Author: Hans Glint

Once you receive a job offer, you are faced with a difficult
decision and must evaluate the offer carefully. Fortunately, most
organizations will not expect you to accept or reject an offer
immediately.



There are many issues to consider when assessing a job offer. Will
the organization be a good place to work? Will the job be
interesting? Are there opportunities for advancement? Is the salary
fair? Does the employer offer good benefits? If you have not
already figured out exactly what you want, the following discussion
may help you to develop a set of criteria for judging job offers,
whether you are starting a career, reentering the labor force after
a long absence, or planning a career change.



The organization. Background information on an organization can
help you to decide whether it is a good place for you to work.
Factors to consider include the organization's business or
activity, financial condition, age, size, and location.



You generally can get background information on an organization,
particularly a large organization, on its Internet site or by
telephoning its public relations office. A public company's annual
report to the stockholders tells about its corporate philosophy,
history, products or services, goals, and financial status. Most
government agencies can furnish reports that describe their
programs and missions. Press releases, company newsletters or
magazines, and recruitment brochures also can be useful. Ask the
organization for any other items that might interest a prospective
employee. If possible, speak to current or former employees of the
organization.



Background information on the organization may be available at your
public or school library. If you cannot get an annual report, check
the library for reference directories that may provide basic facts
about the company, such as earnings, products and services, and
number of employees. Some directories widely available in libraries
either in print or as online databases include:



* Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Directory

* Standard and Poor's Register of Corporations

* Mergent's Industrial Review (formerly Moody's Industrial Manual)

* Thomas Register of American Manufacturers

* Ward's Business Directory



Stories about an organization in magazines and newspapers can tell
a great deal about its successes, failures, and plans for the
future. You can identify articles on a company by looking under its
name in periodical or computerized indexes in libraries. However,
it probably will not be useful to look back more than 2 or 3 years



The library also may have government publications that present
projections of growth for the industry in which the organization is
classified. Long-term projections of employment and output for
detailed industries, covering the entire U.S. economy, are
developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and revised every 2
years. See the November 2005 Monthly Labor Review for the most
recent projections, covering the 2004-14 period, on the Internet
at: http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm. Trade magazines also
may include articles on the trends for specific industries.



Career centers at colleges and universities often have information
on employers that is not available in libraries. Ask a career
center representative how to find out about a particular
organization.



Does the organization's business or activity match your own
interests and beliefs?

It is easier to apply yourself to the work if you are enthusiastic
about what the organization does.



How will the size of the organization affect you?

Large firms generally offer a greater variety of training programs
and career paths, more managerial levels for advancement, and
better employee benefits than do small firms. Large employers also
may have more advanced technologies. However, many jobs in large
firms tend to be highly specialized.



Jobs in small firms may offer broader authority and responsibility,
a closer working relationship with top management, and a chance to
clearly see your contribution to the success of the organization.



Should you work for a relatively new organization or one that is
well established?

New businesses have a high failure rate, but for many people, the
excitement of helping to create a company and the potential for
sharing in its success more than offset the risk of job loss.
However, it may be just as exciting and rewarding to work for a
young firm that already has a foothold on success.



Does it make a difference if the company is private or public?

An individual or a family may control a privately owned company and
key jobs may be reserved for relatives and friends. A board of
directors responsible to the stockholders controls a publicly owned
company and key jobs usually are open to anyone.



Is the organization in an industry with favorable long-term
prospects?

The most successful firms tend to be in industries that are growing
rapidly.



Nature of the job. Even if everything else about the job is
attractive, you will be unhappy if you dislike the day-to-day work.
Determining in advance whether you will like the work may be
difficult. However, the more you find out about the job before
accepting or rejecting the offer, the more likely you are to make
the right choice. Actually working in the industry and, if
possible, for the company would provide considerable insight. You
can gain work experience through part-time, temporary, or summer
jobs, or through internship or work-study programs while in school,
all of which can lead to permanent job offers.



Where is the job located?

If the job is in another section of the country, you need to
consider the cost of living, the availability of housing and
transportation, and the quality of educational and recreational
facilities in that section of the country. Even if the job location
is in your area, you should consider the time and expense of
commuting.



Does the work match your interests and make good use of your
skills?

The duties and responsibilities of the job should be explained in
enough detail to answer this question.



How important is the job in this company?

An explanation of where you fit in the organization and how you are
supposed to contribute to its overall objectives should give you an
idea of the job's importance.



Are you comfortable with the hours?

Most jobs involve regular hours—for example, 40
hours a week, during the day, Monday through Friday. Other jobs
require night, weekend, or holiday work. In addition, some jobs
routinely require overtime to meet deadlines or sales or production
goals, or to better serve customers. Consider the effect that the
work hours will have on your personal life.



How long do most people who enter this job stay with the company?

High turnover can mean dissatisfaction with the nature of the work
or something else about the job.



Opportunities offered by employers. A good job offers you
opportunities to learn new skills, increase your earnings, and rise
to positions of greater authority, responsibility, and prestige. A
lack of opportunities can dampen interest in the work and result in
frustration and boredom.



The company should have a training plan for you. What valuable new
skills does the company plan to teach you?



The employer should give you some idea of promotion possibilities
within the organization. What is the next step on the career
ladder? If you have to wait for a job to become vacant before you
can be promoted, how long does this usually take? When
opportunities for advancement do arise, will you compete with
applicants from outside the company? Can you apply for jobs for
which you qualify elsewhere within the organization, or is mobility
within the firm limited?



Salaries and benefits. ait for the employer to introduce these
subjects. Some companies will not talk about pay until they have
decided to hire you. In order to know if their offer is reasonable,
you need a rough estimate of what the job should pay. You may have
to go to several sources for this information. Try to find family,
friends, or acquaintances who recently were hired in similar jobs.
Ask your teachers and the staff in placement offices about starting
pay for graduates with your qualifications. Help-wanted ads in
newspapers sometimes give salary ranges for similar positions.
Check the library or your school's career center for salary surveys
such as those conducted by the National Association of Colleges and
Employers or various professional associations.



If you are considering the salary and benefits for a job in another
geographic area, make allowances for differences in the cost of
living, which may be significantly higher in a large metropolitan
area than in a smaller city, town, or rural area.



You also should learn the organization's policy regarding overtime.
Depending on the job, you may or may not be exempt from laws
requiring the employer to compensate you for overtime. Find out how
many hours you will be expected to work each week and whether you
receive overtime pay or compensatory time off for working more than
the specified number of hours in a week.



Also take into account that the starting salary is just
that—the start. Your salary should be reviewed
on a regular basis; many organizations do it every year. How much
can you expect to earn after 1, 2, or 3 or more years? An employer
cannot be specific about the amount of pay if it includes
commissions and bonuses.



Benefits also can add a lot to your base pay, but they vary widely.
Find out exactly what the benefit package includes and how much of
the cost you must bear.

Article Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/evaluating-a-job-offer-60586.html

About the Author:
Hans Glint is a Career Coach and author of ”What Do You Want
To Do With Your Life?”. He works with WorkOne providing free
coaching for work seekers. Register with WorkOne to get his book
free.
WorkOne.com – Free Coaching For Work Seekers
http://www.workone.com