For the fresh graduates who are landing on their first job as well as for those who are looking for a new job for different professional and personal reasons, getting a job offer itself is quite ecstatic for the recipient. While we often look at the take home salary and consider this to be the main motivation for accepting the offer, it is important to consider a few more major components of your benefit package before you finally say “yes”.
Here goes a list for you to use and to reevaluate the offer you have at your hand.
General Coverage
While evaluating the offer, try to find out if there are any costs involved in the benefit plan that you have been offered which will cause either an immediate or annual decrease of your take home salary. You should know about the services your job is offering the fees associated with it. It will give you a better idea about their package.
Medical Insurance
Ask your employer about the type of medical insurance they are offering to you and what kind of medical expenses are covered under the insurance. You should also focus on the deductibility, exclusion of pre-existing conditions etc. while signing up for the medical insurance. In case, if they offer you an allowance rather than insurance, please recheck if the amount offered is enough to cover your expenses.
Vacations, Holidays and Sick Leave
We often shy away from asking these questions but be honest with the employer and ask about how many days off you are allowed to take in your first year and what the procedure is to avail them. Also, ask if there are provisions to monetize the days that you did not avail at the end of the year. This will help you to plan your vacations accordingly. You should not also forget about holidays. Be frank about asking the number of days available for annual holidays and medical leaves per year. Different organizations and roles may have different schemes for holidays and leaves. Sick leave may initially seem unimportant but make this issue clear with your employer to avoid any unnecessary future dispute.
Transportation Support or Allowance
Usually companies will provide van services or car pooling allowances or other form of allocations for your transportation. Make sure your offer has a provision for it and also ask whether it is in the form of direct service or allowance and also about the cost involved in the process.
Reimbursable Costs
In many cases, employers would bear costs associated with office work. Such reimbursable or direct business-related costs may include a whole variety of components ranging from using your own vehicle for office purposes to communication expenses. Discuss this with your employer to be on the same page.
Overtime
This is very important for the employees, since they are committing extra time and effort for the organization. It is important that you are well-informed about how you are getting compensated for your extra work so that it becomes a win-win deal for both the parties.
Profit sharing
Undoubtedly, profit sharing is a lucrative benefit for the employees to commit to any organization. Although the amount of profit sharing often depends on the top management, try to get an idea as well as some solid commitment so that you have a clear understanding of targets and profit sharing.
Training and Development
While salary is important for sustenance, it is also important that you develop yourself in the process of working at any organization. It would be helpful to know more about the training and development opportunities to make a more informed decision.
While these are the major components that you should focus on, try to build a well-disposed relationship with the recruiter so that you can ask these questions and many more without agitating or irritating your potential employer.
Be smart in asking questions, be smart in making a good decision.
