strikethree

It sounds like they have a significant offer approval chain on their side, and they don't want to have to run multiple offers up that chain, so they're like to get you to agree to basic business terms (comp, title, etc.) before sending it up for approvals. once they get the sign-offs they'll generate a paper offer.

Some terms (like separation consideration) may or may not be included in their verbal offer, so to the extent these are important to you, you might want to expand the term list before you accept verbally.

jbaldyga

Sorry I see I replayed most of Bchad's points.

Just to confirm: it's perfectly fine for you to accept a verbal offer (and a written one) and then back out later. it's not like they're going to sue you.

Chuckrox

DarienHacker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It sounds like they have a significant offer
> approval chain on their side, and they don't want
> to have to run multiple offers up that chain, so
> they're like to get you to agree to basic business
> terms (comp, title, etc.) before sending it up for
> approvals. once they get the sign-offs they'll
> generate a paper offer.
>
> Some terms (like separation consideration) may or
> may not be included in their verbal offer, so to
> the extent these are important to you, you might
> want to expand the term list before you accept
> verbally.


I think this is good advice. The first paragraph describes something similar to my process for my summer internship employer. I verbally accepted but asked for something in writing -- it was done pretty informally through e-mail before I physically signed a document, and then two weeks later was when I received the actual employment agreement and background check. They never "required" me to verbally accept, but my sense is that the reason for the lag time was because the firm goes through a centralized HR department to handle new hires and other adminstrative tasks that is external to the firm.