5 Things You Must Consider Before Accepting That Job Offer

After receiving countless emails that say “Thank you for applying but we have decided to pursue other applicants” it is easy to accept the first job offer you receive without really considering five important factors. Before accepting a job you need to determine if the company culture aligns with your values, if the monetaries (base salary, yearly bonuses, signing bonus, profit sharing, stock options, etc.) are acceptable, the location is somewhere you could live comfortably and somewhere you could afford to live, the position has proper onboarding and training and professional development to ensure you excel in the role, and lastly that there are advancement opportunities to ensure you are not entering a position where there is a glass ceiling.

1. Company Culture

Before accepting a job, it is important for you to have a taste of the company culture. In my opinion, you can’t understand a company culture by just looking at their corporate website and videos. You must take a step further and take the time to shadow someone in your department for a day or even better for a couple of days. This way you can understand if the job is a good fit. If the company culture doesn’t align with your values do not accept the job.

2. Salary and benefits

While salary is not the be- all and end-all for job satisfaction it is important to ensure your salary offer is an equitable amount before accepting that job offer. I highly recommend looking at the average salary in your industry and your position. After conducting research and discovering you got a low-ball offer this is when you may consider negotiating your salary. Check out the sites below for company salary information:

• https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/index.htm

• https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer

• https://www.salary.com/

• https://www.indeed.com/salaries

3. Location

Before accepting a job it is important to find out where the job is located and if the salary can support the cost of living. One of the worst things you can do is accept a job without doing thorough research on the cost of living of the location.This includes but is not limited to: monthly housing expenses, tax rates, food/grocery, education and childcare, transportation, healthcare etc. I highly recommend using a cost of living calculator at one of these sites to see if you can afford to live under that salary offer. Check out these sites below to determine cost of living:

• https://smartasset.com/mortgage/cost-of-living-calculator

• https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator

• https://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx

In addition, if you have to relocate for a new job opportunity it is important to inquire if they will offer you relocation assistance. Relocation assistance can assist with moving expenses such as: rent, flights, moving services, etc. It is important to inquire what the relocation assistance covers if it is offered. In addition, it is important to determine if the relocation is given in a lump sum or a relocation allowance plan.

4. Training and Professional Development

Before accepting a job offer it is important that the hiring manager or your future direct report clearly outlines the onboarding plan for the role you are considering accepting. I do not recommend working for a company that does not give you adequate training because then that is just setting you up to fail. Those failures could be reflected on future performance reviews. In my opinion, training and development is key to employee success. If the company just throws their employees into a position with no real training then that is a red flag. Companies should set up their workers for success not failure.

5. Advancement Opportunities

Before accepting a job you must find out if there are advancement opportunities. You should never work for a company that doesn’t have any opportunities for growth or promotional opportunities. You want to work for a company that wants to develop you as a professional. You never want to work at a company that leaves you in the same position you started indefinitely.