"You're Hired! ...See you next year."

At a time when HR departments are inundated with applications from a plethora of eager and over-qualified job-seekers, companies don't want to miss out on the opportunity to pluck from this talented pool. An article in the Economist says that many companies are finding that "One solution, popular in many industries, is to offer deferred start dates to new hires, giving them six months or a year to travel or do public service. This approach has been embraced by consulting firms, law firms and banks."

The article goes on to say that some companies, "like Credit Suisse, offer around six months’ salary to new employees who agree to start a year later." However, "others, including several consulting firms, offer the option without any pay incentive....[and] new hires may be reluctant to accept such an offer...in case the economy sinks further and new lay-offs are announced while they are on the beach."

If you've found been offered a job now that won't start for several months to a year, we'd love to hear from you!

--Posted by Sophie Friedman, Vault Web Content Intern