4 Hiring Process Concerns -- And Solutions

There are many emotions you will feel when a hiring manager says they want you to join their organization. The biggest of those is relief. It's good to know you are close to getting the job after countless hours of resume writing, thank you letters, and interviews.

While it  might seem that you are at the end of your long journey, you should be aware that last-minute can and often do emerge. Below are four of the most common hiring process hiccups along with advice on how to best conquer them:

• You were told a formal job offer was coming -- three weeks ago: There are a multitude of reasons for a delay of the job offer: An internal candidate expressed last-minute interest, a hiring freeze was instituted, the position is changing, or the hiring manager went on a business trip. Instead of waiting around for an answer, you should contact the organization to find out the exact reason for the delay.
• The hiring manager wants to ask you follow-up questions about a reference who gave you less than glowing reviews: The worst thing you can do in this situation is to be defensive or combative. You should calmly correct any misinformation the reference gave, and counter his negative recollections with positive anecdotes. You can also offer up additional references to give the hiring manager additional opinions; just be absolutely certain you will get good reviews from them.
• The formal job offer has a description and salary that is significantly different than the initial job description: Seek clarification before assuming you were tricked. It's possible there was a typo in the original job description or that the salary listed was a ballpark estimate rather than a firm number. Pay close attention to the hiring manager's response. Did he seem genuinely sorry about the confusion? Did he offer to adjust the offer or at least give a detailed explanation about why he can't? You should consider rejecting the offer if you think the organization is playing games with you.
• You discovered some details about the organization's work environment that are making you think twice about accepting the job offer: Keep in mind that the information you received is just one person's view. Do some more research to see if there is any merit to the person's claim. If you find legitimate reasons to be concerned, go to the hiring manager and seek clarification. You should always give your boss-to-be an opportunity to explain things.