there are many issues to consider when assessing a job offer. will the organization be a good place to work? will the job be interesting? are there opportunities for advancement? is the salary fair? does the employer offer good benefits? now is the time to ask the potential employer about these issues—and to do some checking on your own.
the organization. background information on an organization can help you to decide whether it is a good place for you to work. factors to consider include the organization's business or activity, financial condition, age, size, and location.
you generally can get background information on an organization, particularly a large organization, on its web site or by telephoning its public relations office. a public company's annual report to the stockholders tells about its corporate philosophy, history, products or services, goals, and financial status. most government agencies can furnish reports that describe their programs and missions. press releases, company newsletters or magazines, and recruitment brochures also can be useful. ask the organization for any other items that might interest a prospective employee. if possible, speak to current or former employees of the organization.
background information on the organization may be available at your public or school library. if you cannot get an annual report, check the library for reference directories that may provide basic facts about the company, such as earnings, products and services, and number of employees. some directories widely available in libraries either in print or as online databases include:
dun & bradstreet's million dollar directory
standard and poor's register of corporations
mergent's industry review （formerly moody's industrial manual）
thomas register of american manufacturers
ward's business directory
stories about an organization in magazines and newspapers can tell a great deal about its successes, failures, and plans for the future. you can identify articles on a company by looking under its name in periodical or computerized indexes in libraries, or by using one of the internet's search engines. however, it probably will not be useful to look back more than 2 or 3 years.
the library also may have government publications that present projections of growth for the industry in which the organization is classified. long-term projections of employment and output for detailed industries, covering the entire u.s. economy, are developed by the bureau of labor statistics and revised every 2 years. （see the career guide to industries, online at ） trade magazines also may include articles on the trends for specific industries.
career centers at colleges and universities often have information on employers that is not available in libraries. ask a career center representative how to find out about a particular organization.
during your research consider the following questions:
does the organization's business or activity match your own interests and beliefs?
it is easier to apply yourself to the work if you are enthusiastic about what the organization does.
how will the size of the organization affect you?
large firms generally offer a greater variety of training programs and career paths, more managerial levels for advancement, and better employee benefits than do small firms. large employers also may have more advanced technologies. however, many jobs in large firms tend to be highly specialized.
jobs in small firms may offer broader authority and responsibility, a closer working relationship with top management, and a chance to clearly see your contribution to the success of the organization.
should you work for a relatively new organization or one that is well established?
new businesses have a high failure rate, but for many people, the excitement of helping to create a company and the potential for sharing in its success more than offset the risk of job loss. however, it may be just as exciting and rewarding to work for a young firm that already has a foothold on success.
the job. even if everything else about the job is attractive, you will be unhappy if you dislike the day-to-day work. determining in advance whether you will like the work may be difficult. however, the more you find out about the job before accepting or rejecting the offer, the more likely you are to make the right choice. consider the following questions:
where is the job located?
if the job is in another section of the country, you need to consider the cost of living, the availability of housing and transportation, and the quality of educational and recreational facilities in that section of the country. even if the job location is in your area, you should consider the time and expense of commuting.