Received offer verbally but headcount still needs to be approved - how to accelerate process?

Question

I received a verbal offer from a tier 2 / 3 firm recently. What's really odd is that HR told me that the headcount still needs to be approved, and it might take up to 1 month for them to release the offer. Also, they asked me about the salary expectations and asked me to provide my salary proof.

I was quite disappointed. They are telling me that they will give me an offer, but the headcount has not been even approved yet? Also, it's also quite weird that they ask for a salary expectation at this final stage. Shouldn't most companies provide a salary for discussion when giving out the offer?

I feel very puzzled. Is this something that is quite common? How can I speed up the offer process? I've been halting the application to other firms and I don't have time to wait.

Answer 1

Please don’t stop applying to other firms. As much as you probably don’t want to hear this, but a verbal offer does not mean much if you don’t have it in writing as well.

If they struggle with headcount approval, it means that their recruiting efforts are not aligned with their budget which is weird for a tier 2 / 3 firm. It also doesn’t make sense to have a salary expectation discussion because base salaries at such consulting firms are typically standardized.

The only caveats I could think of are:

- you are an experienced hire and they try to determine which consulting role would be needed so that you wouldn’t be taking a pay cut in your base salary

- you have a certain domain expertise that they are really interested in bringing on board even if they didn’t initially budget for such a hire

All in all, it still sounds a bit strange to me. If you have any other offers, I would mention that to increase the pressure for acceleration of the process. If you don’t, then you may as well wait it out but you need to continue applying elsewhere in the meantime.

Best of luck

Answer 2

WARNING: You do not yet have an offer.

Until you have a signed offer in hand, you are not safe.

Please do not stop your other interviews. Please do not decline other offers.

Only when/if they actually send a signed contract are you locked in.

In terms of accelerations, go by their timelines. If they say 1 month, then reach out in 3-4 weeks to inquire. You have to balance “checking in” with being annoying/pushy.

Answer 3

Hello,

Congratulations on getting a verbal offer!

I fully agree with Dennis here - it seems quite odd that they have extended an offer before the headcount is approved. I would continue interviewing with other firms just to be on the safe side, and not assume that anything is fixed until you see something in writing. If you receive offers from other firms with acceptance deadlines in the meantime, talk to HR at this firm to see where they are at with the headcount approval and how long they think it would take to get a contract over to you.

The salary is usually disclosed when the written offer is sent out, so asking for salary expectations now seems less odd to me. If you are up for a senior position, you can negotiate the salary once you see their number. If you are up for an entry-level position, there's not likely to be much room for negotiation.

Answer 4

Hi there,

1) I received a verbal offer. HR told me that the headcount still needs to be approved, and it might take up to 1 month for them to release the offer. Is this something that is quite common?

No. Normally you get a written offer to sign after they extend a verbal offer.

2) How can I speed up the offer process?

The most effective way to speed up things is if you get another offer. Thus I would recommend continuing the process with the other firms.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 5

Hi there!

Sorry to hear about this. It makes sense that you're disappointed. This is not really professional on their side.

Realistically, this is happening now in the industry because consulting firms are trying to hedge against risk. They've hired a lot in the past couple of years and now they're overstaffed and without many client projects. In turn they've slowed down hiring.

Yes, they should've approved the headcount beforehand. Yes, the base salary is fixed (the only reason they should be asking for actual salary proof is to validate what you had claimed earlier in the process).

The only thing that you can do to hedge against your own risk is to keep on applying. Sharing with you a guide on how to build an application strategy that helps with diversification:

Free Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

Best,
Cristian

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