Liz Ryan is CEO/founder of Human Workplace and author of Reinvention Roadmap. She has been a career adviser and corporate consultant for many years.
"You can tell a lot about an organization by the way they handle job applicants. The folks who made you the job offer do not see you as a valued collaborator. They've already made that clear. Everything they did during their recruiting process sent the message 'If you don't take this job, somebody else will take it.'"
MAYBE the new gig will offer you more money, but at what cost? After two or three months, you will see your passion and mojo will go downhill fast. So be on the look out:
1. When you visit their facility, nobody is smiling. The people you meet are tense and angry. You can't afford to become one of those unhappy people!
2. You don't like and don't trust the person who will be your manager if you take the job. Your boss is the most important person to you in any job. Don't sign up to work for someone you don't feel good about.
3. Every time they describe the role to you, the assignment gets bigger — but the paycheck stays the same.
4. You read their employee handbook and noticed that they have a lot to say about fussy workplace rules. They treat attendance as a massively important topic, and you can get in trouble for walking into work five minutes late when the weather is bad. Run away from a place like that!
5. They treat you terribly throughout the interview process, leaving you in silence for weeks at a time, failing to reply to your messages and generally ignoring you. THEN, they decide to call to tell you the job is yours. With that earlier inaction, they are telling you already how little they care about you as a person. Further, you might even be their second or third choice (after having the other candidate(s) decline to accept). So with YOU, they just methodically moved on to the next person on the list...you.
It takes intestinal fortitude to walk away from a job offer, but as you advance in your career you will find it easier and easier to do. Keep in mind that only the people who get you, deserve you!
CREDIT: Forbes-Liz Ryan