Congratulations! You’ve been offered a job! Now what? If you’ve been searching for a while, your first instinct is to immediately accept. We can get so caught up in the excitement of a new job that we can forget the essentials. So, take a step back and ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I have it in writing? Most of the time, HR will call to let you know you have a job offer. Before you accept, make sure you have their offer in writing, so you can review the details.

2. Do you fully understand what the job entails? If you’re not clear on what your day-to-day will look like, ask follow-up questions. Maybe you need to clarify your job title or who you report to.

3. Is there any additional information you want to know about the company culture? Forbes has a great list of questions that will help you learn more, like, how do they handle after hours communication?

4. What do you think about your potential boss? Will you thrive under their management style? Remember, most people don’t leave because of the job; they leave because of their manager.

5. What do the salary and benefits look like? If you were hoping for a higher salary or more benefits, check out this article on negotiation from The Muse to help you get what you want.

6. Is this job helping you achieve your career goals? How will you and your career goals benefit from this position?

7. Are you actually excited about the job or the job offer? If you are only excited about receiving a job offer, really consider if you would be excited to go to work everyday.

After you’ve asked yourself these tough questions, and asked HR clarifying questions, you’re now ready to make your decision. Do you have any additional tips for what to do once you receive a job offer? Comment below or shoot us over an email.