Many questions to consider before moving to a new job include, what's my pay going to be? Where will it be located? What's my new title? Each of the above questions are considered as life changing decision questions as I believe 80 percent of the typical employee mindset revolves around those 3 questions. The real question is, are we asking ourselves the right questions? Money, location, title are all short term incentives that usually are hyped up from your current lifestyle yet is not the key to entire work satisfaction. I write this and intend this message to those who embrace their fields and love what they do. The number one thing you should look out for when moving to a new position is the challenge you will face. Some believe moving to a laid back position will ease their lifestyle and allow them to settle back, yet as time progresses you will find yourself useless and those below you are where you used to be years ago, striving to reach the top, hungry for more , and you just gaze down and wait till your time is up. A challenge is very important, as it allows you to secure ambition, goals and targets. You will have things to look forward to, watch progression and achieve as time moves along. So in my opinion, the first factor you should look at when considering a new job is the challenge in your job description.

 

Think Twice

 

Since challenge is the number one factor I mentioned, then evaluation will be number two. When aiming for crazy goals and unbelievable targets (challenge), a fair evaluation system must be in place. One criterion you should ask your future HR manager is what policies and procedures are in place to ensure you are evaluated properly. Will your end of year bonus, increments, title be based purely on KPI objectives or will there be other instruments or fields you must fulfil? Sometimes you might not be able to fully achieve your KPI's, however other areas make it up in the evaluation, such as effective teamwork, overall goals, and efforts displayed. Although this might seem far off for you to consider as an incentive to move to a new job, however keep in mind the following: 1-when you sit down at a mid and end of year review with your manager, it reflects the fact that your progression is monitored and transparent communication takes place that eases your mind and allows you to know where you are heading for the next period. 2-international companies and some locals have a 360 degree evaluation. Which means you can also evaluate your manager every 6 months. This is another incentive in my experience as it ensures that your manager is also clearly monitored and no flaws or disruptions can occur as it will all be communicated to those above. 3-you might read this and think that every company already has this. Do double check before making any decisions as this has an effect on your long term stay.

 

Incentives are my third on the list. Now money is always something that twists our mind and forces us to make rational decisions however do calculate the hidden incentives that some company’s do not market properly. For instance at company X your salary is 10k, and you have just been offered 15k at company Y. You straight away think to yourself that's a 50 percent increase, no need to think, let me make the move. That's where you are wrong. You should ensure you read the employee manual before joining company Y. You might find some severe changes in your incentive scheme. For example, company X although they are offering you a salary of 10k, there are benefits such as your children get 50 percent of their education paid, an amount goes into your mobile bill monthly, your average travel per deem is X USD per day, medical insurance would cover dental costs. While company Y does not include any of those benefits and therefore you are actually making a loss then what you were making before!! This is the danger that a lot fall for and these hidden factors make a huge impact on your decisions of a career move. I encourage the head of HR's to market and communicate these hidden incentives more as they are currently written on paper and no one knows their rights unless they ask for them. I would also encourage induction workshops designed specifically for the HR manual, which outlines everything that the employee is entitled to.

 

Number four on my list is somewhat non measurable. When you move from one job to another, you are expected to offer the new company a service in which they are lacking or require expertise in. The question you should be asking here is what will you learn? Everyone has space to learn and no matter how senior one person is there is always room to broaden the mind and expand your knowledge. What kind of learning and development will you be offered? Does this include travelling? Does this include gaining international wealth of experience? Does this include learning from experts in the field you are entering? On average an annual training or learning and development course is conducted at a solid company. You just have to figure out how much value will it add to you.

 

Who’s going to be your new boss? This is my number five. Well having a good manager is one factor of ensuring a healthy work environment. It also depends on what you are looking for in a manager. You could be looking for the flexible, transparent kind or the stern and experienced kind of guy or a mix of both. Take it from me, there isn't a perfect kind of manager, but the one you should look for is the one you can respect in and out of work, and if you ever leave you would forever maintain a stable relationship with that person. A good manager always wants to see their employees succeed and grow. If you grow and do well that means your manager has done an excellent job in grooming you to become who you are today. So do a bit of research, linkedin always helps. Find out who and how many have recommended your future boss. It’s your right to ask those in your prospective company about him as well.

 

How is my office space and work surroundings? That is my number six.Some like to be in the gist of the action and in the middle of everyone, whether it be a small shared desk space or work-table. And some like the idea of an isolated office where privacy is bestowed upon them. Either way, this question should also be asked before joining your new job. You need to ensure you are comfortable in your new job from a seating perspective as this influences whether you are able to perform or not. I would add the following if you were a female: you should ask the HR manager or your interviewer to show you around your future workspace. In my experience the majority of the complaints that were received from females revolved around their workspace.

 

My number seven question would be how’s the workplace flexibility? Now depending on the field you are in, work hours are always to be adhered no matter what. However, some places the work environment is flexible to the point that you can work from home as long as you are able to complete your assigned tasks. This also could form as an incentive when considering your work place. It depends if you would rather prefer the system of logging in (scan or fingerprint) or merely ensuring your job is done and communicating it effectively. So do also ensure you ask this at your interview.

 

Eight would be what kind of work life balance is available? Some of us choose to enter the world of crazy hours and long days, but you

 

need to make sure that the place you head to has some sort of a work life balance. This would include corporate day out with the families, extended vacation days, maternity and paternity leaves along with several other items. These questions should be submitted to the HR manager during your interview. You have to find out not only what's in it for you, but what's in it for your family.

 

My favourite number nine question is what does the leadership of the new organization think of a healthy work environment? In order to ensure a healthy work environment the belief must come from the top. The management and leadership would really need to believe in the benefits the healthy work environment brings to business. I would like to use my previous employer as an example. KPMG in Saudi Arabia main focus was on ensuring that the firm is benchmarked against its regional member firms as an "Employer of Choice". Throughout my time there, the executive management, led by the chairman himself, did everything possible to secure the company as one of the best in the Kingdom. For five years in a row it participated in the "Best Company to work for" survey and was ranked a top 3 consecutively, and I believe that even this year they will hit a top 3 spot, not because of pure luck or coincidence, but as an achievement for the leadership of the company. Transparency, open door policy, and answering all of the above questions are what they are about. In conclusion, do have a think of the above questions before considering a move, as I truly believe in the saying "Money doesn’t buy you happiness", it can get you allot of shoes and clothes, but you still won’t be smiling 8 hours of your day:)