Things to Consider Before Accepting a New Job

While the promise of significantly higher pay may be enticing to some, here are a couple of things to consider before taking a job offer.  Most people just take a new job and hope for the best without a clear strategy.

1. What are their expectations?  Are their expectations significantly greater than that of your current employer?  Are you willing to do that?

2. What is the corporate culture?  Is it a sweat shop culture or laid back culture?

3. Will you be able to balance life and work at this new job?  For those who have a lifestyle outside of work.

4. How is the manager and his managerial style?  How does he/she treat people?  Some people grow up being treated with contempt and disrespect from their parents and have not learned how to behave in any other way and now treat the people they manage the same way.   They have not grown up emotionally and still operating like a poorly behaved child in a professional environment managing others.  Does this person seem to have a temper problem and yell at people a lot?  Are they a slave driver with whip in hand?  Do you think you will be able to communicate issues to this manager?  Does this manager able to get things done?  Does the manager's personality mesh with yours?  It's good to talk to the boss face to face to get a gut instinct if this is a person you can trust or does he/she look like they lie a lot to promote themselves?  Does he/she seem sleazy and shifty-eyed?  Does this person seem ethical or underhanded?  Will they throw you under the bus when the going gets tough?  

5. Do the coworkers look like people you would want to spend time working with

6. Will you have to relocate?  Do you like the new city?  Does the new city have a lifestyle you could enjoy?  How will this affect your personal life?

7. Is it a company you can trust?  Does it have questionable HR practices that may affect you personally?
  
8. What is the turnover rate for the team?  Do they have a hair trigger for firing people?  How likely are you able to keep this job and still be happy?

9. Outside of money, does this job meet your career aspirations?  Will this take you where you want to go?  Will it advance your career or is it a dead end job?

10. Will you enjoy the job?  Do you think you can be happy with this job?

11. Are you taking this job, which you may not like, only for more money?  Consider adjusting your lifestyle so that your expenses are lowered.

12. Is this company's future stable?  Is it a startup?  Are you able to financially handle the risk that this startup may go out of business or be laid off if their profit expectations are not met?  Small companies sometimes go through a massive hiring frenzy followed shortly thereafter by a massive firing fiesta.  Long term contracts at large companies (Fortune 20) are often more stable than full time positions at small companies (not Fortune 1000).