So, you’ve been offered the job – congratulations are in order!
However, before you accept the offer, take some time to evaluate it and negotiate the best possible salary package. Let’s go over a job offer checklist and how to evaluate a job offer and salary package.
At this point, you need to have a sound approach in place and consider the following five factors.
It’s pretty exciting when you are offered a job.
However, before you say yes, there are some questions you should ask and some negotiation that should occur. Three questions to ask before you say yes are:
- How soon do you need my answer? Instead of immediately saying yes, find out how long you have to give your answer. You should almost always have a 24-hour window. This gives you some time to put together your negotiating questions and signals that you may desire to discuss the offer further.
- Can I get a copy of the job description, salary, and benefits package? It’s easy to forget the details of the actual job offer, including the annual salary and benefits. Before deciding, get all the information together.
- If I have questions about the benefit package, can I speak with you? Find out who the person is you need to talk to about your benefit package questions.
Don’t Accept a Job Offer Without Evaluating These 5 Factors
Evaluating your job offer? Consider the following five factors in order of importance:
- Job Description Determine if this is the type of work you want to be doing. Will you be proud of the work you do? It doesn’t matter if there is room to climb the corporate ladder unless it’s important to you.
- Benefits and Salary Package Determine if the salary offered is at market level. Will you receive at least the same salary as your current job? Can you survive without economic hardship if the salary goes down? What is the salary growth potential? Don’t forget to consider benefits such as vacation time, drug coverage, disability, etc.
- The Work Week Consider how many hours per week you will work and if you can meet your family and other commitments based on the expectations for your work week. Do you want to be able to focus on moving up the career ladder, or do you want to be able to take your children to extracurricular activities?
- Flexibility Consider if the company offers flex hours or allows you to work part-time from your home office. How will this job and the flexibility or lack of flexibility affect your lifestyle? How does your employer deal with family emergencies?
- Do you like the person who will be your boss? If you and the person who will be your boss clash or don’t see eye to eye, your life may be miserable, and you may quickly begin to hate the job.
- Location Consider if you will have to relocate, and if so, do you like the area? Will you have to commute, and if so, how far, and is it a tedious commute?
How to Negotiate Your Salary Package
Prepare yourself before negotiating your salary package.
Here are some tips:
- Know what you want.
- Find out what’s available.
- Re-evaluate your goals.
- Arm yourself with the key elements of the job.
Once you’ve had your questions answered, it’s time to call the person who presented you with the offer and begin to ask the most important questions – the negotiation questions.
If negotiating salary after a job offer is necessary, do this before you move on. Once the salary is worked out, ask the following five negotiating questions:
Next are the Negotiation Questions:
Once you have had your questions answered, it is time to call the person who presented you with the offer and begin to ask the most important questions – the negotiation questions.
Salary: Salary may or may not be an issue. However, if negotiating salary after a job offer is necessary, you need to do this before you move on.
Once the salary is worked out, there are five negotiating questions to ask:
- What is the Start Date? Make sure that you and your future employer have the same date in mind. For you, ASAP might mean after two weeks’ notice at your current job, but for the employer, it might mean within the next couple of days.
- What are the Main Hours of Work? You will want to know how many hours of work are expected of you each week, your start time, and your quitting time.
- Who is the Supervisor I Will Report to? You need to find out who it is that you report to at work. It is not always the person who interviewed you. Avoid confusion on your first day and know where to go.
- Will You Help Me with My Moving Expenses? If your job requires you to relocate, you should ask if the company pays for moving expenses or a portion of moving expenses.
- Can I Please Have These Negotiations in Writing? Once you negotiate the perfect package, ask the employer to put what has been said in writing before you quit your current job.
In a Nutshell
There it is – in a nutshell, you now know the questions you should ask any potential employer after receiving an offer of employment.
Getting the job offer is great, but having the right questions is important before you say “yes.”