What To Consider Before Saying "Yes" To A Job Offer

There is probably nothing more exciting to a job seeker than getting “the call.” You know the call I’m talking about: the call from the company you've been tirelessly applying to, interviewing for, and obsessing over for the last several weeks, and maybe even months. This is the long-awaited call where you’re offered a job!

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new offer, especially if the job has been in your sights for a while. Before you accept it, ensure this is the right next step for you by doing your research and spending time in reflection. Consider these four things (if you haven’t already).

1. Future Of Your Ministry Career

Hopefully this church job offer you have just received lines up with the trajectory of your career, otherwise you probably wouldn’t have applied in the first place, right? It’s surprising how many people apply for jobs just to apply, and then realize after the job is offered that it’s not the place for them.

Consider applying for jobs that lead to where you feel like God is calling you next in your career. Maybe this position will only be a stepping-stone to something bigger, or maybe this is where you want to be for the rest of your career. Either way, make sure the position really lines up with your career goals before you say "yes."

2. Future Of The Organization

When I started at Vanderbloemen, some people might have thought I was crazy for leaving an long-established university job to work for a 5-year-old startup that was 12 hours away from home, but I knew I was walking into something great. I had done my research and could tell that Vanderbloemen had a bright future ahead.

Do the same for your future job endeavors. Research the organization thoroughly to see if its long-run vision aligns with yours. Could you see yourself working there in 5 years? What about 10?

3. Benefits

After figuring out if this offer is a good fit for your ministry career path and if the church's future looks stable, you now need to make sure they have the benefits that you require. Compensation is always a difficult topic to discuss, but you obviously need to make sure you can live off of what you’re being offered. Is it in line with what you need to survive relative to the location of the job? If not, some negotiation may be necessary.

Other benefits such as insurance, paid time off, and stipends need to be taken into consideration as well. Perhaps the annual take home salary being offered is a bit less than what you’ve been making, but the health insurance and sick leave benefits are much better. Take a look at the overall package and weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

4. Company Culture

Last and certainly not least, consider the organization’s staff culture. These days, a great culture is at the top of the list for many job seekers. A healthy culture makes the good workdays great and the bad ones manageable (and let’s be honest – any and every job is going to have bad days).

A toxic work environment can break down even the most positive of team members. It can turn a job that you love into one that you merely tolerate because you have to. A healthy culture ensures a solid foundation for employees to flourish in their personal and professional development, and cultivates an environment where people want to stay for many years. Do your homework and figure out if this organization has a culture that makes or breaks its employees.

Of course every church job is unique, and every job seeker has a specific set of needs. These are just a few things that we think are important for job seekers to consider.