The actual job offer is the one thing that’s on the mind of every job seeker in today’s competitive workplace. Before the big moment arrives, you have all manner of hopes, expectations, and even fears about what the offer will be and whether or not that will be enough to meet your needs.
Before you dive right in and accept the job offer, first ask a few serious questions of the business that’s offering you the position. Here are some questions to ask after the job offer is on the table.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of your supervisor(s)?
Some people need to be micromanaged while others feel stifled with that type of management system. But there are other thing about a potential supervisor you should know such as whether or not the supervisor is supportive to staff, if the supervisor offers constructive feedback to staff members, and how approachable the supervisor is.
You might even want to go further up the chain of command than your specific supervisor to see how the corporate structure, and it strengths and weaknesses, is likely to impact you in the position you would be taking on. Different people work best with different management styles.
These are all important indicators of how comfortable you’ll be in your role within the company and how well you’ll interact with your new supervisor.
What kind of turnover has this position had and why?
It’s not enough to simply find out how many people who have worked this position in the last few years. You also have a vested interest in finding out what happened to the people who left. Did they leave for greener pastures? Were they promoted from within? It’s also a wise idea to find out, if at all possible, what the average duration of employment was for the position by the previous employees too.
If there has been a high amount of employee turnover with few people lasting more than a few weeks or months, there’s a sign that something is terribly amiss in the company and that working there might not be in your best interest. However, if you see signs that there is a great deal of promotion from within with employees staying with the company, even if they’re moving to different positions within the organization, then this is a sure sign that something is being done right by the company too.
Job offers are great. They make your search feel vindicated. However, the wrong job offer can lead to a very frustrating and costly experience in your professional adventure. Asking the right questions can help you avoid some of the more serious mistakes.
Before you accept any job offer, you may want to consider working with a staffing agency like Davis Staffing to see if it’s the best one for your skill set and value. Or you can explore other excellent career opportunities by visiting our career page.