You’ve just been offered a new job. The salary’s higher, the list of perks longer—but the decision to take it or reject it goes beyond mere numbers. Here are some things you need to consider while weighing a job offer.
Stress levels
A perpetually screaming new boss who gives you skin rashes every single time he screams and a much higher sales quota in a depressed market that makes meeting your targets next to impossible may not be worth the salary increase.
A higher offer often means greater demands: higher sales targets, longer hours, more responsibilities, etc. Ask yourself if you want to and can meet these new challenges.
Corporate culture
We all have our individual quirks. The artistic-cum-IT types prefer flexible hours and a liberal atmosphere where they are allowed to literally scream our heads off or surf the Internet until they stumble on to their next big idea. The intellectuals would enjoy a brainier environment where books and Bill Gates’ invention are the usual water cooler topic, as opposed to the latest teleserye triangle. Banks and hospitals would probably be better off hiring OCs who regard confidentiality and accuracy sacred.
Compatibility is the key. A circle can’t fit in a square peg, and trying to adjust to a culture that totally goes against your style and preferences could be shattering, both to you and the company. To blossom on the job, you need to be able to take root in the soil that would nurture your dreams and hopes, aside from your financial needs.
Work-life balance
If you and your husband are planning for a new baby, does the new company have systems in place that can allow you to go on maternity leave when the rabbit test finally signals positive? Would the company be supportive of your plans to take graduate studies? If you’re a health buff, a medical card with a higher premium and free gym membership would be attractive. (Read more tips for jobhunting tips for moms).
Overall career goals
Why accept bigger bucks for work in a bank when your ultimate career goal is to teach overseas—and you can get the needed credentials in your current if low-paying job as a college professor. On the other hand, a multi-national IT company that has regional branches might prove to be the right training ground if you want to pursue a career in international marketing.
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