What to do once you receive a job offer

You finally receive the call from your dedicated recruiter telling you that the weeks spent preparing for stages of interviews and presentations are finally over, and they paid out! A company has selected you among all the other candidates for the position. In the heat of the moment, you may want to accept without wasting another second and sign the contract before someone up in the big sphere changes his mind. But in truth, you shouldn't. Please take a deep breath and read your contract before signing it, as you need to ensure it is what you want. It is more common than not that people in the rush of the moment sign an agreement that they will later regret, which would then be hard or impossible to change.? Here is what to look for in a contract before signing it:

What the job entails

What is asked of you is one of the main things to research carefully. It should have been covered during the interviews and discussed thoroughly before, but what it's written is what matters. You should ensure that the job description accurately represents the role you are accepting and does not include any responsibilities you cannot or are unwilling to fulfil. Also, you must ensure that the job title is correct and the one that you agreed on, especially if it is a managerial role. You want to have something that upholds your skills and experience.

Working from home or in the office

In today's work environment, many positions include a work-from-home setting in place, and even more people, for various reasons, prefer to have this flexibility. If this was included in the job description you applied for, you should ensure it is mentioned in your contract. The contract may state that you can work remotely once you pass the probation period, but it is crucial to understand the terms, as it will be difficult to challenge them later once you agree to it. Also, it is paramount to see if there is any relocation clause, and if you do not agree to it, your new employer cannot ask you to relocate to a farther office or geographical location.

Working patterns and shifts

When looking at the set hours to work, disagree with the working pattern that you will hate to work in the future. It is best to negotiate a variation at the outset, including any possibility of flexibility, rather than trying to change it once the hours have been agreed on. As well as work hours, you need to check if overtime, working on weekend or evening shifts, is required and if you will get paid for it. Do not take anything for granted if it is not explicitly clarified; ask for it! If a clause says, "flexibility is expected" or "overtime is expected when requested by a manager," ensure you understand what it means.

Salary and other benefits

Another important detail, which is vital to note, is the agreed-upon payment provision, which is the one discussed initially and comprises the benefits you require. It is a very delicate matter, and it is one of the factors that more often can be overlooked as it is uncomfortable to speak about money. However, it would be unfair to ignore it because, in the long term, it might impact the morale and motivation of the position. When you accept terms that are not favorable, what you want to avoid is to think, "I am not being paid to do this," or "I don't get paid enough to do this." Check if the bonuses are discretionary and based on performance, what the targets are and if they are achievable. You do not want to find out when it is too late.

Holiday and bonuses

Ensure you understand your holiday allowance and when you can take it, as this should be addressed to your employer and all expectations clarified in advance. It is essential to understand if bank holidays are included and if there is a period of closure of the business where you are expected to use your holidays. Conversely, it's important to clearly state whether there is a peak period when taking holidays is not allowed and if unused holidays can be carried over to the next year or if they can be bought or sold.

Restrictive covenants

This point is easy to miss as when you accept a job offer, you usually do not want to consider when you will leave. Restrictive covenants are only relevant if you go, but if you have future job prospects or business development that these could compromise if they are too restrictive, you had better check them out from the beginning. The typical covenants are designed to prevent the employee from soliciting clients or working for a competitor for a certain period after leaving the company. The time is up to the company as it is usually 3 or 6 months, but they can require more, and once you agree to it, there is no turning back. Any clients you introduce to your new employer may become integrated into your employer's client base and, therefore, become part of the restrictive covenants when you leave unless otherwise agreed on in the contract.

Bye bye

Another point that you wouldn't expect to look at once you finally receive an offer is the notice period requested by your new employer, within the probation period and outside of it. It is also paramount to understand the notice period you are entitled to receive from their part in case things do not go as well for various reasons. It is important to understand the consequences of short notice (not great stability for yourself) or a more extended notice (it could hinder future opportunities as only some employers are happy to wait months for someone's notice period to end.)

These are the most significant things to notice before signing a contract, and we hope you will find them helpful. If you have any more questions, please comment below or contact us, or share it if you think it can be of help to someone.?