Make Money Online
How to decide whether this job is actually the right fit — and make the most of this rare moment of leverage.
September 03, 2024

Illustration by Ana Moreno
Post
Post
Share
Annotate
Save
You got the job offer! Now you have to decide whether or not to take it. It’s impossible to predict exactly how a job will turn out, but asking the right questions of yourself and others can give you a clearer picture of what to expect. In this article, the author shares advice from two experts and offers seven questions to ask to help you make an informed decision and to help prevent future regrets: 1) What am I overlooking? 2) What’s the company culture really like? 3) What’s my prospective boss really like — and will we click both personally and professionally? 4) What’s my potential for growth at the organization? 5) What relationships am I going to build? 6) Beyond salary, what else can I negotiate that would benefit me in this role? 7) What’s my exit strategy?
You’ve been waiting for it, hoping for it, dreaming about it, and at last, it’s here: the job is yours. Congrats!
New!
![]()
HBR Learning
Career Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Career Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What’s your next career move? Learn how to set yourself up for success.
Start Course
-
RK
Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.
Post
Post
Share
Annotate
Save
New!
![]()
HBR Learning
Career Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Career Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What’s your next career move? Learn how to set yourself up for success.








