Reading Your Employment Contract

When searching for a new job, there are all sorts of things that you need to keep in mind. It can actually be pretty hard to keep track of them all. You need to prepare for interviews, make sure that your resume is polished and that you are wearing the best clothes when you meet up with them. For all of the things that you need to know for the job search, people tend to forget about what happens once they get hired. This can cause a lot of problems when they aren’t prepared. If you have just found out that you got the job you were looking for, now is the time to bone up on what an employment contract is and what to look out for. Did you know that nearly all companies and organizations make their new hires sign an employment contract? This is a very common practice for businesses. Not only does it help spare them from legal problems, but it can also do the same for you. In this way, using employment contracts is a win-win situation that you should really take to your advantage.

Although contracts like these can really help you, there are cases when they can hurt. This is mainly when the new employee doesn’t bother to read what they sign. Before acting shocked at this, think of all the things that you sign without reading. Most people do this many times in their life. As you may have already experienced, this kind of lazy attitude can have detrimental affects. The last thing you should avoid reading is your employment contract. Let’s say your employer promises you certain benefits in order to get you to take the job. You never look at the contract when you sign it. Several years later when you want to use a benefit, they may deny it to you, saying it was never in the contract. Although this seems dirty and underhanded, it happens a lot. Things get omitted by purpose or accident, and it can really make things harsh. You should at least read your employment contract to make sure that everything they promised shows up there. This not only applies to your benefits, such as retirement and paid vacations, but it also applies to your wages or salary. Make sure all is well before you sign it or you may end up getting paid much less than was originally specified.

Remember to read through all paperwork that is given to you to sign. If you are unsure about what to look for, you can always hire an attorney who can handle the situation for you.