Before you accept that new job, take the time to carefully evaluate your offer and decide whether it really is the right job for you.
Our experts have come up with these eight key criteria that you should consider when evaluating a job offer.
1. Research Your Prospective Employer
Your prospective employer has worked hard to assess your suitability for the job. But have you thought about whether it is suitable for you.
2. Salary
Many people see salary as the key factor when they’re deciding whether to accept a job offer.
But you need to evaluate how much your skills and experience are really worth before you accept the salary that you’ve been offered.
Take some time to “play detective” before you accept the offer, and investigate whether the company is the right fit for you.
3. Benefits and Perks
Benefits can make up a substantial chunk of your compensation package so it’s worth assessing this part of your contract carefully, as their value is often less obvious than the value of the salary. The salary that you’ve been offered might be higher than your current one but, if your employer’s retirement plan contributions are lower, you could be worse off in the long term. On the flip-side, a generous benefits package and retirement plan can make up for a lower salary.
4. Savings and Expenses
One of the biggest expenses to consider when evaluating a job offer is your commute. Will your travel costs increase or decrease?
Your new job might require you to move house. If this is the case, you’ll need to take relocation costs, changes to your property and other related expenses into consideration.
5. Time
The amount of time your new job will take up (beyond core hours) can be difficult to judge. It might be worth talking to someone who has a similar role in the company to try to understand what workload you may be expected to take on or how much overtime you may have to work.
6. Career Path
Getting a new job might be your priority right now, but you still need to think carefully about how it will impact your long-term career prospects. If you accept a job offer on impulse and it doesn’t work out, you might end up desperate to leave.
7. Research the Role
Read the job description and person specification again. You need to feel confident that the work itself is something that you want to do, and that it will give you satisfaction.
8. Your Values
Take some time to think about your personal values and those of the organization. What qualities are important to you in a prospective employer? Do your values align with the company’s?
If you still have any questions concerning the company’s values after receiving a job offer, now’s the time to raise them with HR.
Once you’ve evaluated your job offer thoroughly using these criteria, you will be in a much better position to judge whether you should take the job, try to negotiate a better deal, or reject the offer completely.