Congratulations, you completed your internship with flying colors. They want you back full-time next summer, after you graduate. Well done!
That is the good news. It certainly beats the alternative. You may be breathing a huge sigh of relief. You are starting senior year with your job search all done. You are in a good position.
What if you want to explore other opportunities? You can certainly do so, and if you are not sure you want to accept this first offer, you should do so. Career Services will host three large career fairs in September, and then OCR will begin. You might even arrange interviews on your own. You can talk to other employers of interest and then make an informed decision. Remember: if you accept a job, you should honor that commitment.
Here is the Penn offer policy, which we have sent out to OCR employers: If you make full-time offers at the end of the summer to interns returning for their final year, we ask that you give them until Tuesday, October 27, 2015 so that these students may participate in on-campus recruiting. Please note that this policy pertains to other students whom you may have interviewed over the summer as well.
Employers are anxious to sign you up and wrap up full-time recruiting as soon as possible. They will try to get you to say yes, but you do not have to get back to them before October 27.
What if you have an exploding offer? First, what is an exploding offer?
• We’d like to hear back from you in a week. No, this is not an exploding offer.
• We’d like to know what you’re thinking by September 8. No, this is not an exploding offer.
• We must know your answer by September 8. If we haven’t heard from you by that date we will offer this job to someone else. Yes, this is an exploding offer (and counter to Penn policy).
If you are under any pressure from an employer, politely push for more time. If you only need until October 1, ask for October 1. If you know you don’t want the job, decline now and open up the spot for someone else. If you are unsure how to proceed, touch base with a career advisor in Career Services, who can help you figure out how to ask for the time you need. Note: Career Services will not contact an employer without your permission.
Handling an offer you may want to accept while pursuing other opportunities is a tricky business. You are not alone – let us help you with the process.
