7 Signs That You Should Reject a Job Offer
Fact: nobody enjoys job hunting.
Sometimes it can feel so time-consuming, stressful, and frustrating that you just want to accept the first job offer just to get it over with.
The longer it takes to find your ideal role, the more pressure you can feel to fit yourself into a role that might not be right for you.
Despite the temptation, it’s important to keep the momentum of your job search going. It can be easy to let the initial excitement of getting an offer cloud your vision.
With this in mind, it's important to make sure that accepting a job offer is the right thing to do for you and your career. Here's 7 signs that you should reject a job offer.
They Have a Bad Reputation
Just as you wouldn’t book a hotel with a low TripAdvisor rating, you shouldn’t accept a job offer without doing your research.
Get an unfiltered feel of the working environment by finding reviews from current and ex-employees, and visiting their social media pages. As well as checking for anything hair-raising, this will give you a better idea of whether you will fit in to their overall culture.
Don’t forget to ask around about the company to your friends, family and colleagues to find out what they think. They may have more information (good or bad) that could help you make up your mind.
A High Staff Turnover
Be very wary if the team looks completely different each year. Unless it is a job in Retail, Hospitality, or Leisure, this is a massive red flag.
There is usually a good reason why people would leave a job in under 12 months. A good way of checking this is by looking at their employee’s LinkedIn pages.
If they haven’t already given you the background, you should ask your hiring manager about the reasons for the previous employee leaving. Even more importantly, how do they refer to them?
You Feel Messed Around
They took forever to respond to your application, kept you in the dark about the process and acted disinterested at the interview.
The interview process is a time for you to test them out too. If they haven’t paid your time or feelings any attention at this stage it will only go downhill from there.
Miserable Employees
The office is so eerily quiet that you can almost hear the employees counting down the hours until their escape.
Think back to the ways that people addressed one another when you were called in to interview, and whether you actually saw anyone smile.
Your Expectations and Values Don’t Match
You asked for £25,000 they offer you £22,000. You want flexible working; they punish staff who don’t come in at the same time every day. It’s highly likely that you will only grow to resent it.
Also think about your ethical values. If these starkly contrast with the views of the company, it’s best to reject your offer of employment. You can get an idea of this from their website on the ‘about us’ pages.
They’re Too Keen
There’s a difference between enthusiasm for a candidate and desperation for anyone.
Alarm bells should be ringing if they don’t check your references or try to force you into accepting the offer.
Even if it seems like your dream job, you should wonder why a company wouldn’t want to check that you’re not an axe murderer before hiring you.
You Disliked Your Future Manager
Even though you aren’t necessarily at work to become best friends with your boss, it is easier if you get along with the people that you work closely with.
One of the main reasons that people leave a job is because of clashes with their managers. Think about the ways that your performance will be measured and ask about their managerial style before you accept the offer.
They Won’t Give You Clear Answers
If a candidate showed up to a job interview without knowing what they were applying for, they would be shown the door.
The same should be applied to the interviewer. If they can’t provide you with concrete information to your questions, they’re either clueless about their own job, don’t care, or are misleading you.
If you’ve realised that your job offer might not be for you, keep going with your search today.
