Right after you have aced the job interview and clinched a job offer, the next phase is of decision making begins and this is a very tough challenge. To accept the job or not, to determine if the offer is good enough or to assess if the salary and perks are suitable to the capacity of the role, you need to be prudent and make the right choice.
These tips will help you to form a rationale for assessing whether the job is right for you and to understand how to get a rewarding offer:
Focus on what you’ll get out of it
Analyzing the offer in terms of you career development, your orientation, quality of life improvement and change in work variety will help you to judge better whether to take up the job. Once you decide to accept the offer, you need to be committed to the idea and shift your focus to the salary negotiation part.
Be methodical while negotiating
While evaluating the job offer, be structural in your approach and consider the direct and indirect values it will add to your life. Here are the core value creators:
- Salary: You must ascertain whether the money on offer is compelling enough when compared to your knowledge, skills, experience and your current salary. You should take to job search websites, such as Glassdoor, Indeed, Ladders and Salary.com to gather information about what a typical salary package looks like for a professional with your credentials. Also, be prepared with a contingency plan if there isn’t much flexibility on the money part and negotiate on the perks angle.
- Job Satisfaction: Sometimes, money isn’t the only thing that excites a person for taking up a job, it’s the other things. Job satisfaction or doing challenging work still remains as an important criterion for some professionals while signing the offer letter. So, understand the job descriptions well and ask the recruiter about the exact roles and responsibilities and the kind of work to be done before accepting the offer.
- Culture of the company: The culture of your prospective company has a lot to do with your job satisfaction and loyalty. Try to find out more about the organization’s culture from the people at LinkedIn etc. to get a sense of how you will thrive and if you will enjoy working there.
- Perks and benefits: Apart from the remuneration, you must consider the perks and benefits on offer. Check if the company allows flexible working hours or has attractive health packages, insurance for self and family members etc. before forming your decision.
Create a negotiation plan
Evaluating the crucial elements of negotiation is only half work done. What’s important is to devise a plan on how to negotiate with the recruiter. You need to prepare which cards to play and the sequence of your stratagems while dealing with the HR manager.
Creating a tactful strategy requires creativity and knowing when to put the hard stop. You shouldn’t be docile when you know you deserve better and similarly, be flexible when there is no chance of them ceding to your demands. Take up the case as a joint problem-solving exercise to come out of it successfully.
Say no if your instincts signal so
During the job negotiation process, you will be expected to compromise sometimes and be flexible on certain terms of the offer. However, if at any point during or after the offer negotiation, your internal monitoring system signals you to decline the job offer, then listen to it and politely decline the offer. Be respectful of your rejection and feel no shame in it if you feel you aren’t the right fit for the job.
So, next time a great opportunity knocks your door, use these tips before letting it in.