Ask These 3 Questions Before Accepting a Job Offer

Ask These 3 Questions Before Accepting a Job Offer Ask These 3 Questions Before Accepting a Job Offer You’ve been offered a job- congratulations! But before  accepting a job offer, it’s important to do your due diligence  and  make sure that the opportunity and company are right for you. Here are three  questions to ask  before accepting a job offer from a potential employer: 1. Is workplace flexibility supported? With the vast majority (around  80 percent) of employers now offering some type of option for flex work, you might assume that the company you’re considering will be comfortable with working from home or other flexible work arrangements. But some firms still value face time more than others. So if work-life balance is important to you (as it is particularly to millennials), then it’s important to find out how this employer handles such requests. When researching this issue at the interview stage, though, be careful not to raise the issue too soon. Some recruiters and hiring managers will be put off by candidates asking about telecommuting and flex schedules in their initial interviews, before an offer has been made. Wait until you have an offer in hand to explore this with HR in more detail. In the meantime, you can also use other resources- such as the company website and contacts you may have with current employees- to find out about a company’s flex work policies. 2. Does management cultivate workplace diversity and inclusion? We may have come a long way in some aspects of corporate diversity and inclusion, but some companies prioritize diversity initiatives more than others. Whether your priorities include making sure that women have equal opportunities for advancement, that parents of both genders are granted parental leave, or that older workers aren’t overlooked, it’s important to find out as much as you can about how your potential employer handles these issues. Once you receive a job offer, then it is fair game to ask about what types of initiatives, if any, the company offers that support inclusion- like diversity trainings, flexible scheduling, and mentoring or sponsorship programs. 3.  What is the corporate culture like? It can be hard from the outside to tell what it would be like to work at a particular company. Yet a company’s culture can greatly affect your experience, whether you work in the office, or as a remote employee or even a freelancer. Therefore, it’s important to find out as much as you can about the organization’s stated vision for its employee culture, and how effectively it realizes that vision. One key issue to investigate before accepting an offer is whether the company takes specific steps to foster camaraderie, such as through forums, off-sites, or game rooms where coworkers can connect, communicate, and support each other. Ask others in your professional network who may be able to offer insight on the company’s culture, or research employee reviews of culture on sites like Salary.com and Glassdoor.com. Asking your interviewers or hiring team about their view of the best parts of the company’s culture is another way to get information that might help inform your decision. Remember: Just because you’ve been offered a job doesn’t mean you have to take it. Your goal in a job search should not just be to receive a job offer, but to identify and select the best possible fit for your long-term career goals. Use the powerful time before you decide about a job offer to learn whatever you can about the company and position, so that you can make a wise choice. Search the Top 100 Companies for Remote Jobs Readers, what questions do you typically ask before accepting a job offer? Tell us in the comments below!