After all the countless hours you’ve spent scouring the newspaper for wanted ads, networking within your social circle for the next big opening and attending various job interviews, it has finally arrived—the job offer. Though you may have put a lot of effort into opening the doors of opportunity for yourself, it doesn’t mean you have to immediately jump on what’s given to you. Take some time to see if this is the job for you or if you’re selling yourself short. To determine this, here are the factors you need to evaluate before signing on the dotted line:

Salary and Benefits
You need to put food on the table, pay the bills and have a little something left over after meeting your living expenses. Will the pay package you are being offered allow you to do this? Also, are you being paid in accordance with industry standards? Besides this, does the company also offer bonuses, annual appraisals and other benefits like stock options, health insurance, travel allowance etc?

Corporate Culture and Environment
The company’s values and your own should be in sync with each other. Are their practices honest and ethical? Do they promote diversity and equal opportunities for all? Is there room for growth and advancement? Does the physical work environment meet your standards? Is the environment friendly and open or do people keep to themselves a lot? Can you actually picture yourself working in such a company and enjoying your work?

Job Responsibilities
Will you like the kind of work you’ll be doing at your new job? Do your duties and responsibilities, in terms of quantity and quality, correspond with your experience levels? Will you have a satisfying level of authority? Are you satisfied with the amount you’ll be paid for the work you will doing or do you need to re-negotiate your pay?

Company Background
Take in to account the company’s history. Does it have a good track record in its respective industry or is it a struggling up and comer? Would you mind working in the latter? Does its future hold any promise? Does the company have a reputation of laying off people? It’s important to ask yourself these questions lest you want to land up in a dead end job.

Your Boss / Supervisor
Bosses and supervisors can make or break a job experience. Is your boss/supervisor someone you can approach and learn from or is he/she hostile and distant? Will they help you perform to the best of your potential or will they publicly deride you when you goof up? Will you be intimidated by these temperaments? How will it affect your work?

Commute
If your prospective workplace is quite a distance from your residence ask yourself if the long commute everyday is really worth it? Can you find another workplace closer by? Will the long commute affect the quality of your work? Can you accommodate the travel into your schedule if you responsibilities before and after work? Can you afford the commute? Does the company provide travel reimbursements, a company car or pickups?

By considering all these factors you will be able to decide whether to accept or decline the offer.

--Melanie Lewis