How to accept an offer for a job in psychology
It’s the moment everyone hopes for – the call confirming you’ve got the job after acing the interview.
But there’s more to accepting a job in psychology than just saying yes.
Read our short guide on how to approach your hiring manager, and those essential parts of the process you don’t want to forget.
Get the phone call right
Initial job offers are usually made over the phone. You can generally expect a call with your company or organisation’s hiring manager or your agency’s recruitment consultant.
Know your own mind about the psychology role. Are you keen to take it? If so, you may be in a position to say yes straight away.
Or, do you still have key questions to ask? Make sure you write these down and have them to hand when the call comes.
It’s also fine to wait for a written offer to come through before you commit to saying yes.
In any case, express gratitude – if you’re feeling happy then show it! Your employer wants to know you’re glad they want you.
Most importantly, make sure they send you a written job offer.
Many employers will do this by default, but they don’t have to, so it’s a good idea to ask for the details to be sent to you in writing.
Your offer letter
Acknowledge your offer letter for your psychology role as soon as you can.
If you have enough information to say yes now, you can get straight to drafting your acceptance letter.
If you need a little time, that’s fine too. Just let them know when you’ll have decided.
Negotiation is a normal part of accepting a job. So if there are parts of the offer you’d like to be tweaked or changed, let them know, or ask for a brief call to go through them.
Find out more about negotiating your salary after a job offer.
Conditional and unconditional offers
If your employer has no conditions attached to their offer, your acceptance marks the official start of your employment. Congratulations, you did it!
But don’t be worried if you receive a conditional offer.
It’s normal for employers to wait for references before confirming their offer, or asking for proof of your driving licence or right to work in the UK.
Plus, some jobs in psychology involve working with children or vulnerable adults. This means they need the receipt of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before your starting date is confirmed.
Draft your acceptance letter
Nowadays most job offers for psychology roles will be sent by email and expect an email response. But resist the urge to be too casual with your acceptance.
There’s no need to send them a letter through the post unless they sent you one, but you can still adopt a warm but professional tone.
Make sure you:
• Address it directly to the hiring manager
• Express your gratitude
• Show you’ve read and accepted the key terms and conditions
• Clarify your start date
• End with ‘yours sincerely’ and your legal name.
If you’re looking for help with the wording, the Give a grad a go website has some good templates.
And proofread for typos and grammar – use an online tool like Grammarly if that helps.
Good luck finding your job in psychology
It’s good to end well with your former employer, regardless of that’s a role in psychology or in another industry.
Draft a letter which expresses thanks for the things you’ve learned and the experiences you’ve had.
And now, it’s time to start preparing for your new psychology job. Ask about your induction, any documents you need to complete in advance of starting and plan that first commute – make sure you’re nicely on time on your first day.