Tips
Why you should not fall in love with the first offer
The first offer in a cooling market feels like the last boat leaving a sinking ship. You want to grab it and sign immediately. But a job in another country is closer to a marriage than to a short fling. Mistakes are expensive. Below is a guide on how to treat an offer like a date, even when it feels like there are very few options around.
Table of Contents
The market really has cooled down. What does that change
According to the World Bank, unemployment in Serbia in 2024 was around 8.6–8.8 percent, while employment was at a record high. On paper everything looks good, but in reality companies hire more cautiously, take longer to agree on salaries and cut expansion plans more often.
International reports show a slowdown in employment growth: the global labor market is no longer as hot as a couple of years ago, there are fewer vacancies, and the creation of new jobs is growing more slowly than expected.
At the same time, the average offer acceptance rate in studies by major recruiting platforms stays around 70–80 percent and in 2023 went above 80 percent. This means that most people say yes as soon as a more or less decent offer appears. Especially in a cooling market.
So it is important to remember:
the first offer is usually not the “last chance” but the first workable option. Your task is not to guess the perfect future option but to soberly check whether you and the employer are actually compatible.
Compatibility checklist: the minimum you need to clarify
Mentally imagine that you are going on a date with your offer and you look not only at the feeling of “is there a spark” but at the facts.
1. Format and pace of life
- Where and how you are expected to work: in the office, hybrid, remote
- The real schedule: shifts, weekends, evening hours
- How many hours a day people in this role actually work
If you are an introvert and they have an open space with no headphones allowed and mandatory team buildings every Friday, this is important information, not a detail.
2. Money and paperwork
- The salary range is given in net, not only in gross
- Whether there are bonuses, a 13th salary, tips, sales commission
- What type of contract you get, whether contributions are paid, how vacation and sick leave are arranged
In a cooling market a normal reaction from an employer is to honestly explain what the package consists of and what limitations there are.
An abnormal one is “for now we will keep it semi-official, we will see later”.
3. Tasks and scope of responsibility
- Which 3–5 tasks will be key for you
- What the company will consider success in 3 and in 6 months
- Whether they are trying to squeeze three professions into one role
If the job description says “SMM, content, paid ads, sales, a bit of HR”, this is not a “generalist” but a high risk of burnout.
4. Manager and team
- How your future manager talks to you in the interview
- Whether they answer questions calmly and to the point
- Whether the team has clear rules for calls, reports, feedback
You sign up not for a logo but for a specific person. In a cooling market a toxic manager does not become less toxic.
5. Growth and planning horizon
- Whether it is realistic to grow your income within a year
- Whether the company has a plan for developing this function
- What will happen to the role if the market in this segment drops further
Sometimes an honest answer like “next year we will aim to stay profitable, there will be almost no growth” is better than stories about “everything will skyrocket when the crisis is over”.
What questions to ask on a “date” with the employer
Phrase it honestly:
“It is important for me to understand how well we fit each other. Can I ask a few clarifying questions?”
About the role and tasks
- Why is the position open right now
- What tasks I will have in the first month and which will be added in 3–6 months
- What will be considered success in this role
- Whether there were people in this position before me and why they left
About money and conditions
- What compensation range you have for this role and what it includes besides base salary
- What type of contract you offer to a candidate with my status
- How often salaries are reviewed and based on which criteria
About culture and management
- How onboarding for new hires is organized
- How you give feedback and how often
- How you treat overtime and working on weekends
- For you as a manager what matters more: result, hours of presence or initiative
About prospects in an unstable market
- What plans the company has for the next 12 months
- What you will do if the market drops even more
- Which roles you protect first if you have to cut costs
If these questions are answered confidently and without aggression, that is a plus. If they avoid direct answers, switch to observer mode.
Red flags that should alert you (even when the offer is the first one)
1. Fog around money and the contract
- They refuse to name even an approximate salary range
- They suggest starting to work without a contract or with an “unpaid trial period”
- They promise part of the income in cash “until better times”
You can compromise on level but not on basic safety.
2. Inconsistent communication
- Interviews are rescheduled several times without apologies
- Different people tell different versions of the tasks and conditions
- They promise the offer “tomorrow”, then disappear for a couple of weeks
In a market where employers are cautious, slowness and confusion often mean internal chaos, not a thoughtful respectful decision.
3. Disrespect for people
- Bad comments about former employees
- Jokes on the edge of discrimination
- Irritation when you clarify conditions
The way they talk about “those who left” today is how they might talk about you tomorrow.
4. Pure romance instead of specifics
- “We are all like a family, we do not count hours”
- “We will tighten our belts for now, later salaries will grow”
- “We will formalize bonuses later, the main thing is that you prove yourself”
In a cooling market a serious company makes things more transparent, not less. If instead of that you only get emotions, it is a reason to think twice.
How to make a decision when you have few options
1. Split your criteria into must-haves and nice-to-haves
For example:
Must-haves
- minimum net income
- acceptable work format
- adequate manager
- legal employment
Nice-to-haves
- office in your favorite area
- international team
- budget for learning
Look at the offer through this lens, not through “what if nothing else ever comes”.
2. Give yourself time even if they rush you
It is normal to ask for 1–3 days to compare conditions and get advice. On the global market accepting an offer almost always takes at least a few days, not hours.
A phrase you can use:
“Thank you for the offer. I really appreciate it. I need time until Friday to weigh everything and give you an answer.”
3. Compare the offer not only with your dream but also with your “plan B”
Plan B does not always look like an ideal company. It can be:
- continuing the search for another 1–2 months
- staying at your current job for now
- taking on project work to bridge the gap until a better offer
If the first offer is clearly better than your plan B in terms of safety and money but weaker in tasks, it might be an honest temporary step. The main thing is to set a point when you will revisit the decision, not resign yourself forever.
4. Listen to your body, not only to the numbers
If after talking to the employer you feel calm and that “we understood each other”, this is an important signal. If you feel tightness inside even with a decent number in the offer, do not ignore it.
Conclusion
Yes, the job market in Serbia and globally has become more difficult. There are fewer vacancies, competition is higher, employers are more cautious. But your task is not to say yes to the first option out of fear that there will be nothing else.
Your task is to
- know your minimum in terms of money and conditions
- ask direct questions and watch the answers
- notice red flags even when you really want everything to work out
- choose not a perfect job forever but the most reasonable step for the next 1–2 years
You have the right to think, to ask and to say no even if this is your first offer.
Open roles on Ovde Jobs
Right now on the platform you can find
- roles with relocation to Serbia and for those who are already here
- positions with Russian, English and Serbian
- jobs in IT, marketing, e-commerce, HoReCa, operations and finance
- filters by city, languages and income level
- descriptions without empty buzzwords and a quick application through a simple form
If you feel that the first meeting with the employer went well, use this same guide to evaluate the offer.
If you want to practice a “date” with an employer using this checklist, go to the Ovde Jobs feed, pick 2–3 roles and try asking those same questions about tasks, money and prospects.