Congratulations! After what seems like an eternity of looking for a new job, you finally have that elusive offer. While the first thing you may be inclined to do is hit “reply” and accept the job, there are a few things you should consider first (if you haven’t already).
(Photo Credit: Flazingo Photos/Flickr)
1. What do current and and former employees think about the company?
Hopefully, you’ve done this due diligence while going through the interview process, but if you haven’t, it’s imperative you start doing a little digging to find out what people who work there — and have worked there — think about the company.
Since you may be looking for a job in the dark (i.e., your current employer doesn’t know) social media may not be your best route, unless you’re super savvy about how you phrase your question. If you have a strong enough network, you could DM current or former employees on Twitter and ask how they like working there.
In fact, asking former employees what they thought about the company could give you insight into what’s not so great. Of course, if they’re disgruntled in any way, take their opinion with a grain of salt. Don’t be afraid to use LinkedIn to see how long people tend to stay at the company and how often the company hands out promotions; this should give you an idea of what it will be like to work there, too.
2. Do you know what your job really will be?
You may have responded to a Craigslist ad looking for a “marketing coordinator,” but after going through the interview process, the job started to sound more like an executive assistant role helping the VP of marketing (or something similar.) As Alison Green at US News explains, “Job descriptions don’t always tell the full story, and they’re often outdated or so vague as to be almost meaningless.”
Before you accept the job, be sure you’re absolutely clear on what the actual job entails. That way, you’ll ensure not only that you’re satisfied with your new position, but that you’re fairly compensated.
3. How will this role affect your life?
A new job often means a new commute, a new schedule, and an entire new routine. It’s just as important to ask questions about how the job will impact your life — and your family — as it is to consider whether or not you’ll like the job. For instance, a great job with a three to four hour commute might not be worth it, either literally or figuratively.
“Numerous happiness studies [report] a person’s commute time has an enormous impact on their level of happiness and well being — so much so that it takes a substantially higher salary to compensate for a long commute.” writes Michael Kerr at Business Insider.
Finally, do a gut check. Is this the job you really want? If there’s something nagging at you, nudging you to reconsider, trust your intuition, and keep searching.
Tell Us What You Think
What do you want to know before you accept a job? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
Just one thing I have noticed Kelly, I don’t know if you read these little comments after your articles but there is a slight typo. In item #1, “1. What do current and and former employees think about the company?” I believe it should be “1. What do current and former employees think about the company?” You can drop one of the words “and”.
Tnx for your info it was great,first thing i should know that this is for forigner how would be possible to apply for a jo
I like the last comment: Trust you GUT feeling! Very, very important.I always ask what are the pros and cons of the position to get a feel of how the interviewer will respond verbally and also via body language; what story does their “eyes” and “facial expressions” tell you? Sometimes as it has always been said body language speaks a whole lot louder and truthful than words ever can!
Good advice. However, in question 1 regarding interviewing disgruntled former employees, I would actually put much more weight into their opinion. There’s often a good reason that they’re disgruntled.
i like the job but what can i do now for this job to come my way
Question three is extremely relevant to me. I am currently commuting just ten minutes to work. I can also do a lot of tele-commuting from home to do my work based as an IT engineer. I have done some interviews that will pay me more than 10% more with a bonus, but the commute jumps to 60 minutes in one direction. I have to consider that commutation time is just as valuable as real money I am giving up. Having… Read more »
Good and appropriate.
Thanks
good
Questions one and three are questions to ask yourself, not the interviewer. Just as you want to put yourself in the best light, the company wants to also put itself in the best light to entice the best candidates for the job. The second question, clarifying the position is the question to address during the interview.
It would sound delightful to work with a company like paypal
All of the job interviews that I have been on have answered the questions before the interview has started. The only one that didn’t was a web- interview which after looking up the company further turned out to be a fraud company.
Thanks for those questions. I just did a phone interview for a Territory sales manager and about half way through the phone interview it was disclosed the job is as a trainee to start at much lower pay. After your in the work your way up starts. BIG difference.
“DM” is for Direct Message. Which is a message only the receiver can see, instead of all of Twitter.
This is great info. to have. Even as a Senior that’s changing careers. One needs to know up to date communication terms, for example, in this very article, second paragraph, the acronym “DM” is used; ‘DM former employees’.
I don’t know what that is or means?!
You probably guessed it, I am a Senior who is “job hunting” and I’ve never used “twitter”
Over all I endorse what you’ve done with this piece
Thank You