Look Before You Leap

Imagine relocating your family cross-country for a job that turns out to be a dud. That’s what happened recently to a client of Amy Hoover’s. The vp of Atlanta-based recruiter Talent Zoo says the creative exec realized the firms’ partners were planning to sell the company because of a conflict between them, and he left the job. “He admitted he didn’t do his homework,” she says. “It pays to do due diligence.”

Even in this slumping economy, where the first instinct is usually to grab at a job offer and hold on tight, it’s essential to know what you’re in for.