Interview Assistance:   Evaluating an Employment Offer

Congratulations! You’ve successfully managed your second interviews and have been offered a job! Perhaps you’ve even received offers from more than one employer. Whether it’s one offer or more, your euphoria is sometimes quickly replaced by anxiety about the decisions which lie ahead. You may be wondering, “Is this the ‘right’ job for me?” or “Am I going to be happy in this job, or should I just take it because I need a job, period?” Careful evaluation of your job offer and some serious thought as to how well the position and organization meet your needs can enable you to make the best choice for yourself. One of our staff members can help you sort out your options.

In evaluating your job offer, there are three critical questions you should address:

1. How closely does the offer match your career goal? Think back to when you started your job search. What was important to you? What factors regarding a job, organization and work environment were on your “wish list?” Have they changed? How well does this position fit these factors? Below are some factors you may want to consider in evaluating your offer. Some of these may not be important to you, and there may be other factors not listed which are extremely important to your decision.
2. Do you need additional information about the offer (or anything) in order to make a decision? It is not unusual to discover, as you're weighing different factors about the offer, that you have additional questions, lack some factual data, or simply need a better sense of what the job and organization are like. If this is the case, STOP! Don't go any further in your deliberations until you address these issues. You may need to call one of your interviewers and ask additional questions, or contact an alum who works for the organization. If you need a better understanding of what it would be like during a day on the job, call the employer (if they are local) and ask to spend an afternoon observing an entry-level employee in the job you're considering. Most employers will be willing to accommodate you. If you have other questions or concerns which impact your decision, you should discuss them with a representative from our office.
3. Are there issues you may want to negotiate, which would bring the offer closer to your goal? Perhaps the issues which concern you about the offer can be changed. If the job seems ideal except for location, then you might want to raise the issue with the employer. Some start dates are non-negotiable because training classes must begin together. In some instances, however, the start date can be adjusted.

Factors for Consideration

• Nature of the work
• Organizational culture
• Level of autonomy
• Travel
• Salary
• Mentoring
• Lifestyles of employees
• Stability of organization
• Quality of higher management
• Support for continuing education/advanced degree
• Level of responsibility
• Location
• Work hours
• Benefits
• Variety of work
• Stability of industry
• Advancement opportunities
• Training and development opportunities
• Opportunities to learn and grow in job/company
• Transferability of skills/experience from job
• Prestige of job or organization

Written by Virginia Lacy. Adapted with permission from Northwestern University’s Career Services Guide; © 1998 Virginia Lacy.