How to keep offers open?

Hi everyone,

I am currently interviewing for a full-time position as an analyst. As I am currently interviewing at several firms where the interviews are distributed through the next  4 - 5 weeks, I would like to know how the contract signing is handled for full-time positions. From my internships, I have experienced that the firms want to have a signed contract max. one or two weeks after I received the offer. 

Do they expect a fast response as well, or send me the contract and give me a more extensive period to decide? And how do you keep your offers open?

10 Comments
 

when i signed for FT at an EB in London, they didn’t give me a deadline but I returned the signed docs within a week

usually they need verbal acceptance before paperwork comes so maybe there’s a deadline for that (instead of a deadline for the paperwork)

you can’t really keep an offer open beyond the deadline they give you - they’re not stupid they know you’re interviewing elsewhere so they’ll want you to sign ASAP

 

nothing is “binding”, meaning even if you sign the paperwork, there’s no legal remedy you can pursue if they decide to pull your offer before the start date

if you ever find yourself with offers coming in when you’re late in other processes, instead of pushing with the firm who offered you for more time (unlikely), push the ones you’re interviewing with for an accelerated process (more likely to be granted)

many firms will accelerate you if you have a strong competing offer, eg GS

 
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