Moving Up

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Accepting a Job

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By Jean Dowdall

After the excitement of the search process, the lucky candidates reach the point of the exercise -- the offer. Now it's time to decide, sometimes rather quickly, whether to accept. What should you be thinking about as you make this decision?

First, ask yourself in a deep and intuitive way if you really want the job. Trust your instincts. If you have serious reservations, maybe you shouldn't take it. If you don't feel a sense of anticipation, perhaps you should decline. (We'll put aside for now the question of why you didn't figure this out sooner and withdraw earlier from the search process!)

But assuming you're eager for this job, I want to turn to a more objective indicator of your fit for the position: a list of questions that you should be able to answer to your own satisfaction. Negative answers on some of these questions will probably be balanced by positive answers on others, but the exercise of reflection may help to clarify your decision. Note that I'm not saying you should necessarily ask these questions of others; these are questions you will want to answer for yourself, based on what you've learned during the search.

• What are the institution's expectations for the job? Are they achievable? Are they reasonably consistent among the supervisor and the various constituencies that have a stake in the position? Unclear, mixed and unachievable expectations can mean trouble.

• Are the resources there to get the job done? Critical resources could include space, staff, discretionary funds to provide incentives and support to others, equipment, etc. If they seem inadequate, you are in a better position than you may ever be again to negotiate for those resources.

• Do the key financial indicators look reasonably healthy? These vary, depending on the position you're looking at, but they could include budget deficits, tuition discounting, endowment, deferred maintenance, debt service, and much more. An extremely constrained financial situation doesn't necessarily mean you should decline the position, but you should be aware that the problem exists and feel confident that you can work effectively in these circumstances.

• Do you have confidence in those who would be your peers and colleagues, your superiors and your subordinates in the new position? Consider issues like trust, credibility, flexibility, territoriality. These people will be your partners and/or your adversaries. Especially in difficult situations, the caliber and integrity of these people will be key to your success and your happiness.

• Is the total compensation package adequate? While the package may not give you every perk you dreamed of, it should, on balance, be enough to support you and any dependents appropriately. Again, once you have been offered the job, you are in the best position to negotiate. Compensation will be the subject of its own column in the near future.

• Is this an institutional culture and a campus climate in which you will work comfortably and effectively? Some campus cultures are contentious, and others are very civil -- and there are people who thrive in each type. Some campus cultures are entrepreneurial, others are traditional; some embrace change, others are more restrained. Are most people whom you have met on the campus disgruntled about issues like salaries, maintenance, and governance, or are they generally in good spirits? At this point in the search process, you should be able to describe the culture and climate pretty well, and you should be confident that you can work effectively within it.

• Do you expect your prospective boss to be in place for a while? This person is critical to your success, and a change in this position could mean a change in the expectations for your own position.

• Why did your predecessor leave? Perhaps it was a retirement or a move to an obviously better job, but if it was under unhappy circumstances, there could be problems embedded in the situation that will plague you as well.

• What are your best friends and family members advising you to do? Sometimes we get so caught up in the excitement of a job offer, especially if it's a major step up, that we're blinded to situations that are likely to keep us from succeeding. If others urge you to reconsider, listen carefully.

Clearly this list could go on and on, and your list will be different from mine. I'd be interested in hearing from readers who have come up with their own critical questions to consider before accepting a new job -- perhaps questions that they didn't ask but wish they had.

I mentioned earlier that you may be asked to make your decision quickly. Sometimes candidates are extended an offer and asked to decide virtually on the spot -- although in most of these situations they have been alerted in advance that they will need to make an instant decision. (In fact, candidates may sometimes be asked, "Would you accept this position if it were offered to you?" so that in effect they are asked to accept the offer even before it is made.)

Sometimes candidates are asked to respond quickly, but no formal deadline is set. In this situation, one week is a reasonable amount of time in most cases for a decision. Remember that if you don't accept the offer it will probably be extended to someone else, and have some sympathy for that person; the longer the offer is delayed, the more these candidates will have the sense that they were second choice, and the campus may think so as well while they wait for an announcement, getting everyone started on the wrong foot.

What if you've been offered one job but you are waiting to hear about another offer? Personally, I don't like to see candidates keep one institution waiting while they see if they have another (presumably better) offer. If you want this job, take it. If you wouldn't accept this job under any circumstance, turn it down. If you would prefer the other job, but would happily accept the job already offered to you if it was your only offer, see whether you can nudge the more desirable offer along. Do this with great care; you risk alienating a search committee that may feel it is moving as fast as it can and that may find you presumptuous for thinking you can rush them into an offer. And see whether you can persuade the institution that already made you an offer to wait a little longer. Do this with care too; you risk having them rescind the offer and move on to the next candidate in line if you don't respond within what they consider to be a reasonable time. Realize too that, in letting your potential employer know that it is your second choice, you risk starting off a new job on the wrong foot.

In sum -- congratulations on getting the offer -- it's what you've been waiting for. Now think carefully and clearly about whether you really want it.