You've got an offer, but do you want the job?

Q: You finally got the offer. It's a good one, and you're happy with the terms. The problem is, you're suddenly wondering, do I really want to go to work for this company? How should you proceed?

Nick's reply: While I believe it's important to trust our instincts, I worry about people who make a momentous decision about a job without knowing what they're getting into. The traditional interview process is heavily controlled -- whether intentionally or not -- by the employer. Usually, the information you get about a company is what the company wants you to have. At offer time, the interview stops there, and you are forced to make a choice based on limited information. In my experience, when people need to change jobs it's usually because they took the wrong job for the wrong reasons to begin with. They didn't dig deeply enough.

Like any big decision, job change requires lots of information. Don't wait until you get an offer to carefully evaluate a job opportunity, because by that point the offer will influence your decision more than it should. More important than the money are the opportunities, the company, the people and the work.

The most powerful thing you can do is to request more meetings so you can complete your evaluation. While it might seem counterintuitive, the smartest time to request such meetings is after you've received the offer. That puts you in control.

After you have the offer, schedule a follow-up meeting to:

-- Confirm your duties, responsibilities, authority and goals. Make sure these are spelled out in your written offer.

-- Ask questions about factors that could affect your success at doing the job. Usually, this means meeting everyone you'll be working with.

-- Review the details of the written benefits package, company policies and employee handbook. While some companies are funny about divulging these critical documents, you have a right to see them before you sign an employment agreement that incorporates them by reference. It's no fun to learn after you're already on board that there's a five-year restraint-of-competition clause.

Assessing an opportunity is a lot of work. You should start your evaluation before an offer is made. Before your first interview, cover these bases:

• Research the industry the company is in. Is it sound? Is it growing?

• Research the company. Is it in good financial shape? Does it have a healthy history? Does it have (and benefit from) an edge?

In the interview, get answers to these important questions:

• What problems does the company face in the next three years?

• What must the company do to meet its goals? How does your job fit into this?

• Get to know your future boss and meet the people you'll be working with. Look for compatibility regarding skills, ability, style and goals.

• Assess what tools you'll need. If they're not part of the deal today, don't expect you'll get what you need later.

• Who are the people in other departments who will affect your ability to do your job successfully? Meet them. Look for facilitators and debilitators.

People rarely get the whole story about a job and company before an offer is made. So take the opportunity at the end of the process to get all the facts you can.

Don't be unreasonable or rude, but don't settle for less than full disclosure. If anyone is put off by your diplomatic inquiries about the company, the people and the job, then look elsewhere, because you probably won't be happy in the end. Good companies comprise good people. They will be honest and willing to speak candidly with a new recruit. But they won't tell all if you don't ask.

Copyright 2008. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.