Evaluating your job offer

During your job search most of your efforts are focused on preparing for interviews. Once you get the offer letter from a particular company you may accept the offer without thinking twice. But evaluating your job offer is a vital step in the job search process. It will help you give the right start to your career.

An HR Executive working in an MNC says, “Once you land a job offer it is very important to analyze it before accepting or declining the same. Think about what you exactly want from your job? Is it good role, compensation or a healthy work environment? Do some research to find out whether these points are matching with your expectations? If you accept the offer in a hurry and are not satisfied with it after a few months, you cannot perform or stick to your job. This will create a bad mark in your resume.”

Every individual has a set of personal likes and dislikes. Your dream job may be the most awful one for another. Therefore, it will be good to give your offer due consideration based on your own likings. However, there are some general points to consider before taking or turning down a job offer. Explains a career counselor, “Job profile and salary are perhaps the two factors that everybody is concerned about. You should also see if the compensation offered is at par with industry standards. In order to have an idea of what the industry standard is, you can talk to your friends who are already working in that particular sector or consult salary reports published by various consultancies. Give due consideration to the bonuses and benefits as well. You should also ask about the timing of your performance appraisal as it depends on the company policy.”

Some other criteria to be considered include work timings, commuting time involved, flexibility and office environment. “If you have kids or elderly parents at home, you should make a note of whether the company will provide you with flexible working hours or work from home option when necessary. Again, if your job requires working in shifts, be clear about the pick and drop arrangement your office will provide you with. When you go for the interview try to assess the work environment as much as possible,” says an IT professional.

It is a good idea to take some time, judge the pros and cons of the offer, may be consult some seniors and then come to a conclusion. Even if you are not satisfied with the offer inform the company about it. Keep in mind all the factors and decide tactfully so that you will not regret later.

- Ranjita Chattopadhyay (views expressed in the article are that of the author)