7 things to consider before accepting a job offer

You have just received a job offer; you are excited and rightly so! You spent time preparing for an interview and you took time off work to attend, it’s a great feeling to be wanted and to know all that time and effort wasn’t for nothing.

Before you accept a job offer, no matter how attractive the salary, it makes sense to take a moment to properly evaluate your options and make sure you are making the best choice for you. You wouldn’t rush a decision to buy a house without considering all the pros and cons, starting a new job can be just as life-changing and requires careful thought.

1. What will you be doing?

Do you have a thorough understanding of what you will be doing each day? If there are any aspects of the role you are unsure about now is the time to ask. You don’t want to commit to a position only to find out after you have started that the work isn’t what you expected.

2. Who will be your manager?

You have probably already met your manager during the interview stage and hopefully you feel positive about the working relationship. If you have any extra questions about their management style or how they plan to support you in your role ask to have an informal chat with them before deciding.

3. What are your career goals?

How does this new opportunity fit with your goals? Are you keen to learn new tech? Does this position allow you to do this? Are you looking for more responsibility or specific career progression? Does this new job provide you with this? Click here to read more about formulating a career plan.

Always stay true to yourself, don’t settle for something if it doesn’t align with your career goals. A new job is always good at the beginning as you are learning new things, but you want something that is still going to continually challenge you in a positive way in 6-12 months and the following year, 2 years etc.

People are changing jobs now more than ever; the average Briton moves jobs every 5 years, with over 50{2dfa1182ec7ee05805b813a9bdf2250092cde9d7c1f61c8843435a2d9f70cb53} of software developers changing jobs within 2 years. You don’t need to be looking for a job for life (unless you want to), it is common for people to move jobs more frequently, so if this new job satisfies your goals over the next couple years then it could be a good move.

4. Salary and benefits package

Is the salary and benefits package in line with what you were expecting? If you aren’t sure what benefits the company offers don’t be afraid to ask for specifics. It is much easier to negotiate salary and benefits before you start, then everyone is on the same page.

Not everyone feels comfortable negotiating job offers, many job seekers work closely with recruiters who care about your best interests and handle offer negotiation on your behalf.

5. Company culture and working environment

As part of your interview preparation you should already be familiar with the company culture and have read employee reviews online. You may not have had an opportunity to meet the team or tour the office, but you can always ask to pop in and meet everyone if you are at all worried about team fit.

6. What do you dislike about your current job?

There are obviously aspects of your current job you aren’t completely happy with; if you were 100{2dfa1182ec7ee05805b813a9bdf2250092cde9d7c1f61c8843435a2d9f70cb53} satisfied you wouldn’t be considering alternative options. Does this new job tick all the boxes? Are there are any cons to the new role? Maybe it isn’t in an ideal location, but this is outweighed by a higher salary and/or flexible working to facilitate a better commute.

It might help to write down all the pros and cons of your current position and measure them against this new opportunity. You may want to accept/decline the offer based on this alone or try to negotiate important factors to make the new job more favourable.

7. Does the company offer stability and job security?

Basic financial records are available for businesses on Companies House. It is worth looking up your prospective employer so you can see exactly how long the company has been in business, whether they are financially stable and growing, and who the Directors are. From here you can also see whether these Directors have owned other businesses and how long they traded for. If you are joining a start-up and the Director has headed up several unsuccessful start-ups over recent years you may wonder what makes this venture different or whether it will falter after a couple years too.

Receiving a job offer is exciting but there is a lot to consider before accepting. You need to ask all your questions and do your research. If you are in the fortunate position to have multiple offers on the table, you need to weigh these all up against each other and any counter-offer you may receive from your current employer. For advice on counter-offers click here.

Once you have evaluated all the options, negotiated your offer and decided to accept you can then hand in your notice. Click here for our resignation advice guide.

Or maybe you decided this new job wasn’t the perfect fit for you. If this is the case don’t despair, the right job may be just around the corner. If you want to have an informal chat about your next career move get in touch with our Talent Team who are more than willing to give you some advice and help you look for the perfect job.