The hardest part after getting a job offer is to decide whether to accept it or not. Assessing the perks, package offered, growth pace, etc, is vital before accepting or rejecting an offer. Thus, proper evaluation and negotiation is required, according to John Lees (author of the novel ‘ The Success Code’ )  an employer gets psychologically committed to you upon extending the job offer, therefore giving you the leverage to contour your job description and tweak the perks and salary package. No job offer can be perfect, the biggest part of evaluation calls for the trade offs you are willing to make in terms of personal growth and development, variety of work being offered, financial stability, firstly we shall discuss about the principles to remember before applying for a job and after getting a job offer, followed by some tips and tricks to assess a job offer

Do

• Decide what you are looking for in your job, pen the points down and then use them as guidelines to determine the constituents of the job offer you want to alter or rectify.

• Be selective about what you decide to push back on

• Demonstrate flexibility, employ negotiation techniques.

Don’t

• Avoid sounding critical when negotiating or questioning something about the offer

• Walk away alternatives ought not be neglected

• If your instincts or gut feelings ask you to not take the job, listen. Do not ignore the red flags.

Here are some tips to evaluate a job offer-

• Upon receiving the offer letter, read it carefully and compare it to your wish list’s job offer, does it comprise of everything you wanted? If it matches, then accepts it in the first go. If it does not, look out for the discrepancies, consider talking to the hiring person for making it more favourable for you. Make sure that you sound committed and polite, this will help in throwing away suggestions easily to bridge the gap between your requisites and what you are being currently offered.

• Ensure if you will be able to adapt and fit in the company’s culture, you will be going to spend lot of time in the job place, therefore, it is important to see if the work environment is favorable to you, ask for a corporate tour, check with the existing employees for a clearer picture, this will reveal a lot about the culture.

• Personal and Professional Growth-  Look out for the advancement opportunities, if the company is offering any trainings or certifications that interest in addition to the job you will be doing.

• Money matters and relocations- Is the package offered to you insufficient to meet your basic needs? Are you up for relocating? Make sure these things are aligned with your objectives of your job offer and expectations. Take your needs of travelling, working hours, vacations, etc, into account.

In the end, it is important to take everything in writing, duly signed by the managers. It makes sense to objectively evaluate any job offer even if the initial reaction if to reach for the phone or mail box and gleefully accept it. Once you have assessed your job offer properly, it will be much easier for you to decide whether you should negotiate a better deal, take up the job or reject the offer completely.