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Author: Associate Runa Jasia

Getting a job after a lot of rounds of interviews could be the best feeling for the selected candidate. Obviously, after defeating the rest of the candidates, they got selected for that job role. It could be their dream job or dream company. But in the excitement of getting a new job, one should not forget about signing the contract. Trying to evaluate the company while still impressing the interviewers is essential, no doubt, but that balance can be tricky. At the same time, candidates tend to make this process harder than it needs to be by being uncertain of what they want out of a company. It's essential to read the whole terms of the contract provided by the employer thoroughly. 

Once the offer letter is signed, and the celebratory toasts have been made, it is official. After months of the job search agony, the person might have an urge to accept any offer they receive immediately. But before giving any final answer, it's essential to take time to learn a little more about what the company has to offer. Now what a potential employer is trying to sell the employee is to be noticed, and that means the selected candidate can ask essential questions about benefits and compensation that may have seemed pushy or self-serving during the interview process.

In this job seeker-driven labor market, people are not ready to pick anything that is being offered, and they are aware of the fact that they need to ask specific questions to make sure that they aren't going to be treated as a number but like a valued employee. Every person must make sure that they should ask these five questions from the employer before joining a company:

Company Culture

The culture of a company includes a variety of elements, including work environment, company mission, value, ethics, expectations, and goals. While the work may be difficult, the culture in the company shouldn't add to the stress of the work but should be designed to alleviate work-related stress instead. One should ask about:

·     The mission of the company for the next five years.

·     If the team get along with each other outside the office

·     Details of the company

·     Work-life balance in the company

·     Training

·     Company culture

·     The expectation of the person who will work for this job role.

Job title

It's important to make sure that the job title and job role match. What will be the job requirements and job responsibilities? The title should commensurate with the job responsibilities, and the employee should also have an understanding of where the position falls within the company structure.

It's also better to know whom the employee will report about their work and when they can interact with their boss or any senior manager of the company. Also, it's better to ask who the employee will be working with, but it's important to understand how the team is structured. The employee should also ask which other teams or departments they will be working with so that they can have a fuller picture of what day to day will look like.

Vacation Policies

Nobody wants to ask the query regarding the vacation on the day of their joining. But everybody needs time to rest and recharge. Also if anyone gets sick, they need time to recover. It's important to know the conditions for taking emergency leave, casual leave, and sick leave. Under what conditions there can be loss of payment and how long the employee can take the leave. It's crucial to know these policies as one will take leave. It's also important to ask what if the manager rejects the approval of the demanded leave. 

If the employee is a woman, then it's important to know facts regarding the maternity leave. 

Incentives and other perks

Every employee gets a base salary as well as additional incentive compensation, that is, extra pay based on performance. There are also other perks available regarding various aspects of a company. Any form of incentive compensation, be it commission or bonus, one must ask how that pay is determined. An employee should know about incentive compensation, and it will be easier to structure the performance to maximize it.

Work schedule and overtime

It's imperative to know the working hours. While a standard workday typically runs from about 9 AM to 5:00 PM. Managing other things on the calendar will be easy. Other things also matter in everyone's life. It's essential to maintain balance in professional life as well as in personal life. Also, it's better to ask the employer under what conditions the employee has to do overtime and working overtime will add in the amount of the monthly salary or not. 

The employee must ask everything in writing. In the corporate world, nothing values but written prove works.