Got a job offer? Compare pay, schedule, commute and benefits before you say yes

Paste one to three offers; get a side-by-side of hourly pay, hours, commute, benefits and training, the questions still to ask, and short replies asking for time or for the offer in writing.

What it does

No bot required. CareerOneStop, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, says that when you get a job offer you should thank them, say you're interested, and ask for at least 24 hours to think it over, even if you're pretty sure you'll say yes. Then pull together what you know about the responsibilities, the work environment, the schedule, the wage or salary, insurance (medical, dental, life and disability), education or training benefits, medical and other pre-tax accounts, and any profit sharing or stock options. Its salary page adds practical questions: who you'd report to, the schedule, remote or onsite, vacation and sick leave, parking, whether there's a retirement plan, and what training or advancement is possible. Then weigh it against your life. Is the pay enough for your bills and household budget? Do the schedule, commute and working conditions fit your needs and health? Does it have the benefits you need, and will it help your long-term goals? CareerOneStop notes that some benefits can be worth more than a higher wage, like health insurance, tuition help, training, more vacation or a flexible schedule. It also points out that future raises build on your starting pay, so asking for more can matter for years. Look up the typical pay for the job where you live (its Salary Finder covers more than 800 occupations), base any ask on your skills and experience rather than on needing the money, and keep requests short and reasonable. If you accept, ask for the offer in writing. If you turn it down, be polite and ask them to keep you in mind. Before you accept, the FTC suggests searching the company or the person hiring you plus "scam," "review" or "complaint," and it says honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job or to deposit a check and send part of it back. Paste the offers and your must-haves into any chat AI and it lines them up, does the weekly-pay and commute math, and drafts your replies. The decision stays yours.

Copy-paste prompt

No bot needed: paste this into Grok, ChatGPT, or Claude.

Help me compare job offers before I answer. Use CareerOneStop's "Is this offer right?" and "Negotiate your salary" pages as background. Don't tell me which job to take.

The offers (for each: employer, job title, pay per hour or per year, hours per week, shift and days, overtime chances, start date, location, and every benefit they mentioned): [paste offer 1], [paste offer 2 or "none"], [paste offer 3 or "none"]
My must-haves: [e.g. "home by 6 for the kids," "Sundays off for church," "health insurance," "at least $X a week"]
My commute for each: [miles or minutes each way], and my rough cost per mile if I know it: [ ].
Typical pay I found for this job in my area (CareerOneStop Salary Finder or similar): [ ]

1. Make a side-by-side table: pay per hour, expected weekly and monthly pay before taxes, schedule, commute time and rough weekly commute cost, health, dental, life and disability insurance, paid time off and sick leave, retirement plan, training or tuition help, and anything else they mentioned. Mark anything they didn't say as "ask."
2. Check each offer against my must-haves and flag any that miss one.
3. List the questions I still need answered, like who I'd report to, how schedules are set, when benefits start, parking, and what training I'd get.
4. If an offer is below the typical range I found, help me write one short, polite ask based on my skills and experience, not on needing the money. One or two requests at most.
5. Draft three short replies I can send myself: thanks plus a request for 24 hours to decide; accepting, with a request for the offer in writing; and declining politely while asking them to keep me in mind.

Keep it plain and kind. If an offer asks me to pay for training, equipment or a "starter kit," or to deposit a check and send part of it back, flag it as a likely job scam.

What you need

• Any chat AI (Grok, ChatGPT, Claude)
• The offer details (email, letter or your notes from the call)
• Your must-haves and your commute

Sources

• CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor): Is this offer right?
• CareerOneStop: Negotiate your salary
• CareerOneStop: Salary Finder
• FTC Consumer Advice: Job Scams (how to avoid a job scam before you accept)
• Related: Job search tracker with follow-up reminders and a job-scam check
• Related: Open enrollment: compare your job's health plans side by side
• Related: Am I owed overtime? Check your hours against the FLSA basics

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