So They Want to Hire You…
But Do You Really Want to Work with Them?

By Ruth M. Schimel, Ph.D., Career and Life Management Consultant

Any job offer can be seductive, whatever its true value to you. Maybe you feel a need to escape your present situation. Another job offer is not available. You’re tired of the challenging search for work. Then, just being wanted is such a relief.

There are better reasons to say “yes” to a job offer. Choose among the questions below to make an effective decision in your long-term interest. Dig a little deeper for information about how good the match is for you. Explore possible downsides. What you learn can enhance your confidence about your choice, prepare you to do your best and ensure your expectations are realistic.

Fit of work with what you want:

• How well does the work match what you want to do?
• How does the work relate to your current and future professional goals?
• What are the opportunities for advancement? Timing?
• What new skills, abilities and knowledge can you develop there?
• Does the income level fit your current needs, or is there potential to reach what you want soon enough?
• Is the organization stable? What security does it offer beyond the short run? (Any legal issues for the organization or top leaders? Are mergers and acquisitions anticipated? For financial reports on public companies see www.SEC.gov, for nonprofits see their Form 990 and www.GuideStar.org.)
• Are the benefits offered described in writing and appropriate to your needs (e.g. health insurance, vacation, education, retirement)?
• How flexible are working arrangements such as hours?
• Will the commute be manageable? Do you like the location, the working environment?
• Will you have the staff, materials and money to do your work effectively?

Professional relationships:

• Who will be your immediate supervisor? How accessible will he or she be?
• How does the chemistry seem with your boss-to-be and potential colleagues you’ve met?
• What are the formal and informal processes for useful communication (e.g. performance evaluation, professional development discussions, work planning and feedback, access to peers and superiors, problem solving, decision making, check-ins)?
• Who will you be supervising? How effective are they in their work? How does the chemistry seem with them?
• How are teams used?
• What can you learn about why your predecessor left the job?

Organizational culture and values:

• How do the apparent norms and values fit with yours?
  • What do you notice in the organization’s publications, on its Web site and during interviews?
  • What can you learn from online sources other than the Web site?
  • What’s your impression of employees you meet outside interviews?
  • Have you talked with people no longer with the organization?
• What does the environment tell you (e.g. décor, work space, noise, privacy, cleanliness, air quality)?
• How do the goals of the organization suit you?

Motivation for accepting:

• Would you say “yes” if you weren’t anxious about finding work?
• Does the situation fit what you truly want, what you think you should want or what others think you should do?
• Would you take this job if you didn’t feel the need to escape your present situation?
• Are you discouraged by the demands and time required to find work you truly want?

Additional ways to gather data to make a decision in your best interest:

• Have a conversation about the opportunity with two or three people who know you well, don’t have an agenda for you and whom you trust and respect.
• Sleep on it: Ask yourself how you feel about the prospect first thing in the morning, without analysis, for two to three days.
• Visualize yourself doing the work on your own and with particular colleagues. What emotions come up? Do you feel excited? Anxious? Both?
• What does your intuition tell you? Do the new work and employer seem right for you?
• Your ideas?

© 2007, Ruth M. Schimel, Ph.D., Career and Life Management Consultant
www.ruthschimel.com  ruth@ruthschimel.com  202.862.5484