8 questions to ask before you accept a job offer

Many people only learn what a job is really like with the first payslip, or six months in. By then the previous job is gone and leaving is hard. The time before you sign the offer letter is when you have the most leverage.

The fear that a question will cost you the offer is mostly unfounded. Polite, specific questions are a sign of professionalism. An employer that is annoyed by ordinary questions is also telling you something about what working there will be like.

• What is the gross salary, and what will you take home after tax, provident fund or other deductions?
• On which date is salary paid, and is it paid into a bank account or in cash?
• How many festival bonuses, how much, and from when? Are they paid during probation?
• Is there a yearly increment, and on what basis?

An interview panel will rarely give an honest answer to "is salary ever late?". Check the workplace facts section of the employer's page on ChakriKemon, where employees themselves say whether pay arrives on time.

• What are the office hours, and how many days a week?
• Is overtime paid, or treated as part of the job?
• How much leave is there, and can people actually take it?

Do not hesitate to ask whether you will get a written appointment letter. If you start on a verbal promise, you have nothing to show if pay or dues become a dispute later. The probation period and the notice needed to resign are also better in writing.

The best way to check what you heard in the interview is to hear from people who work or worked there. Search for the employer on ChakriKemon to see ratings, pay by job title and interview experiences. Once you have joined, you can add your own experience for the next person.