Questions to ask before accepting a job offer

The offer is in. Joy, relief, and the recruiter would like an answer by Friday. You really want to reply "yes" right away.

Don't rush. Until you accept, you have the most room to ask questions: the company has already chosen you and wants you to join. After you say yes, many questions become awkward to ask, and changing anything gets harder.

By the way, companies expect you to weigh your options. The Sobes question bank has this question from a real interview: "If you get several offers, how will you compare them and choose? What four key criteria will you rely on?" So taking time to evaluate an offer is normal, it's part of the process.

Take some time and ask for the offer in writing

Two or three business days to decide won't surprise anyone. Reply like this:

Thank you for the offer, I'm interested. I need a couple of days to think it over. Would it be okay if I sent a few questions?

If the offer was made on a call, ask them to send it in writing: job title, pay, start date, and the main terms. Verbal agreements are easy to forget on both sides.

Here's what's worth clarifying.

The role

• What will the job title and level be? Future salary reviews often depend on your level.
• Who is your direct manager?
• What exactly will you be responsible for?

Sometimes the interviews were about a senior role, and the offer says middle with a promise to "revisit in six months". That can work, but it's better to know in advance and ask for it in writing: what will be reviewed and when.

First tasks

What will I be working on in the first three months?

If the answer is vague, ask what the last person who joined the team worked on. We cover how to push past vague answers in Questions to ask the interviewer as a developer.

Expectations and probation

• How long is the probation period, and what are the criteria for passing it?
• Is there a plan for the first few months?
• How often is performance reviewed, and when is the first salary review?
• Is the salary different during probation?

If there are no criteria, ask them to at least describe what should be done by the end of probation. That way you'll know what you'll be judged on.

The team

How many people are on the team, who you'll work with every day, and how the processes work. If you haven't met your future colleagues yet, ask for a short call with the team lead or someone from the team. Many companies are happy to set this up, and half an hour of that conversation tells you more than all the interview rounds combined.

Schedule and work format

• Remote, hybrid, or office? If remote, is it in the contract or just "for now"?
• Are there core hours when you need to be available?
• Is there on-call or overtime, and how is it paid?
• What equipment do you get?

Compensation

This is where most surprises happen. The number in the offer may be quite different from what actually lands in your account.

• Is this amount before or after tax?
• How much is fixed and how much is bonus? What does the bonus depend on, and how much was actually paid out last year?
• Is the full amount in the contract?
• If there are options or stock: on what terms, and how many years until they vest?
• What else is included: health insurance, allowances, learning budget?
• When and how is salary reviewed?

For example, "$100K" in an offer might turn out to be a $75K base plus a $25K bonus that paid out at half last year. Better to know that before you accept.

If you want to negotiate the number, do it now and name a specific figure: "I was expecting $105K, can we discuss that?" After you sign, it's much harder to come back to it.

Timing

What start date works for the company, and how long you need to leave your current job. Check your notice period in your current contract, and remember that handing over your work can take longer. Companies often ask about this during interviews, so it's worth estimating ahead of time.

How to ask without scaring the company off

Put your questions in one email instead of sending them one by one over the week. Start with a thank-you and explain why you're asking:

Thanks again for the offer. To make a decision, I'd like to clarify a few points: …

Reasonable questions don't get offers withdrawn. If the company answers them with irritation, that's an answer too: that's how they'll treat you after you join.

Things to watch for:

• they refuse to send the offer in writing;
• they rush you: "we need an answer today";
• they can't explain what the bonus is based on;
• they can't tell you who your manager will be.

Compare and decide

If you have several offers, put them in one table: money, tasks, team, format, prospects. The Sobes tracker has offer comparison: cards with salary ranges side by side, and the notes on each card are a handy place for the answers to your questions.

Once you've decided, reply to the companies where you're still in the process too: briefly thank them and say you've accepted another offer. The tech world is small, and in a couple of years you might want to come back to them.