If you have ever searched for Job in the Nigerian Labor market and don’t want to repeat the same process you just graduated from, then this is for you. If this is your first time searching for a job in the same labor market, then you will also find this beneficial in the long run.
Often at times, we allow the painful and unproductive memories of our idle days get the better of our judgment when applying and/or accepting a Job offer to and from a company. Most of us stay back at home doing nothing for many months, some even years and are willing to jump at just any type of job opening and offer they get. I say this from experience, because I have been there, thankfully mine didn’t get to years. The last couple of lines are suggestive that I want you readers to be finicky when it comes to selecting job offers just as we are when it comes to picking our meals. This in its entirety isn’t far from the truth, because if we don’t we stand the chance of getting hired and fired as soon as possible or resigning shortly after taking up the job.

Let’s assume you finally get the Job offer you’ve been working tirelessly to get. That’s great! Maybe you had several job offers to cherry pick from (if this is the case, my brother/sister you are highly favored, do well to drop your secret as a comment).
The inordinate joy you feel rushing through your veins is boundless and without constraint. In fact, you begin to picture yourself in your new role, looking all dapper on your first day of work. Prior to this event, you had spent hours fine-tuning your résumé, weeks waiting for a response, and long, silent pauses mentally articulating each interview answer—all before enduring another seemingly endless wait to hear back about the potential position. But the very second you receive a mail or call informing you of the job offer, everything switches to the fast lane. You begin to get follow up mails, check-ins on phone. Once your potential employer wants you to put pen to paper, things are lightning fast, all of a sudden, due process is jettisoned. And in your head, you ask yourself why you should think twice. I mean this is the moment you have been waiting for—you’ve finally landed that Job and can now comfortably rule out the witches from your village.
What’s left? Well, accepting a new job is a big decision—and you don’t want to find yourself regretting your decision just a few months down the road. So, before you pounce on that new role, slow down and consider these last few factors to make sure you’re 100% confident in your decision.

1. Company Culture:
The company culture are the values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs and habits that it is known for. It is also the most important thing to consider before accepting a job offer, because it will define how well you’ll fit in with the team, company and office. You should be like a detective and investigate the company’s website, social media platforms, mission statements, previous and future projects to know if it aligns with your personality, values and tenets.

2. The People:
No man is an island and as such you definitely wouldn’t work alone. You would work with people whose contributions can make or mar your efforts. It is important you get to know the kind of people you would spend most time working with. I would expect you to be very observant during your interview to be able to know if you would be working with happy people, social loafers or supportive people. This can be achieved by instincts and based on your conversation with a few workers and body language. Remember, you’ll need a strong support network on a professional (and possibly personal) level, so if you’re not sure that you’ll fit in, you should consider whether it’s the right company for you.

3. Ethics:
This is interwoven with the company’s culture and is important to access before accepting an offer. Some companies will have different ethical standards to ours and might just not be the right company for us. For example, an animal lover is unlikely to work for a company that makes leather works from the skin of animals.

4. Your Responsibilities:
This is a high ranking factor that should be answered properly before accepting an offer. You should ask yourself if you know everything about your job description. If not, then you really need to research more on that. Ask yourself the following questions:
• Have you got an agreed job title?
• Does the Job title fit the role?
• What are the day to day aspects of the job role?
• What extra tasks will you be expected to take part in?
Some of these little bits of information will be revealed naturally in conversation, but you may have to dig deeper to gain insight into non-advertised aspects of the role. When you’ve got all the information you need to make an informed decision, start assessing whether the role is genuinely right for you. You don’t want a job that eats away at your personal life, but you certainly don’t want to be bored at work every day either.

5. Expectations:

Employers already have some sort of idea what they expect from a new employee, before they hire them (the very reason they’re hiring in the first place). It’s pertinent for you to know what is expected of you and to assess if it is humanly possible to achieve such targets. Some employers hire people to perform the 8th wonder of the world especially if it is a sale’s role. You could ask the following questions that would guide your final decision.
• How will I be measured?
• What do you expect me to achieve over the next 12 months?
• Why are you hiring a new {Input the position}?
Leaving it until your first day of work and suddenly being handed an unreachable target or unrealistic workload is certainly not advisable.


6. Opportunity:

Not every job offers career growth, while some people are comfortable with this others are not. If you are amongst the latter that want career progression then I highly recommend that you research on the potential opportunities before you accept that job offer. During the interview, you’ll have the perfect chance to dig deeper into the job’s opportunities by asking questions like:
• Is the culture competitive?
• What happened to the last person in my position?
• Where would you expect me to be in five years?

7. Training and Development:

If you’re interested in progression, then it’s also certainly worth finding out about what training opportunities the company has to offer you. Some companies will even offer reimbursement of tuition fees for relevant higher education courses or certification exams which is a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking to develop. Training is also a great topic to bring up during the interview; it will show your willingness to learn and grow with the business.

8. Salary and bonus schemes:

It is important for you to assess the quoted salary, before accepting a job offer. You deserve to be paid something commensurate with your work output. Salary negotiation can be tricky but if you don’t think the offer is fair, don’t be shy, say so! My advice, negotiate like an Italian.
If you’d like an idea of what an acceptable salary is for a particular job role, do a quick search on a big job board like ngcareers. Search for the role you’re looking to fill, and look at a few surrounding locations within a commutable distance of your potential employers. This will give you an idea of what salary you should be expecting. It’s also important to work out how commission schemes work, so you fully understand the package that is being offered to you. Some employers love to be cryptic with the actual figures for bonuses et al. It is your duty to find this out so you don’t get disappointed with what you get in the future.

9. Employee Benefits:
Employee benefits can be as important as salary, especially the subsidies that could save you heaps of money. You should certainly investigate the more important things like pensions, health and holiday entitlement. This shows how well the company values its staff.




10. The Commute:

Small things can make a huge difference to job satisfaction. The commute is one of the most underestimated issues people fail to take into consideration when they accept a job offer. Well, if you live in Lagos and your place of residence is nowhere close to your office, then your transportation cost should be one of the top priorities to factor in. Your daily commute to work could literally change your life so don’t just ignore it because it seems trivial!

Summary:
As you can see, there are an awful lot of things to consider before you accept a job offer! Some will be more important to you than others, but all are genuinely important factors on your quest for complete job satisfaction. Always remember to trust your gut instincts; if something doesn’t seem quite right, try and figure out why.
Good luck!

Source: ngcareers