Joel Spolsky writes about the “exploding offer,” which is essentially an offer from a recruiting manager that comes with a time limit. This is usually intended to pressure job seekers who are not experienced at negotiating to sign up.

Here’s what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, well, that’s a good company, not my first choice, but still a good offer, and I’d hate to lose this opportunity. And you don’t know for sure if your number one choice would even hire you. So you accept the offer at your second-choice company and never go to any other interviews.

And now, you lost out. You’re going to spend several years of your life in some cold dark cubicle with a crazy boss who couldn’t program a twenty out of an ATM, while some recruiter somewhere gets a $1000 bonus because she was better at negotiating than you were.

Sometimes, though, you might find yourself in a tight spot–you might be considered for that first-rate job you really, really want, but not sure if you will get. So you might have to agree to the “exploding” offer. Joel gives a few tips. First, try to schedule interviews as close together as possible, so you can have an easier time deciding. If you do get an offer with a time limit, negotiate for more time. And in the event that you do sign up, do so at the last minute. And be sure you don’t sign anything yet, until you are sure you are committed to doing this.

Campus recruiters count on student’s high ethical standards. Almost all students think, “gosh, I promised I’ll go work for them, and I’m going to keep my promise.” And that’s great, that’s a commendable attitude. Definitely. But unethical recruiters that don’t care about your future and don’t want you to compare different companies are going to take advantage of your ethics so they can get their bonus. And that’s just not fair.

In tough times like these, I think it pays to be practical and street smart when handling interviews.

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Prepare a to-do list for you working self even though you’re still looking for a job. Being prepared can help you gain confidence in you plans during the job-hunting stage. And when you do finally land a job, you already have you to-do list at hand.

Be updated. Read about profiles of the industry you want to get into and how they changed over the years. You’re going to need the information during interviews and it’s going to show the management how serious you are about getting the job.

Find a well-matched job. Bear in mind that you already have those years of not working on your career. You want to make your first job to be relevant to the career path you’re taking on. So your first comeback job should be well suited to you, a job that needs your qualifications and skills. Don’t just accept a spot just because it’s the first one that offered and accepted you. This would give you better ease at adjusting to work scene.

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