4 Things You Need To Think About Before Accepting A Job

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There are a lot of factors for you to consider when you’re looking for a new job. Everything from the job description to the location to the salary affect whether or not a position is right for you. But there are many other characteristics that influence job satisfaction, in the long run.

When researching a job or company you’re interested in, you have to remember to consider more than just whether the job matches your skills. Here are four, often ignored, job satisfaction factors that will give you a better idea about whether a job is right for you:

1. Company culture

Company culture plays a big part in what influences young professionals’ job choices. In the PeopleFluent 2015 survey of Millennials, 39.1 percent said it was an important factor of their job search. So, chances are, you’re already taking this into consideration when job hunting.

But are you getting an accurate picture of the culture?

Look further than the company website. Check out social media to confirm their tweets and posts match-up with the culture description on their career page. If you find inconsistencies, that could be a signal that their culture is different than you thought, or it’s not clearly defined.

Also, try to reach out to current employees via LinkedIn. They can give you a better idea of what it’s actually like to work for the company.

2. Co-workers

Job satisfaction and your relationship with your co-workers go hand-in-hand. These are the people you’ll be working with every day, and getting along with them affects how you feel about your work. In fact, Virgin Pulse’s 2015 survey found that 40 percent of employees list their co-workers as the number one reason they love their job.  

Unfortunately, during most interview processes you don’t meet current employees. Before you accept a job offer, ask if it’d be possible for you to meet some of your future co-workers. If you can’t do that, have the hiring manager give you a description of the types of personalities in the office. Do employees tend to be shy or outgoing? On the whole, is the office more creative or bookish?

Find out how the company promotes camaraderie. Company organized events, like trips and holiday parties, give you opportunities to get to know your co-workers.

3. Work/life balance

Whether you have a family or an active social life, it’s important that your work doesn’t interfere with your home life. When researching a company, look closely at the benefits and perks they offer and how they’ll help meet your unique needs.

Flexible work hours might be important to parents who need to manage child care, but if vacation time is more valuable to you, make sure the company offers enough of it. Don’t forget that things like a lengthy commute can also affect how you balance your time at work and home.

4. Career advancement opportunities

LinkedIn’s 2015 report Why & How People Change Jobs found that 45 percent of people that had changed jobs did so because of a lack of career advancement opportunities. If you don’t consider whether or not you can advance in a company before you accept the job, down the road you’re going to be forced to look for a different opportunity all together.

It’s common for interviewers to ask job candidates “where they see themselves in five years.” To ensure that you can reach your goals, you need to ask how a company can help you get to where you want to be. Ask about the company’s training programs and find out if higher ranking employees are promoted from within or hired from other companies. This will give you an idea of how focused a company is on employees’ career paths.

What other important job satisfaction factors have you forgotten to consider in the past?