Before you say ‘I do’…

​Yay – Full steam ahead!
 
Congratulations!  You now have the formal letter of offer for your exciting new job, and are so excited to sign on the dotted line.
 
However ‘Warning’ dear friend!  It’s very easy to get swept away that the organisation has chosen you, against potentially hundreds of other candidates.  Be careful that you have done your due diligence on your soon to be employer and boss, prior to putting ink to paper.
 
Covid-19
 
Being in another lockdown is never fun, especially when you have just handed in your notice at your last job, and are waiting to start at your next!  Sadly for many companies the ‘last on - first off’ approach means that those who have been recently employed are some of the first to receive their redundancy letters...  Therefore some great questions to ask before saying ‘yes’ include:
 
- Was this a business that struggled, survived or thrived through the pandemic?
 
- Is this business involved in industries that have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic?
 
- Did this company make any staff redundant due to Covid-19?
 
- If another pandemic takes place, will this company shed any new staff based on their previous history?
 
Company Values
 
Confirm that the company’s values are in line with who you are and what you believe in.  A couple of times in my life I have not followed this advice, and ended up in a great job, but having no belief in what the organisation was trying to achieve.  This disconnect can only last so long, until you either chose to leave, or sacrifice your own values for the company.
 
Family Values
 
If you are a family person, will you be frowned upon for choosing your family over work?  Don’t get me wrong, a job has to get done, and sometimes this impacts a rare Saturday, weekend conference or work night.  However if this is the rule rather than the exception, you will need to sacrifice something, and if this is your family, your heart is in the wrong place.
 
Company Services / Products
 
Does what the organisation actually sells on a day to day basis, match your long term vision for a positive community?  Think about how the company’s products and services impact their consumers as well as wider community stakeholders.  Would you be proud telling people at a dinner party who you worked for, or kind of ‘mumble’ the name of the business, hoping no one is listening?
 
Bosses Values
 
What type of person is your direct boss?  You would have picked up a general ‘vibe’ at the interview, however no manager is going to say that “my leadership style is massively passive / aggressive, micromanaging and ridded with jealousy against anyone who does well.”  Follow your gut if you are not sure, as having a terrible boss is a recipe for long term career disaster.
 
Company Culture
 
Make certain that both the company culture and people you will work alongside are ones that you feel you can engage with.  Ask for a walk round the office or work environment, and get a feel of the type of conversations that are taking place, and how friendly (or not) your potential work colleagues are.
 
Holistic Approach
 
Remember that no one said on their death bed “I wish I had spent more time at the office”.  In a very real sense, we will be spending more time with our employer between the ages of 18-65, than we will with our life partner and children.  Better to take a good hard look and say ‘no’ at this late stage, rather than join an organisation that is pointing in the wrong direction from where you want to go in your life.