it would help to have a canonical question to cover this, so new questions can be marked as duplicate, saving people from answering unnecessarily.

I discovered two commonly used "duplicate candidates" which have some overlap with the scenario, but they do not cover it entirely.

  1. How do I coordinate the process of pursuing multiple job opportunities at the same time?
  2. How do I properly follow-up with a hiring manager, to check on the status of a position?

Does the community also see the need to have such a canonical question? Is there already such a question?

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  • 3
    I would definitely be on-board with this. There may be a suitable question out there already, though I don't have the time to dig around right now.
    – David K
    Feb 15, 2017 at 18:04
  • I agree. It comes up all the time.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Feb 15, 2017 at 18:25
  • 1
    Perhaps you could ask a question that could become canonical. "When do I know when I have the job?" or a variant on that. From my personal experience it's "When you're sitting behind your desk". I've had job offers rescinded literally the day I was supposed to start.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Feb 15, 2017 at 18:53
  • I like Richard's suggestion. Hurdle 1: actual written offer. Hurdle 2 (sometimes): background check. Hurdle 3: sometimes stuff happens before your first day (so, as Richard said, when you're actually there).
    – Monica Cellio
    Feb 15, 2017 at 19:28
  • 1
    There are occasional discussions on questions and on meta where topics are identified that could use a canonical question. This is indeed another such case. Most of the time no actual question ends up being posted and I think the main issue is scoping and defining the question to ensure that would-be answerers are aware that it's not a "real" situation and the answers should be comprehensive. Perhaps a mod-notice would be useful for them.
    – Lilienthal Mod
    Feb 15, 2017 at 21:33
  • 2
    At the risk of self-promoting, I've asked two such questions so far (1, 2) and those turned out well in my view. They do tend to require a bit of extra work from the OP, especially if they hit HNQ. Perhaps it's an option to scope and define a question on meta before posting it as a CW?
    – Lilienthal Mod
    Feb 15, 2017 at 21:37
  • i find myself typing the same thing over and over. It's sad but it'd be easier just to ask something like "I don't get along with my boss and I'm contemplating going to HR. Is that a good idea? Why or why not?" and then just mark a bunch of dupes afterward. :)
    – Chris E
    Feb 15, 2017 at 21:46
  • 1
    @ChristopherEstep the "Counter offer" one comes up frequently as well.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Feb 15, 2017 at 21:55
  • 11
    If you get a counter offer, ask if the quote includes the cabinets?
    – keshlam
    Feb 16, 2017 at 4:29
  • Personally I'd like the question to include the likelyness the employee will get hired based on which stage he/she is in. Where it would only be 100% hired once both his and the employer's autographs are written on a contract where both you and the company has a copy. I've had a brother work for almost 2 years (despite us telling him to do otherwise) without a written contract. The employer simply left the country and never paid my brother a single coin. and without a contract, he didnt have the rights for it either, despite having worked for it.
    – Migz
    Feb 17, 2017 at 12:35
  • There are plenty of these already
    – IDrinkandIKnowThings
    Feb 17, 2017 at 18:48
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    @keshlam you clever clever soul I had to read that three times before I caught it.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Feb 21, 2017 at 17:20
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    The premise is not even correct for all countries. A verbal offer stating a position title, a manager, a pay-grade or salary can be binding in some countries. (Proving it existed in the case of a disagreement is of course another story.) It's not all about the US or India.
    – smci
    Feb 21, 2017 at 22:30
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    @MaskedMan: most Western European countries have higher ethical standards in business dealings than the US. I didn't say those courts would necessarily find a disputed verbal offer existed; I'm saying the companies are less likely to lie in the first place, yes even (in-house) recruiters. The reason for that is simply that word-of-mouth about bad practices gets around, also people change job less often. People have memories. To be clear I'm not saying relying on a verbal offer is generally a good idea, whoever you're dealing with. I'm saying it's less risky in some cultures.
    – smci
    Feb 22, 2017 at 3:46
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    @Aithos What is obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to everyone. We get this question way too often here.
    – Masked Man
    Feb 25, 2017 at 1:42

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