What to Consider before Accepting a New Job

After weeks or months of searching for a job you'll love, the anxiety and hope you experienced when submitting your CV, enduring the telephonic and face-to-face interviews with your potential employer, and wondering if you're the one they've also been looking for… you've finally received the job offer! It may feel like a huge relief, but before you slash your signature on the dotted line of your new employment contract, hold up! Have you considered these final questions?

1. Do my work preferences align with the company's environment?
Each business should have a set of values and standards that form the foundation of how they operate. While some companies focus heavily on innovation and profit at all costs, others may lean towards employee wellness, a sense of excellence above all else, and an open, collaborative workspace. If you're the type of person who prefers to work on your own or you like a more formal work environment, don't sign up to work for a company that relaxes the chain of command or promotes teamwork and collaboration in a more casual office space. Trying to fit in where you're not comfortable will become immediately apparent and is not conducive to job satisfaction.

2. Do you understand the company benefits you'll receive?
If you've applied for a job that comes with perks like a pension and medical aid, do you understand how these benefits will be deducted from your package? Make sure that you understand the difference between your gross and net salary – the gross salary includes tax and deductibles, so your net salary (what ends up in your bank account) may end up being much lower than what you'd first expected. Clarify all of the financials before you accept the offer.

3. Is the salary enough?
Many young businesses and SMEs can't be as competitive as corporate companies when it comes to salaries. Often, employees will balance a lower salary with better working conditions – flexible work hours, a casual work environment, and perks like Friday afternoon drinks or exciting outings. If you're comfortable with a young, vibey work environment and a lower salary than what you may have earned in a more formal corporate job (with strict office hours and stiff company culture), just make sure that what you are taking home is enough to fund the lifestyle you want outside of working hours.

4. How far away do you live from the job?
If you were hungry enough for employment to apply at a company that is a considerable distance from where you live, you may not mind the commute in the first week or the first month of your job there. However, in the long term, driving to and from a place of employment can become tedious – it wastes time and (petrol) money. And if you end up working late on some evenings, it's not all that safe to drive at night (or your carpool plans may fall flat, leaving you in the lurch). Distance to work is a factor that warrants serious consideration for the long run.

5. Is this the job you truly want?
We all have monthly expenses that need to be paid, so being offered a job does provide support from a survival point of view. However, if you feel relieved because you'll finally earn a salary to pay for your lifestyle (never mind food and a roof over your head), but you know you'll hate waking up in the mornings to go to that job, it's time to pause and reflect on what it is that you really want to do. If you're waiting for another job offer for work that is more in line with who you are as a person, yet pays less or is further away, it's worth the consideration of which job will have greater satisfaction for you in the long run. Talk to friends and family or a recruitment consultant about your options, but don't just rush into a new job because it's a new job.

Communicate Recruitment has a number of exciting new career opportunities which include jobs in Finance, IT, Engineering, Supply Chain, or Freight. Visit our website and apply today.