Accepting a job offer

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

There are things you need to consider before you decide to accept a job offer. You're probably excited that you've received an offer of employment, but consider these things before you accept the job.

Money

Money is often the main reason why we go to work, so it stands to reason that it's going to have a lot of weight in the decision process. Just because the pay is high or low compared to similar jobs in the industry, doesn't mean it's good or bad. Taking a job, you hate, just because the money is good can lead to you becoming miserable. While taking a job you love that doesn't pay as well, could end up making you happier.

Money is an important part of the job, but it shouldn't be the only thing you consider when deciding whether or not to take the job. So the decision you have to make is, are you in it for the money regardless of the working conditions. Or, are you happy making enough money for you to live on, as long as the job ticks off other important criteria.

Travel Time

Living close to the office or store you work at, is a nice advantage. Unfortunately, many people have to deal with the daily commute, spending an hour sitting in traffic or on the train. Would you be okay with spending time traveling back and forth each day if it meant you could do a job you're interested in?

I completed work experience at store that required a bit of a commute on my part. 1 bus and 3 trains. Traveling their directly wouldn't have been much of a hassle, or taken as long. Unfortunately, no transport in the area went there directly. So if you're going to be using public transport have a look at the time tables, and check how many transfer will be required. It can add a lot of time when the different services don't line up well.

Time isn't the only thing the daily commute takes from you, there's also the additional cost to consider. You'll need to use more petrol, or spend more money catching trains and busses. Don't give up on a job you want, just because of the additional costs involved. Just remember to factor the costs in when looking at how much you'll earn.

Common interests

Coming home from work each day miserable isn't good for you, and in the long term your health with suffer for it. With this in mind it's important that you can see yourself working for the company. Is the manager someone you could see yourself working for, are the other employees people you could see yourself working with? Going to a workplace each day, where you don't agree with the values, attitudes and goals of the company or those around you, will only create problems.

Workload

Life shouldn't be all about work, so pay attention to what the workload will be like at this job. Would you be expected to work overtime, take your work home with you or come in on weekends or days off? If the company does require its workers to put in additional hours, does it compensate its workers with over-time pay or a time in Lieu system, or is this additional effort just expected as part of the job.

Think about the future

Some people are looking to go the top, but not everyone wants a career and that's fine. Even if you're just in it for the money, have a look at what advancement opportunities would be available to you. You may not want or have time to take on more responsibilities at the moment, but if you decided you did in the future, having those options available to you would be great. Plus, with more responsibilities, often comes more money.

Opportunities don't only come in the form of more money, they can be the chance to learn new skills or grow in other ways. So even if you'd stay at the same level, there could still may be things to gain.

These were the things that I'd consider if I was trying to decide whether I should accept a job offer. But if you have something different in mind, share it in the comments below.

Would you like to comment on this article?

Name:
Location:
Comments:
	Please type the red letters and numbers into the red box above. This is to protect our system from SPAM and viruses.

Previous Comments

There are no comments for this blog post as yet. If you have recently commented then please be patient while your comment is reviewed by our staff.