How to Evaluate Job Offers and Zoom In On the Right Opportunity for You

You've been successful in your job hunt and have received a job offer. Maybe you received more than one offer. That's great. The next question is, how do you evaluate an offer to see if it is the right one for you? Let's look at some real answers.

The first step is to identify your priorities. Many people make the mistake of evaluating just the offer. They look at salary, work content, benefits, etc but not what they themselves value in a job. Unfortunately, if you don't know what satisfies you, you're evaluating in a vacuum.

So how do you identify your priorities? First, make a long list of all possible factors you can think of. Here's a sample list: match between job responsibilities and your interests, work environment & culture, skill utilization / development, supervisor, coworkers, stability of the organization, potential for growth, salary, benefits, perks, hours you are expected to work, length of commute, location, options for formal training, opportunities to learn new skills, personality fit with the type of work, outstation travel requirements. Add more factors that interest you.

Next, rate each criterion on a scale of 1--10, where 10 indicates that a factor is extremely important to you. Ideally, you should have just a few criteria with ratings of 8, 9 and 10. Those are the critical things you should look for in a job. If you rate most criteria at 8--10, do a rethink and come up with a shorter list of factors that are really key for you. And never mind what your coworkers or friends think are important. Focus solely on what YOU think is important.

You are now ready to scrutinize the job offer(s). Your objective -- to make sure you have enough quality information on hand. Refer to the pre-interview research you would have done on the company. Your personal network can be a very valuable source of inputs -- so ask several people what they think of the organization.

Do a search on the 'net and see what you can turn up on the company, senior management personnel and even your supervisor. Call up the company and ask questions. If they truly want you, then they'll be willing to share information.

Talk to the person who last held the position. If he or she has moved on to another organization, call them up and have a short, informal chat.

Once you're reasonably convinced you have adequate information that's reliable, it's time to match the job offer to your priorities. Pull out the sheet on which you've written down your criteria.

For each criterion, review the information you gathered and see how well the job stacks up against that criterion. As you do this exercise, you may find that you either increase or decrease the importance for some criteria. That's fine.

If the offer matches well with the factors that are most important to you and many others, then you can seriously consider accepting the offer. Else, try negotiating to get more of what you want. If that's not possible, keep looking till you get a job offer that's a reasonably close fit with your interests.

Follow these simple steps and you'll find yourself making better job and career choices.

Ann Wilson is a successful business author who writes extensively on jobs and careers. Her articles include best tips for job interviews, the right questions to ask at an interview and many others with cutting-edge advice on interviewing.

---

Making Yourself More Relevant To The New Workplace

Being a current job seeker can be quite a challenging... Read More

How Well Do You Manage Your Boss?

Are you in this situation? You and your boss just... Read More

Loving What You Do

Man is a social animal and survival is his major... Read More

Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!

Competency based interviews are intended to get the best from... Read More

When and How to Say I Just Cant Do It!

We naturally hesitate to tell our boss when we can't... Read More

Use Job Search Hacks to Get Hired Faster

Job searching alone is like hitchhiking a scary ride with... Read More

So You want to be a Bodyguard?

Then let me start by helping out. The politically correct... Read More

How To Answer Your Call In Mid-Life

Hank Bochenski's story proves it is never too late to... Read More

4 Internet Job Search Mistakes to Avoid

The Internet is the most powerful employment tool on earth.... Read More

Six Factors That Can Cost You the Interview/Job

Most job seekers know that an unprofessional appearance will count... Read More

Rich Career, Poor Career

What makes for a rich career? It is more than... Read More

Managing Emotions During Career Change and Job Search, Part Two

Half the battle in successfully managing your emotions during a... Read More

Work In Dubai

Dubai is home to an exciting, diverse, multi-cultural blend of... Read More

What is Experience Anyway?

I learned in first grade that one plus... Read More

Spiritual Practices Offer Peace and Acceptance

Facing career transitions and daily life challenges can leave us... Read More

Find Those People

"The Emperor's New Clothes" was a favorite childhood story of... Read More

Job Interviews: What to Wear

It takes between seven and seventeen seconds for a person... Read More

Auto-Disqualification - When Your Resume Never Reaches the Decision Maker

How would you know if your resume did or didn't... Read More

Hiring the Perfect Fit Through ELance.com

Outsourcing has moved upward in the most-improved columns of efficiency... Read More

How to Walk Away from an Opportunity thats Wrong for You

Q. I just finished a job interview. Everything went well.... Read More

Are You an Ex-career Woman Living In a New Country?

Were you once a successful, professional woman who had a... Read More

Jobseekers! Look For Smoke, Not Fire

"If you always do what you've always done, you will... Read More

The Global Work Marketplace - The Revolution Of How Work Gets Done

Will cubicles be a distant memory for today's workforce? Will... Read More

Why Use a Resume Writer or Resume-writing Service?

Here are some of the questions we have been asked... Read More

The Career Athlete: What It Takes to Manage Your Career

Managing your career, just like managing your life, requires preparation... Read More

How To Write The Perfect Cover Letter: Be Brief--And Be Gone!

The best cover letters are 'one-page wonders.' Why? Because they... Read More

Retiring in Paradise

I have to admit that I'm starting to slow down... Read More

3 Cover Letter Secrets Revealed

Writing a cover letter can be like cleaning your garage... Read More

Keep Your Phone Costs Down!

When you're looking for work, some of your expenses will... Read More

Surviving in Corporate Amercia: Part 1 - Email

There is a saying that goes, "The best offense is... Read More

Should You Telework/Telecommute

"WOW! I can work from home and make money? I... Read More

60 Hour Work Weeks - Can You and Your Career Survive Them

In the 80s while I was an account executive for... Read More

Become A Personal Trainer

Every human body is different and a personal trainer will... Read More