With unemployment rates hitting an all-time high during the global pandemic, it’s easy to say yes when a job comes your way. More people are finding themselves accepting job offers for positions they may not want to be doing because they’re concerned about paying the bills.
Your time and skills are valuable just like a business. Before jumping the gun and starting a full-time career with any old company that might present a good case for taking the job, here are five things you might want to consider first.
- See What The Position Offers
Aside from the salary, there are other factors that could sway your decision to join a brand new company. Take a look at what benefits are included in this new position. This includes the more obvious essentials like health insurance, dental and vision coverage, sick days, PTO (paid time off), and other holidays you might be required to work.
However, this checklist shouldn’t be exhaustive from the standard work benefits. See if the company offers any type of work-from-home policy or bonuses throughout the year for certain career milestones. Find out what sets them apart from other job offers you may have received.
- Check Company Reviews
Before saying yes to any job, we can’t express the importance of looking at company reviews from previous employees through websites such as Glassdoor or LinkedIn. These are the people who will be truthful about their experience, especially if it wasn’t a great one. Things like unequal pay or how they treat their workers can make a huge impact on future employees.
You’ll also want to make sure there haven’t been any internal issues such as workplace discrimination or any previous instances where they’ve undergone employment legal implications where lawyers have been involved. You won’t want to work somewhere that doesn’t fit your values and morals as it won’t bode well for a long-term commitment.
Plus, you could find yourself falling into the same cycle as the ones who worked before you.
- Know What’s Expected Of You
If the job description wasn’t clear, you’ll want to start asking questions. There isn’t anything worse than going into a new position blindly. You’ll want to know things like what the day-to-day operations will look like or how your manager or higher-up measures success.
Can you imagine going into a position where you thought you’d solely be working on graphic design, but it turns out you’ll have to manage all of the company’s social media platforms, too? If you have little to no experience, you are ultimately setting yourself up for failure or a lot of extra homework and online classes to take to catch up.
- Learn About Company Culture
Company culture has become a huge game-changer for a majority of companies out there. Business owners now understand how the work culture can greatly impact the health and well-being of their employees, ultimately affecting their productivity and company costs.
Always learn more about what the culture of your potential new employer is like. Are you able to thrive in a more quiet, cubicle-style environment that might be better suited for an independent worker? Or is the company one that allows for community and cross-departmental, collaborative work styles with open seating across the building?
- Is There Room For My Kind of Growth?
You know best when it comes to your career goals. However, not every position will take you where you want to go. Learn more about what growth and promotion opportunities are available. See if the job aligns with your future goals. You don’t want to find yourself reaching the corporate ceiling only a few short months after you’ve started.
At the end of the day, it’s not just the company that is interviewing you. You are also interviewing the company. You don’t always have to accept the first job offer that comes your way, especially if it’s going to lead to a negative work-life balance or impact your mental and physical health outside of the office.