So you have sent your CV, attended the interview…now you have the job offer.
This article will outline the top 10 things you should consider before accepting
1) Salary
Make sure you are being paid the going rate for that job!
Your salary is very important to your job offer – which is why it makes the top of the list. It is your salary that can determine how you live, the food you eat, the places you go, the clothes you wear…it all costs money!
When considering the salary, research salaries for that job role. This can be done via various careers service websites, and by looking at job adverts for similar roles and organisations.
Also consider –
- Are you relocating for the role? Is there a ‘Relocation Allowance’?
- Are travel costs – London weighting for example – included?
- Childcare vouchers / allowances
- Uniform (if you have to wear one) allowances or is it provided?
2) Your benefits and entitlements
With some organisations, their benefits packages can generally be worth at least 30% of the offered annual salary. So when checking over your offer – ensure you check what benefits you are entitled to, and which ones you are receiving.
Example of these benefits could include:
- Health / Life Insurance
- Holiday pay
- Sick Pay
- Childcare vouchers / benefits
- Company Car / Fuel allowance
- Profit Sharing/Bonuses
- Retirement packages
- Redundancy packages
- Car / Phone / Laptop – including insurance for these items
3) Supervision and Training
In any new job role – whether you have done the job before or not – there should always be the opportunity of supervision and training – especially in the early days of your employment.
When considering the offer, you should enquire as to how you will be trained and supervised within your first stages…
Example:
• First week introduction?
• Month review?
• How will reviews be carried out?
• Supervisor’s management style and personality?
• Different types of training methods available?
On-going training is also a key factor within any role and this should also be considered…
4) Career progression potential
Career progression can be very important when considering a job offer. You want to know that you can stay with them for a very long time and build a career path within the organisation.
When considering the potential for this type of progression, remember the following:
- Past history of promotions – What is their in-house promotional history like? Do they promote regularly? Is it all done in-house or are higher jobs advertised?
- Pre-determined route – Does the role you are being offered have a pre-determined route of progression already? Example: Office Junior role with view to becoming Administrator after one year.
- Age of employees ahead of you – If there are a team of you, and only one role ahead (Team Leader for example) – will you be passed over for promotion due to their age or will it work in your favour?
- Added requirements for promotion – Will you be required to have Additional Training to gain promotion? Is the next role up a higher qualified role?
.
5) Opportunity of continued education
As mentioned above with career progression, one thing to consider is whether or not the next role up will require further training and qualifications – and do the company assist, provide or help with this in any way?
Key things to consider:
- Internal and external training availability – are there internal training providers to keep employers up to date with the job role / industry / technology used etc.
- Support for continuing your education – if you wanted to continue your own education whilst employed, would they assist financially and time-wise to help you achieve this?
6) Growth potential of the company
One of the main causes of redundancy is companies merging together. This is seen as growth – as by merging with another – the company is getting bigger.
This is not always good for the employees – as merging together leads to too many employees doing the same job – resulting in some facing redundancy.
So when considering the job offer – consider if the company is looking to merge with any other companies in the future. And if so, what does this mean for your department and your job role.
7) Contract details
Check your contract! The small print is always important, as it usually covers questions you have not thought of yet!
Example:
- Zero hours contract
- Notice required and provided
- Termination policies
- Length – 6 months / 12 months etc.
- Disciplinary procedures
- Re-deployment policies
8) Who will you be reporting to?
In an ideal world, this should be covered within your interview stage – but this does not always happen. So before your start date – confirm who your boss is. You could have a manager – but the team leader is responsible for you…..
Supervisors and team leaders can make or break a job, so it could prove to be vital that you can get along with yours.
9) Overall – will you be happy?
Yes…. a job is important
Yes…. a job is an income
Yes…. a job is a fact of life
BUT
A job is somewhere you spend a majority of your time
A job is something you want for a long period of time
A job can become the main part of your life
So, once you have covered all of the above sit down and think to yourself….can I be happy here? Can I see myself still being a part of this company in 5 / 10 years’ time?
And finally…….
10) Can I have all this in writing?
Congratulations! After negotiating, and carefully considering all the options to get the perfect offer, you have accepted!
Now is the time to ask to get a confirmation letter and contract of everything you negotiated, even if it’s just an email that sums up the complete offer.
Then…if you’re happy with the offer agreed, accept it before relocating or quitting your current job!
Photo by: Cavan Images
