The Offer Letter – Read the Fine Print

 

Dear “Name”, the company of XYZ is pleased to make a formal offer of employment through this letter….please sign and return, as this offer is valid for x days. 

 It feels like winning the lottery! Ok, well maybe not; I mean after all, I have never won the lottery, however I have won $10 on a scratch off ticket, and that was pretty euphoric.  That was a great return, I immediately pocketed my winnings. 

Whoa! An actual offer! I was given an offer for a position on Italy some years ago.  It was in Naples, and I was excited.  As I recall the salary was on the lower end of my range at the time, but it was tax free. And there was roughly up to a 50% housing allowance.  The caveat, which was spelled out in the offer letter gave a sum of up to a certain amount.  My immediate thoughts were to rent a small apartment, and pocket the difference – The fine print, spelled out in the offer letter, I had skimmed over – that housing allowance was based on whatever the lease ended up being up to that maximum amount; there was no ‘pocketing the difference’.   Ultimately I didn’t take the position. 

But remember to read the offer letter carefully. Find out what the ‘benefits’ of a corporation are before you accept. I was given an offer letter from another company once, and the salary figure was six figures! I was ecstatic.  And then I found out that the health benefits for my salary were going to be 10% of the salary.  I declined that offer respectfully.  

I have accepted offers without doing the research, because frankly, desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures.  I left the employ of a fantastic corporation to take a position somewhere else. The new company offered more money, but the benefits were atrocious. I was quickly disillusioned.  

My suggestion upon the offer is to make certain that you read the fine print; ask for information regarding the benefits, and read those as well.   Determine what is right for you and your family.  

Want to know who is hiring right now, and who offers benefits?  www.govtcontractorjobs.com