Cracking the Tech Career: Insider Advice on Landing a Job at Google, Microsoft, Apple, or any Top Tech Company

15The Offer

You've done it. You've poured years into your studies and your career, and potentially weeks or months into preparing for the interview. It's all culminated into this moment, when HR calls you and tells you that you have received an offer.

That's amazing. Congratulations!

But, before you whip out your pen to sign the offer, stop and consider. Is this what you want? Can you do better?

How to Evaluate an Offer

Offers are complex. They include a salary, bonus, raises, vacation days, health care, and so on—and that's just the financial side. You also must consider your career direction, the company culture, your future teammates, and potentially even the feelings of a spouse or significant other. Then, to really muddy the waters, you rarely have all the information. How many hours will you be working? What are annual raises like? Even if you get answers to these questions, you can't really be sure that you're getting the unvarnished truth.

The complexities of an offer usually can be broken down into the following categories:

• Career development. Is this the right decision for your career? Will the job look good on your resume? Will it help you progress in your career?
• Financial package. How much are they paying you? What are the perks (health care, stock, etc.) worth?
• Happiness. Will you enjoy the job? Will you get along with your teammates? Is the location where you want to live?

Some applicants wind up debating the first two so much that they forget about the happiness ...