The Trainer Brainer: Read before you sign on dotted lines. Be careful what you sign on for

Employment opportunities these days come with a contract that most of companies prefer to have established between the prospective employee and the company. The youth will have to sign this at any point of time in their career. Some are required to sign a contract when they make a significant job or career change. The moot point here is that as a young graduate, you will have to be sensitised to the fact that you will have to handle contracts with care. There is nothing to worry about, but certainly, it is not to be taken lightly either.

A look into why this is taking place throws some interesting insights. Normally, job contracts come with an aim to retain the employee for a particular period of time. Some are aimed at restraining an employee from moving out on his own free will. Many are carefully drafted to engage the employee within the company for their own survival. Yet many of the contracts will like to have the employee bound legally to the company with some stipulations. On a general view, it is also to make certain that the employee does not go away without notice after investing time and resources to train them to suit the company’s policies. Finally, some job contracts are kept as a tool at the employer’s disposal to send away any staff for their unsatisfactory performance.

Most HR agencies get the candidates to sign on the dotted lines while appearing for the final stage of the interviews as part of the process of recruitment. In a few cases, signing the job contract in advance is one of the eligibility conditions to get the employment opportunity. It is here that you need to exercise a bit of caution and have an idea as to what you are signing. When you sign a contract without reading and understanding it properly, you might end up paying the price for it later. Moreover, you always have the option to say no to a contract that doesn’t suit you. So what is the big deal in going for it without careful consideration at your end? As an educated individual, you need to know what you are agreeing to and, most importantly, what repercussions it would create later on in life.