Evaluating A Job Offer
Points To Consider Before Accepting Or Declining An Employment Offer
You've convinced them that you're the right candidate for the job. Now what do you do? Here are several steps to help you in reviewing an offer of employment.
After 500 resumes sent, 100 phone interviews and 20 face to face interviews, you’ve now received a job offer. It seems like it is really the right opportunity. It’s in your desired field, pays what you were expecting and is not a very long commute. After hearing the offer you respectfully say, “I’ll get back with you in a few days”. You want to say yes immediately, but you follow protocol and act as though you’re weighing out their offer. What do you do now?
First, remember that no offer is firm until you have it in writing. Once you receive a written offer, use the next couple of days to further investigate whether or not this is the company and/or job is for you. If you are hesitant to do this, please ponder this thought. You already have several resumes circulated, right? Then it would be much easier to continue your search now, then to have to start a new job search in a year or so because you realize you’ve accepted the wrong offer. So don’t be anxious. Do your homework. Here are some things you should consider before deciding to accept/not accept the offer:
- The company's financial health/stability - Is the company financially stable? Have they taken any major losses over the last several years? Have there been any lay-offs recently?
- History of the position - How often has the job you are considering accepting changed hands? If there have been more than three people in the job over the last five years - beware. Perhaps the job is too demanding/stressful, or the boss difficult to work for.
- Reason the job is vacant - Why is this position vacant? Was your predecessor promoted, or did they leave for some other reason?
- Internal candidates - Were any internal candidates vying for this job? This can be a true teller for an outsider interested in a job. If no one internally wants the job, it’s probably for a reason.
- Staff turnover - The company has several open positions. If the company has recently taken on a new client or project and the positions are due to company growth, then that is very positive. Nonetheless, several vacant positions can also mean that the company has a high rate of staff turnover. This can be a clear indication that there are management problems.
- Cohesiveness/Chemistry with the boss/supervisor - Although you had a good interview, you can already see potential problems with your new boss. It’s so tempting to dismiss “gut feelings”. If you are leery about the boss, it’s probably for a reason. A bad boss can make for a miserable work environment.
- Opportunities for professional growth and advancement - There is no growth opportunity. This may seem unimportant now, but in 2-3 years you’ll probably be looking to move up. If this is a dead-end job, you should probably reconsider.
Lastly, prior to formally accepting the position, you should also ask for a copy of the company handbook/policies. You’ll want to make sure that you are in agreement with the corporation's philosophy and policies on things like dress, work schedule, customer service, community, economic growth, etc.
