Evaluating Job Offers -- Eleven Warning Signs You Must Watch Out For

Moving into a new job always involves some degree of uncertainty. You should do your best to find out all you can about a prospective employer, starting right from the pre-interview stage. Here are some things to look out for. If one or more of these warning signs are present, you need to be doubly careful about joining that organization. 1. The company is in the midst of mergers and acquisitions, or there is a major reorganization taking place, staff cutbacks are on the anvil or some other major flux is occurring. 2. The company you are considering is not undergoing problems like those described above, but many other companies in that industry are. That could be an indication that trouble may spread to your prospective employer sooner or later. 3. The person who will be your boss has a bad reputation. This is something you should find out about from your network. 4. Your prospective boss has joined the organization very recently and his or her reputation is generally not known. 5. You asked to meet with and speak to your new colleagues and this request was refused. What are they afraid the existing employees will say to a prospective new hire? 6. This is a non-profit organization that has had funding problems several times before. In such cases, think twice before taking up a position. 7. They told you a story about the company or about your career prospects that sounded too good to be true. When something sounds that way, it usually is. 8. The company is a small business that is not very profitable and does not seem to have access to strong funding sources. It