If you receive a job offer and have the freedom to decline it, there are some questions you might ask yourself before committing.

- Am I clear on what the role entails and how my performance will be measured?
- Is it what I need? Or just what I think I want?
- If it isn't the perfect job, can it be a platform for something better?
- Am I the right fit for their culture and operational context (change mode, growth mode, maintenance mode etc)?
- Can I change the culture or accept the changes the culture makes to me?
- Is the role one I can enjoy and work sustainably in?
- How has the role come about? Is it a sustainable one for the business, if they experience a downturn?
- What is the trajectory of the role? Opportunities for learning and promotion?
- How will this role impact me and my family?
- What are the working arrangements like and how does that reflect my life commitments?
- What is the total value of the package on offer, compared to my current one, or that of another offer on the table? Salary, commission, bonus, pension scheme, car/allowance and other emoluments. Consider commuting - time and cost (45p a mile is a good baseline for car travel, including wear and tear).
- If compensation is in part performance-related - how realistic are the targets?
- Too easy to be dazzled by a high salary & job title and not probe deeper.

Ideally, this is information you will learn during a recruitment process, rather than at its end.

Everyone has different priorities, and many of these have changed over the passage of the past three years.

Make sure you consider everything when making what may be a life-changing decision, to reduce the odds of taking the wrong role.