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What should you consider before accepting a job during the pandemic?

Written by: Charlotte Rogers
Published on: 25 Nov 2020

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We all know that job seeking, especially right now, is not that easy. There are probably things you have found yourself worrying about and these things might even be stopping you looking for a new role. Although you may have cause for concern, there are still many employers looking for suitable engineers like you! There are just a few more things you need to take into consideration!

Just like any other job search, you should be looking for a new role that you can develop in and learn from. There will be some people that are just looking for a new role because they want a change and this is okay too, but because of the times we are currently living in, you need to be cautious. Understand the company and the job before you apply or even accept a new job. With the current potential for volatility in the number of jobs available you may not want to make any decisions that could put you in a tricky situation. Before starting your job search and even accepting a new role, here are some things you should think about.

The company status

It’s not just job seekers that are having a rough time this year, employers are in a similar situation. If a company is hiring that’s a good sign, but you should try and find out more about their current situation and if there are going to be opportunities to grow within that organisation. Are projects and training still important for the company? Or are they simply interested in getting someone in to do a job and stay in that job?

You also want to know if the job you are accepting is going to be secure. Just because they are hiring now, doesn’t necessarily mean that things will stay that way. Companies will continue to have ups and downs and with the uncertain economic climate, you might want to put some research into how the company has dealt with things the past few months, just to be safe.

Why are you changing jobs?

You might not currently have a choice in changing jobs and that’s understandable. But if you are currently in a secure job, what are your reasoning’s behind leaving? You don’t have to have some amazing reasons; it could simply be because you want to move to another company, or you want to learn new things. Understanding why you are doing something, will help motivate you if things ever go wrong. Make sure you are accepting the right job for you, research it properly and understand the responsibilities of your job role. Especially now, you might not get an opportunity to move jobs again for a while. Unfortunately, that’s just the situation we’re all in, so make the right choices now.


What are the employee benefits?

When I talk about employee benefits, I’m not talking about discounts or pension schemes. Although those things can be important, it’s about how they take care of you as an employee and understand your needs. Are they going to trust you to work from home and if they do from the start, are they going to be happy for you to be home when things start to go back to normal?

One big employee benefit that doesn’t seem to be top priority until we start the job is micro-management. Do they want employees, or do they want seat warmers? You need to think about what working from home, childcare and other important employee benefits are worth to you. Unfortunately, it’s not just the job, but you have to take on the company culture as well.

Your responsibilities

An important thing to take into consideration if you have been offered a job, is what you will be doing day-to-day. You’re probably thinking this sounds simple, but if it’s a new role there will be a learning period. How will you learn for your new role? Do they have online resources or are they skills you have to learn hands on with another engineer?

Will you be working in the workplace straight away due to the nature of your role or will you be learning remotely? You need to ask about the company’s intentions and what they have done for their employees throughout the pandemic. You want to know that you will be able to learn and have the support you need throughout your first few weeks/months working for this company.

If you’ve been offered a job role, well done! You’ve probably already considered a lot of things before accepting but the time we’re currently in means we need to be careful with big choices, especially work related because there is a lot of uncertainty. Try and consider things like benefits and training and if you don’t know the answer, ask the employer! I’m sure they’d be happy to answer any of your questions and it will help you in the long run.