Start Date
Start Date
Start Date
The student affairs job search can be a long one. That means when you settle on a position and sign the offer you should be totally elated! But sometimes that isn’t the case: especially if there is some disagreement about the start date of your new position.
What is the start date for a new student affairs job? What do you do if you don’t agree with it? What can you do to change your start date?
This article will review your start date for your new student affairs job. It’ll include waiting until you receive the offer until you begin talking about a start date; providing rationale for your desire to move it; as well as action steps that individual job seekers should take.
Wait until the offer
First you’ll need an offer before you can begin to think about the start date for your new job.This doesn’t mean a “verbal” offer that is offered over the phone or in person. Rather, wait until you have gotten a formal offer. That can come in writing via email or an actual physical letter.
So you’ve received that letter or email? Great! You can now begin to talk about the details related to it.Some of it may revolve around salary and relocation. But in other cases you will want to consider the start date for the position. If you accept the offer first (before negotiating the start date) then you’ll be at a disadvantage in negotiating for better terms.
Instead, have the institution first identify a start date before you consider if you want it changed or augmented. This is because your offer will also include details of your compensation package. This includes some other benefits: in particular any entitled vacation time or sick days that you can take.
This is important to take into consideration because you’ll want to take any short falls in any of the areas of your compensation package (i.e. salary, benefits) as leverage for negotiating a better start date.
Providing rationale
So if you’ve already received your compensation package then it should include details such as when the institution expects you to start.If that start date is not what you were thinking of (especially if it’s sooner than you’d like it to be); then you should be prepared to offer some rationale on why you’d like it moved.
Most often the case for moving the start date is because your appointment with your current employer hasn’t ended yet. Often they’ll want you to give notice. Some institutions allow as little as two weeks while others require months.
Aside from taking your current institution into account; you may also want to take some time to clear yourself mentally before starting a new position. Jumping from one institution (and from one geographical area to another) can be jarring. So it’s also in your favor to get some time away from the field before starting a new position.
Taking time off
Aside from a conflict with your current appointment; it’s often best to move the start date for a new position in order to give yourself an unofficial and personal “vacation” before starting your new position.
Sometimes this reason might spark some pushback from your new employer. After all, they need you and have chosen to hire you. So they would want you to start as soon as you can. But you also need to take your own needs into account. So make your explanation short and sweet to your new manager. You want to begin your next position fully engaged and ready to work hard. In order to do that; you’ll need some personal time in-between positions.
Action steps
So you’ve come to the point where you need to negotiate a new start date with your employer. That’s fine; but remember to express your rationale succinctly as well as communicate your excitement for taking on the position.
The next steps involve you navigating the conversation wisely and politely. You would do this the same way if you want to push back your start date another 30 days or move it up to start sooner. More often than not, your start date will be flexible. But you won’t know this unless you’ve asked.
You can still take some other steps if your start date is not flexible. You can negotiate this with your hiring manger to begin some pre-start duties such as reading emails; catching up on reports; or beginning some conference calls prior to your official start date.
Takeaways
This article reviewed your start date for your new student affairs job. It covered waiting until you receive an official offer before you begin talking about a start date. This article also included steps towards providing a rationale to your hiring manager if you need to move your start date for any reason.
I hope that you found this article useful! If you need some additional help on your student affairs job search, then check out the eBook The Student Affairs Job Search: A Comprehensive Guide available here.
Happy searching,
References
Doyle, A. (2019, November 16). Here Are Some Great Tips for Negotiating a Start Date for a New Job. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/tips-for-negotiating-a-start-date-for-a-new-job-2061562.
Hazlett, C. (2017, October 23). How To Negotiate The Start Date Of A New Job. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2017/10/23/how-to-negotiate-the-start-date-of-a-new-job/#357339b66288.
Lee, R. (2018, October 27). How to Negotiate a Start Date on a Job Offer. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from https://bizfluent.com/how-12036686-negotiate-start-date-job-offer.html.
Morello, Robert. (n.d.). How to Negotiate a Start Date on a Job Offer. Work - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/negotiate-start-date-job-offer-2336.html
Cite this Article
Eng, D. (2019, December 16). Start Date. Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2019/12/16/start-date
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