How to Evaluate a Job Offer

I received an email from a friend who is weighing two job offers. One offer is for a permanent position with a good benefits package. The other is for a contract job with a much higher hourly rate. How should he decide? It depends on what is most important to him (job security, benefits, salary), but, regardless of what matters, it's still a tough decision to make.

Deciding whether to take a new job is a decision many of us need to make at some point in our career.

Here's information on how to evaluate a job offer so you can make an educated decison when it comes to deciding which job you should, or shouldn't, take. Take a look at what you can expect when you receive a job offer letter, from About.com's Human Resources Guide, Susan Heathfield. Then use this Job Offer Checklist to make sure you have considered all the alternatives and options.

• How to Evaluate a Job Offer
• Job Offer Checklist
• Sample Job Offer Letter
• Quiz: What's Most Important to You?

_{Image © Alison Doyle}