When do you say YES?
You’ve got the job offer – congratulations!
However, as great as you may feel right now, don’t rush into any emotional decisions. If you’ve already got a job currently, make sure to stay level-headed and allow for careful deliberation – you need to make sure this job is right for you and your future plans. There’s nothing worse than leaving a comfortable job for the sake of it, which then turns out to maybe not be the best move.
At Annesley Gandon, our main goal is to place you in a job that’s right for you and the company. We always suggest giving yourself a good night’s sleep and to weigh up the pros and cons by considering some of the following:
Does the offer add up?
Ensure everything in the documents adds up to what you were offered verbally already. Details to look out for are title, department, location, reporting line, work hours, holiday entitlement, salary, benefits, start date and more. Clarify anything that flags up sooner rather than later – there’s nothing wrong with rejecting a job offer if you’re unsure.
As a business, make sure you’ve proofread your communications to new starters twice and then some – it gives a bad first impression.
Is the money fair?
It may be more than you’re on now, but how does it benchmark against your peers and your industry? Is there a good commission or benefits package, or is it dependant on unreasonable KPIs?
Make sure you’re happy with the pay now and find out when the next pay review will be along with how realistic it will be to get an increase at that point. The package you start with has to keep you happy until the next pay hike.
Is the location going to work for you?
By this, we mean both the office layout as well as the physical location of the office – some people can’t stand an open office landscape, others thrive. Some of us love an hour’s commute in the morning as it gives them some quality alone time, while others think a minute commuting is a minute wasted.
You need to visualise what it will be like to travel there and back, day out and day in.
Will you like the people?
At the interview, you probably got taken on a tour around the workplace – did the team and boss seem happy to be there? Having a look at the current team and how they interact with each other can be a big clue as to the overall working environment you’ll find yourself in.
Take into account the company culture – does it seem in line with your own values and ideas? If you have a similar outlook, it’s likely the people working there will too which will make it much easier to form connections with your new team and making your overall transition a lot smoother.
Do you understand exactly what your role will be?
This may seem like an odd question considering you’ve read the job spec and had an interview there, where hopefully they explained what you’ll be doing. However, please make sure you understand exactly what the company expects from you – if you’re unsure, request a document detailing your tasks, which can also be used as a yardstick against which you can measure your progress.
Your workload must be realistic and worth the compensation you get for it – plus, having that job spec will help you with future salary reviews as well as prevent your new employer from giving you random tasks that have nothing to do with the job you accepted.
What are the future career prospects?
Will you be performing this role for the next five years or are you expected to move up a rung on the ladder every year? You may not want to progress your career beyond this role, and that’s fine – but its best to be on the same page with your employer.
Whatever your plan is, make sure both of your intentions are the same. If your desire is, in fact, to be promoted, ask for some case studies of previous employees that started out in your role to see what they did to get bumped up – and then you can go and exceed them!
Lastly … how does it compare to your current job?
Assuming you do have a job at the moment, what are the odds of you being promoted if you stay? Could you get more money or a home office if you asked your boss? If these are the reasons you’re looking to move, it may be worth a quick chat with your manager before accepting – you’ll never know if you don’t ask!
Overall, the best practice is to review your new offer against your answers to these questions and weigh up the pros and cons, but really, it does boil down to one simple thing: picture yourself doing this job every day for the next years. How does that make you feel? Whatever it may be – there’s your answer.
If you’re still unsure, view some of the amazing roles we currently have available here instead.
