Excuse me, but what is your travel policy?

There a few more questions that seldom get asked during the magic moment after you’ve been offered a new job, but before you’ve accepted. For people who have jobs that require travel, the most important one is about the company’s travel policy.

You may think that all travel policies are equal, but you’d be wrong. Some companies require employees take the lowest fare, regardless or the number of connections or time of flight. This often entails late night or weekend travel. Very cost conscious companies require employees stay in lost cost hotels and share rooms. I have even see companies take frequent flyer miles that are earned on business travel and use them for future travel.

On the other hand, some companies allow employees to take the most convenient flights, fly their favorite airlines and stay in Marriott’s and Sheraton hotels.

If you’re considering two job offers in sales, marketing, or service that entail frequent business travel, wouldn’t you like to know I little more about their travel policy before you accept the offer?

There are few other magic moment questions that are “good to know,” especially if you’re deciding between two offers:

-          Where will I be sitting?

-          What kind of computer will I have?

-          Will I have administrative support for setting up meetings, travel, or running for overnight shipments?

I’ve seen new employees get hired without an office or cubicle and a then given a used underpowered laptop for a business computer.

Again, an offer may be so compelling that you’re willing to overlook all of these inconveniences, but wouldn’t it be nice to know?

Dave