Part three of four: The offer
(Note: I’ve made changes in the following to keep identities private.)
Three days later.
“Ted, they offered 240. They stuck to the top of their range.”
Ariel looked shocked, pale. Color gone.
“I’m sorry, Arial. How did they present their offer?”
Ariel, clearly shaken by the process, went on to say that a guy in HR had texted that an email with the offer was on the way. He wanted to set up a Zoom with Ariel once she’d had a chance to review it.
The offer email didn’t come until the next day, more than 24 hours after the text. That meant something, but who knew what.
On the Zoom call, the HR guy reiterated that 240 was the top of the range. Arial asked for some time to think about it.
“Ted, should I ask them to explain the other benefits?”
My advice was no, that the package looked fine. I thought Ariel would look weak if she got into the weeds on the details when the offer was forty grand short.
“My advice is to wait. It’s Friday. Let’s wait until Monday. It sure looks like you’re the perfect fit.”
No news from Top Fox Monday morning, so Arial texted Mia, her connection from Hong Kong. The reply was distant and somewhat disturbing, ending with “I need to tell you that we’re looking at other candidates.”
“Ted, I’m fine with that. I’ve looked at other options. They can too.” Brave words, but we were both worried now.
“Text her that you’d like one more conversation with Dirk before you decide. That’s a completely reasonable thing to ask for.”
A few days went by before Ariel got a reply from Dirk. They arranged a Zoom and chatted for half an hour. Dirk was kind, pleasant and happy to talk. But he reiterated that 240 was tops.
After the call, Arial texted both Dirk and her contact in HR to accept the 240 offer. Then she got the following reply from HR:
“We are rescinding our offer.”
