Starting a new job isn’t much good if you end up walking out the door after a few weeks. When it comes to accepting a new position, make sure you are financially and contractually secure in every aspect. There are several industries out there who are prone to making forced lay-offs, and no new job is ever 100% secure. Take the state of the current economy and financial climate into account before shaking hands, and do some independent research into the financial welfare of the firm you’re all set to become a part of.
8 Things To Consider When Accepting A Job Offer
Congratulations—you got a job offer! You’re thrilled—and you should be—but keep your composure and don’t start the party just yet. It’s easy to get caught up in this moment, nod furiously, and clasp the hand opposite in an excited fit of appreciation. Someone wants your services and is willing to pay you for them – it’s no wonder you feel a little giddy. Have thanks the company for the offer, then take some time to really evaluate it before you accept. Remember, this is a place you’re (hopefully) going to be for a while, so you want to take the time you need to determine whether it’s going to be the right fit for you.
But what else is this person really offering you? What sort of position will this new job put you in? There are several elements you really ought to consider before accepting the offer of a new job, and listed here Eight typical things that pretty much everyone forgets to take into account when it comes to deciding whether to add that new company to your resume. Here’s a checklist of questions to ask yourself before you sign on the dotted line.
1. Read The Employee Handbook
Ask for a copy of the company’s Employee Handbook and read it to cover before you accept a new job. Policies like these are a huge red flag. They signal “This culture is fear-based — stay away!”
2. Compensation Details
Maybe your hiring manager or the company recruiter told you, “Here’s your starting salary,” and you liked that number well enough to say, “I’m in!” There’s more to the compensation picture than just your annual salary, though. You also need to know these details:
• Whether there’s a bonus plan, and if so, what that bonus plan entails.
• When your performance and salary review will take place.
• Whether or not you’re eligible for overtime, and if so how that overtime is calculated.
• Benefits, especially if you’ve got dependents who rely on you. These benefits include insurance, family holidays, health check-ups and paid maternity & paternity leave for the new parents.
If the company is small and its benefit plans are weak, negotiate for more salary to cover the additional expense you’ll incur when you have to buy additional coverage on your own.
3. Clear About Objectives
Talk with your boss about their objectives for you before you step into a new role. Sometimes, Managers can have unrealistic expectations about what you can accomplish in your first 30, 60 or 90 days. Hash out an attack plan and a set of goals for your first month and quarter on the job, so that everybody is on the same page and nobody is disappointed.
4. Work-Life Balance
For the new generation, working from home is attractive option. However, not all companies can offer this. Where the work-from-home option is not possible, a company can provide flexi hours to accommodate everyone’s needs. A recent report on the mental health in Corporate India conducted by 1to1Help.net stated that 50 per cent of the employees in Indian corporate world show signs of depression. A company has to create a facility whereby employees can express any stress they may be experiencing at work.
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Working five days a week can be taxing both mentally and physically, and good companies will do something to help their employees relax and unwind. This could manifest in different ways — letting them leave office early on Friday, organizing ‘yoga at work’ or any other programme for all employees, monthly/weekly game nights, monthly team dinners with families, quarterly outings away from the city.
5. Clarity on Working Hours
You can’t afford to take a new job without knowing what your manager expects from your where working hours are concerned. Some workplaces pack up and everyone goes home shortly after five, while other companies look at you sideways if you leave your desk before seven p.m.! Make sure you know how available your boss expects you to be in the evenings and on weekends. You don’t want to learn after the fact that you’re expected to be on call 24/7/365.
7. Commuting
One of the biggest mistakes people can make before accepting a job offer is merely assume that travelling to new work location won’t be an issue. Before accepting any new job offer, be sure if organization have transport facility for their employees and your home location is on their route or you have to travel by own. If you need to travel by yourself, then practice the commute route a couple of times, ideally during rush hour, to get a realistic sense of how long it will take you to reach work every day. Long journeys to your daily job will take their toll on your health and may even put your new career in jeopardy if you’re turning up late on a regular basis.
8. Opportunity with Job Offer
What exactly does your new job offer you in terms of opportunities? Does it provide you with some juicy substance for you resume? Will it allow you to gain knowledge and develop within a particular industry? Can it act as a stepping stone to greater things? These are all questions that you need to take into consideration when accepting a job offer, as it’s all too easy to see a nice wage scrawled down on paper and jump right in. A good job should open you up to other opportunities.
If you have any more inputs, please post your query on our Aftergraduation Forum and we would be happy to discuss on that.