JOB RECRUITMENT AND JOB INTERVIEWS IN GUJARAT

In this article you learn effective techniques for evaluating job offers and for making decisions concerning difficult or multiple offers.

The time has come when all of your hard work and interviewing stress have paid off. The company is convinced that you are the best person for the job. It may happen on the first or second interview, but most likely not before the third. You finally hear those words you've waited so long to hear: "We feel you would make a solid contribution here. We'd like to make you an offer."

Hold Your Horses: Before accepting or rejecting an offer, take a deep breath. No job should be accepted on the spot, no matter how good it may sound. Ask for a couple of days to consider it.

This is the appropriate time for the interviewer to begin salary discussions. (See Lesson 17, "Salary Negotiation," for tips on handling the salary issue.)

But the amount of take-home pay and benefits coverage you receive are really only a small part of any job offer. There are several other very important factors to evaluate when considering any job offer:

THE EIGHT MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS TO CONSIDER IN A JOB OFFER

1. Will the job give me opportunities to grow?

Contemplate the importance of career growth for your future happiness. Are you willing to wait a long time for a promotion? How frequently do performance and salary reviews occur, and on what factors are they based? Will you have to leave the company and go elsewhere in order to move into a higher position? What are the potential job titles you might move up into in the company that is making you the offer? How important is financial growth to you and your family?

2. Is the company on the rise and does it offer stability?

What is the company's financial picture? Does it offer relative stability in today's unstable work world? Are there plans for new products, acquisitions, or a broadening scope? What are the plans for mergers, reorganizations, and downsizing? When was the last time the company reorganized, and did that reorganization affect the direction of your new position or department?

3. Will the position be interesting and challenging?

Don't shoot for a position for which you are over-qualified just because you know you will be able to handle it. Go for a position that offers career growth, if growth is important to you. Too many people underestimate themselves, fearing that employers only make job offers to people who have already mastered all aspects of a job.

4. Do I fit into the corporate culture?

Evaluate the type of environment in which you thrive. Is it the climate of a company that is demanding, stressful, high-energy, and high-pressure? Or do you prefer a slower-paced, laid-back, gentler setting in which to work? Think of the situation that will keep you happy longest, because burn-out strikes quickly when one is either highly stressed or extremely bored.

5. Are the hours flexible, and do they match my needs?

Some positions offer a great salary, but demand a 60-or 70-hour work week that leaves little time for friends and family. Other positions offer a flexible schedule or fewer hours, but less growth potential. Weigh the importance of these factors on your lifestyle and factor it into your decision.

6. Does the position involve travel?

Depending upon your lifestyle and family obligations, you may be looking for a chance to do some traveling, or this may be something you want to avoid. Clarify your travel obligations as specifically as possible with the employer before making your decision.

7. Is the company in a convenient location?

Will working for this company involve a long daily commute? Does it involve a relocation to another part of the country, and if so, how does the cost of living relate to the salary offer? How will this affect your family obligations and time commitments?

8. Will I enjoy working for my new boss?

What kind of management style does your new boss have? Does communication seem to flow freely? Are ideas and alternate viewpoints accepted easily? Will credit be given where credit is due? Is there a big difference in personality styles between you?

These are important factors to consider, yet it is also wise to remember that this person may not be your boss forever. There's always a chance for a change in management, for better or for worse.

DON'T SET YOUR SIGHTS TOO LOW

Don't accept the first job offer that comes along just because it is there. If you have received one job offer, you can receive more. Do not underestimate what you have to offer an employer. Evaluate your values, interests, skills, and accomplishments and find a position that will make you happy.

Don't Settle: Accepting something that fails short of your goals will only lead to another, more difficult job search that will come up all too soon, it may lead to a feeling of failure and low self-esteem, which will only impede your next job search.

GENERATING MULTIPLE OFFERS

While the dream of many job seekers is to have the luxury of choosing from several good offers, many stop working hard at seeking a job once a potential offer looms on the horizon. They tend to relax and wallow in the comfort of the impending good fortune.

However, a potential offer should stimulate you to work even harder at making contacts and securing job interviews. With several irons in the fire, one solid job offer may be parlayed into an opportunity to choose among several.

When an offer comes in from company A, it is time to evaluate not only company A but the other companies you have interviewed with as well. If companies B and C were higher on your list of potential companies but neither has given you a firm offer, call them on the telephone right away.

Say something like,

"I'm calling you because after meeting with you last week, I have received a job offer from another company. I'd prefer not to make a decision on that job offer without having the chance to talk with you again. I was very impressed with your company and intrigued by the challenges of the position we discussed. Might we meet again before the end of the week?"

This telephone call must be carefully worded to avoid several fatal mistakes:

1. Do not put company B or C on the spot by asking, "Can you make me a better offer?" or "Was I a strong candidate for your position?"

2. Do not strong-arm the other companies. Flatter them with your phone call rather than threatening them with your other offer.

3. Do not in any way belittle the offer that you received from company A. That only reduces your negotiating power. In other words, don't say, "I received an offer from company A, but I'd much prefer working for you at company B."

4. Be very specific about what you want. It is important to end your explanation with a suggestion for action. Rather than being vague by saying, "Do you think there is anything we could work out?" give your contacts at companies B and C a suggested next step, as in "Might we meet again in the next couple of days to discuss the possibilities?"

WEIGHING MULTIPLE OFFERS

Of course, the tactic of generating multiple offers may put you smack in the middle of a very happy dilemma, that of having two or three simultaneous job offers each of which offers several positives.

There is no better method of settling this quandary than the old tried-and-true method of putting the details down in black and white. Draw a line down the center of a paper and list the positives of an offer on one side and the negatives on the other. Weigh their importance to you by assigning each a number: 1 to 10 for the positives, and -1 to -10 for the negatives. While this may not create an instant and easy "eureka" type decision, it might clarify things enough to make your decision a little less overwhelming.

ACCEPTING A NEW POSITION

The key thing to remember in accepting any job is to have the terms of the offer given to you in writing. It is not an imposition to request the offer in writing, in fact, it is quite a standard practice. It is your absolute assurance that the terms you discussed in the offer negotiation still stand.

When you accept the position verbally, you might also request that the person making the offer clarify the terms in detail with you one more time. If any important information is left out, mention it by saying, "And we had also agreed upon a tuition reimbursement program for all education related to my position. Is that correct?" Do not assume that what you agreed upon earlier still stands unless you hear it again when you accept the position.

RESIGNING FROM YOUR CURRENT POSITION

Even the most difficult job situation should be left graciously and courteously. This is not the time to tell your boss what you really think of him or to offend your ex co-workers by assigning blame. Even weak bridges should not be burned!

A formal, brief resignation letter should be given to your current boss. Do not discuss any negative reasons for your leaving. Simply say that the new offer provides you with new challenges and opportunities. Your letter and discussion should be positive in all respects.

Jobs Recruitments and Jobs Interviews in Gujarat