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So I went in to an interview a while ago for a contract position with the marketing Director and designer. They decided they liked me, they asked what I wanted as far as compensation, I explained I wanted a minimum of 20 hours (part-time) per week at a dollar rate that I specified. They noted my requests and gave me an offer a few weeks later in writing.

The offer included everything I requested so I went ahead and signed and returned it to them. They responded and said, before they can move forward they need to have one more meeting w finance, legal, the president, etc. After this meeting, they said they need to make some minor changes to the contract but everything is moving forward well.

Long story short, the terms, dollar rate and minimum hours changed since the first draft of the contract that I signed - the new draft is signed by the president with a start date coming up this coming Monday. I called two days ago and explained the situation and requested if we can negotiate the terms slightly to find a good middle ground - the marketing director seems cooperative.

My question is, would it be a bad idea to follow up and see if things are moving in the right direction, as I have not heard back yet and it has been 48 hours and the start date on the contract I am trying to negotiate, that was signed by the president, is coming up this Monday? or should I allow them enough time to respond and assume, they're working on it and I am not starting this Monday?

I appreciate any advice.

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    In your current case, as it stands, sending an email now will not likely get seen until Monday. Depending on where you are located anyway, right now for me it's mid afternoon, so the chances of someone seeing and responding to an email like this are slim.
    – nightsurfer
    Commented Sep 30, 2016 at 17:10
  • You might consider calling your POC and being sure they're aware that you will not be starting on Monday as the offer is still under negotiation.
    – Peter
    Commented Sep 30, 2016 at 18:21
  • You said that they sent you a contract which you signed. Was this contract also signed by "the company" who is hiring you?
    – LindsayMac
    Commented Oct 1, 2016 at 20:42
  • 2
    To summarize: you negotiated and agreed, in good faith, on the terms of the contract, they gave you paperwork, you signed, and then first "they said they need to make some minor changes", and those "minor changes" during out to be "the terms, dollar rate and minimum hours changed"??? Did I understand you right? If I were you, my response would be "good luck". There's clearly some major malfunction with that company. I wouldn't want to work for a company like that. Something's wrong with them. They're not to be trusted.
    – Sam Varshavchik
    Commented Oct 6, 2016 at 21:12
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    Having trouble understanding why you would want to follow up and see if things are moving. The communication you received from this outfit was not an offer (an offer of employment is always signed by an official of the employing company), it was a scam. Go find a job with an honest company instead.
    – A. I. Breveleri
    Commented Oct 7, 2016 at 6:11

3 Answers 3

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First rule of negotiating It is not a negotiation if you cannot walk away... it is complaining

Decide for yourself. Are you:

  1. Desperate for a job - then take it and don't worry any more about it
  2. Feeling taken advantage of - then ask yourself is this really is the job for you. Perhaps you'll take it for a little while and move on.
  3. Frustrated and distrustful - be really careful working for people you don't respect. What other promise will they go back on?
  4. Confident and patient that you can get another job - politely say thanks but no thanks

Don't be too quick to judge the speed of the response. On the other side, they have a lot to do running a business. I was taught to hire slow and fire quickly. They may be just hiring slow.

Also understand that this is a capitalistic enterprise (I think? This is not a non-profit .. is it?). They are in business to make money. The less that they pay for your services, the more that they can either keep for themselves or invest in another part of the business. Don't fault them for negotiating.

Be suspicious and candid with yourself about their change in the offer. Did the make you a firm, initial offer? If so, it seems disingenuous to change the offer. Did the person making the offer act too quickly? Perhaps the original offer was not bona fide and therefore that person really just over stepped their bounds.

Trust you instincts - was it a miscommunication / misunderstanding or really a change in the offer.

Know your value - can you afford to walk away?

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Things take time, sometimes people get recruited last minute. It all depends on the offer and the demand for this type of qualified job at this exact time.

My question is, would it be a bad idea to follow up and see if things are moving in the right direction, as I have not heard back yet and it has been 48 hours and the start date on the contract I am trying to negotiate, that was signed by the president, is coming up this Monday?

If you say the startdate is coming up soon, and you haven't heard from them yet because they are currently working on it then just wait and see. There is nothing more you can do at that point and nothing to worry about. If you haven't started on monday, they they will just make addendum to the contract. It is a simple as that.

If you would contact them, you might annoy them as they are currently working on your case which doesn't give you a good impression even before starting your new job..

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From the case as you presented it, I would not follow up - I would look for another job. If they contacted me eventually, I would tell them that their way of handling the whole contract negotiation revealed to me that it will no be a good cultural fit and I kindly reject any of their offers.

This depends, of course, how much you need you depend on this opportunity.

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