Believe it or not, this is actually a common scenario: You’re in bed or under the shower and your phone rings (and yes, I have had it all before – from people sitting on the toilet to people riding a pony in Devon). RRRRIIIIIINNNG. All you think about is rushing to get the phone so your immaculate telephone manner goes out the window. You just answer the phone in your usual cranky way. -And there it is! You get the offer. You’re bedazzled, you’re shocked. So, how do you react and what can you expect?

If you are one of these candidates, let me briefly guide you through the job offer process. The cycle is as follows: Offer, Salary negotiation (if negotiable), Acceptance Letter, New Starter E-mail and lastly, signing the contract. Once the offer was made you (you being the applicant) shouldn’t be afraid to ask as many unanswered questions as you like. These queries may regard basic information such as working hours and annual leave as well as inquiries about the dress code.

Lately, we have experienced quite a few candidates who didn’t seem very excited. It’s one thing to play it cool – but people seriously, show some sort of positive response (we don’t expect you to cry or anything). It‘s never wrong to express feelings of gratitude and excitement. Remember the importance of building a good rapport with recruiter – it won’t be the last time you rely on her/him.

Subsequently, the new starter e-mail you will receive covers information such as date and time of your first day as well as what you are expected to bring with you. Taking along your Passport and NI? Yes, I think that’s a given! Obviously, your contract will be signed within your first week. At most companies the first week or so will consist of training and shadowing (i.e. buddying up with a senior member of the department).

Now that you understand the basic process you should feel more at ease. Okay, so it’s time to prepare as well as brush up on your rusty skillset. Conduct in-depth research on the company history and about the specific industry/sector it operates in. Current affairs may be found on sites such as Forbes or TechCrunch. Excel, PowerPoint or any other software expertise you will have to use in your new job should be in mint condition.

Before starting the job it may also be a good idea to set yourself achievable goals in terms of personal and professional development. Where do you want to be in 1 years’ time? I know this sounds cheesy and lame but it is important to assess yourself previously. Complete for example an online aptitude test or if you have done so already base your objectives on your specific areas of strengths as well as weaknesses.

Where there’s a will there’s a way!

Lastly, what I tell most of the applicants before they start is to get out there and enjoy your last days of doing nothing/something. Relax and read a good book or take a trip somewhere and experience something new.

All in all, don’t disregard the importance of building a good relationship with the recruiter. Also, don’t panic – think of the process as the simple job offer cycle. Furthermore, set yourself plausible goals in order to ensure your personal and professional development – it’s always important to work towards a vision. These goals can be based on a range of psychometric tests, taking a healthy work-life-balance (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/work-life-balance) under consideration.