20 things to consider before joining a new job
Finding a job is difficult, but what’s more difficult is to decide if the opportunity at hand is good for you or not. The decision of whether to accept a job offer or not involves a lot of risks and thus, everything should be kept in mind before taking a decision.
Of course, salary is an important factor to consider while accepting a job offer, but it is not the only one. There are a lot of other things that are to be kept in mind while accepting a job offer.
Here is what a candidate should check before joining a workplace:
1. Responsibilities
It is very important to be clear about the role and responsibilities that you will be given. That’s when you will be able to do justice to your job. It is important for you to assess the roles and responsibilities given to you and to decide if you are right fit for the responsibilities.
2. The financial health of the company
Ending up in a company that has weak financial health may be bad for your career. Thus, it is advised to go check on the company’s financial health before joining.
3. Company’s brand value
A company’s value in the industry is an important factor to look for when deciding upon a career. Joining a company with average or below average brand value means less growth for your career in the long term.
4. Salary
Of course, this is one of the most important things to consider when making a career decision. Your paychecks will pay your bills, so it is important to consider salary that is being handed out to you. If the salary is satisfactory, you can consider joining.
5.Employee benefits and perks
Employee benefits and perks include insurance, sick leaves, health insurance, etc. It is important to consider these aspects before joining to ensure a secure future.
6. Training and development
If you want to grow in the company, it is worth knowing about the training and development programmes offered by the company. If there is a programme that interests you, you can always join the company and take the programme to grow in your career.
7. Work-life balance
Every job requires you to alter your lifestyle at different extents. Considering work-life balance will help you evaluate if it is possible for you to change your lifestyle according to the job’s demands or not.
8. Current team and boss
It is important to know about the current team and the boss you will be working with. It will give you an idea of whether you will like working in the team or not.
9. Company’s growth rate
To know a company’s growth rate is as important as knowing about its brand value. The growth rate can be in terms of employee size or increase in revenue/turnover. A company with a high growth rate can hike your career growth.
10. Company’s attrition rate
A company’s attrition rate is the number of employees leaving the company. It is very important to know about a company’s attrition rate before joining it. You don’t want to be a part of the company for the short term. Besides, a high attrition rate means unhappy and unsatisfied employees and that’s not where you want to work.
11. Learning opportunities
One thing that every candidate looks for while joining a company is learning opportunities that the company will offer them during their working period. Increasing learning opportunities signify growing and healthy workplace.
12. Work culture and environment
As a potential employee, it is necessary for you to know about employee engagements and work practices. It is essential to know the type of environment you will be working with and if you will be comfortable there or not.
13. Transnational opportunity
For people always seeking for transnational job opportunities, it is essential that you learn about your company’s trans-national opportunities and do thorough research on the places they will send you too, the currency, the cost of living and career prospects in the country.
14. Commute
It is also important that you think about your commutes to your workplace. The distance you will be covering every day and the time it will take. If your residence is far from your workplace, you will have to decide between finding a place to stay near the office or commuting every day.
15. Employee feedback
If possible, talk to the current or previous employee about the company. They will tell you the actual way the company functions and give you genuine feedback.
16. Stability
Consider job stability and security before you join the company. Even if job-hopping is a real thing, job stability is still required. It is important to make sure that you are financially stable and the job will be good for you.
17. Challenges
Make sure that the company you are about to join offers you with challenges that will help you succeed and grow in your career. See if the challenges the company has to offer will help you succeed or not.
18. Company history
Look at the company’s history and the way it responds to the changing industry trends, this is important to consider in the constantly changing trends. The way a company deals with changing trends is responsible for its growth and shows the extent of adaptiveness by the company.
19. Perks
Before joining a company, it is important to look for the facilities they provide to their employees. Food cards, club memberships, gym and meals are some of the common perks that every company provides to it’s employees.
20. Flexibility
Can you work from home? Are the work /shifts flexible? These are a few questions that you should keep in mind when you are considering accepting a job letter. You might want to work in a flexible work environment with less salary rather than a non-flexible work environment with a heavy paycheck.
