In this piece, we will discuss everything you must check before accepting a job offer, in detail.
The offer letter is like the first contract you sign with the company. Hence, any mistake here may impact your entire trajectory at the job for the remainder of your tenure.
Moreover, despite being unethical, companies do not shy away from including shadow clauses in these letters. These are clauses that may not be evident or direct but gives them power over their employees that they shouldn’t have.
In other cases, the clauses may be standard but may not fit your exact requirements or preferences.
We will help you spot all of that in the next few minutes. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Things to check before accepting a job offer
An offer letter may decide how smooth or rocky your tenure at a job may be. You should look at:
- The job description
- Compensation
- Company culture
- Working conditions
- Vacations
- Probationary period
- Termination clauses etc.
Platforms such as Lawrina.org even offer pre-designed templates for offer letter, lease, bill of sale, letter or recommendation etc. You may look at one such template to ensure your offer letter has everything that should be there.
Let’s get into the details then.
1. Job description
The offer letter of course includes a job description. However, you need to ensure that you’re signing up for exactly what you want.
- Check your title: Ensure that you’re getting the title you applied for. Do not settle for “you’ll be promoted within a week” or any other technicalities around your title. If such clauses exist, ensure they’re crystal clear on when and how the promotion will be executed.
- Check job requirements: The letter will probably also include a list of things you’re expected to do, or not do. Ensure that it falls within what you agreed to when applying for the job.
- Performance Metrics: This is optional but best to get it included. This details how your performance will be measured. Will it be based on sales? Hours you put in? Basically whatever else.
2. Compensation
The money is probably one of the strongest deciding factors, isn’t it? Well, you need to check the following in terms of compensation as well:
- Frequency of compensation: How frequently will you be paid and on what basis?
- Types of compensation: Along with your salary, what other financial perks are there? Insurance? Dental? Are any other health issues covered?
- Actual in-hand amount: Companies often advertise your “total” compensation but you only get a fraction of that in your account. That’s because it gets deducted for various investments and other reasons. Hence, always clarify exactly how much you’re getting each month in usable currency.
- Increments: The offer letter should preferably mention how frequently or based on what metrics increments can be expected by you.
3. Company Culture
Company Culture is often overlooked when offering or accepting an offer letter, but it shouldn’t be.
This basically tells you what values the company promotes, the overall atmosphere of the company, what behaviour is encouraged etc.
E.g. the company culture at Google is described as fun, freedom of creativity, dog-friendly, focus on employee happiness etc. In fact, these even won Google the “best company culture” award sometime back.
4. Working conditions
This is a very important part of any job. What conditions are you expected to work in? Primarily, is it a work from home position, or a work from office? If it’s a hybrid, how many days are you expected to work from each position?
5. Vacations
Who doesn’t like vacations eh? Ensure that the offer letter includes the number of days you’re allowed to not work. This should include all the days including the days you don’t work simply cause you don’t feel like or days you get sick leave or leave for any reason whatsoever.
Also, be sure to check for vacation-compensation clauses. This will tell you what exactly is deducted from you (salary/bonuses/other perks) if you miss work X number of days.
6. Probationary period
This is the “trial phase”. Both you and the company get to understand each other better. You’ll be constantly and frequently evaluated to ensure you have the skills and ethics to get your job done.
You on the other hand can evaluate the company, working conditions and everything else before you finalise the job.
In other words, during the probationary period, you can be let go with minimal notice. Similarly, you’re free to leave for better opportunities without serving a notice period or a very brief one.
7. Termination clause
This is where you’ll see a list of reasons you can be terminated for. Read this very carefully. At times, companies have even terminated people simply for sharing their salaries!
Hence, ensure you know everything that may lead to a termination.
If you find clauses in the termination section that don’t make sense, get them cleared, or change. Companies often incorporate vague terms and sentences for their benefit.
Conclusion
That should get you an idea of what to look for in your offer letters. If you find something that’s discussed here but missing from your offer letter, do get it included.
Moreover, there’s no “absolute rule” when it comes to offer letters. This means even if we haven’t discussed something and you haven’t seen it on other offer letters, but you feel it’s important for you, you may get it included in your letter.
The end-goal is simply to understand exactly the company expects from you and what you expect from the company.
