Torn Between Job Offers: How to Decide
4 Tie-Breaker Questions for Choosing between Job Offers
Right now is a great time to find a new job. With more open roles than job-seekers, it’s a seller’s market for any professional looking for a new position, and the recruitment packages are only getting better. Once you have the skills needed for the role, you can find yourself facing several great offers that can be difficult to choose between. To help make your next career step, you’ll need a few smart tie-breaker questions to identify the best job offer – for you.
It’s only natural that you’re torn between job offers, trying to decide between two or more great roles with tempting benefits packages. You may like both companies, be excited about the work, and find the salary ranges agreeable. Maybe you enjoyed both sets of interviews and still can’t make up your mind.
Choosing a job is about more than just compensation–it’s the next step in your career. Your new job will also define your schedule and lifestyle for the foreseeable future. In this light, you can more easily compare two great job offers to make the best choice for your career and lifestyle. If you ask yourself these four simple questions, the answer will become clear.
1. Does the job align with your long-term career goals?
Visualize where you want your career to be in five, ten, or twenty years in the future. Even a two-year projection can be enlightening when it comes to comparing job offers. Figure out whether each role has promotion and training opportunities, or a structure you can rise through successfully.
Will you feel challenged?
There are two kinds of career progress: experience and promotion. If you want to gain experience and become more skilled in your role, look for a job that challenges you. Anticipate projects that use your skills in new ways or will involve learning new software and tools.
Measure your opportunities to grow
Every company has its own structure and upward mobility. What are the paths to promotion for each role for more pay and greater challenges? Is there an option for in-line training to move up the ladder, and do you like the directions those ladders will take you? Take note of how each job provides opportunities to build your career from the role you’ll take.
2. Will the job provide a full life?
The position you accept defines your lifestyle in several ways. Your schedule, salary, benefits, and even work culture will shape how you live each day. Naturally, you want to accept a job that offers a full lifestyle. Determine if the pay is worth the work and if you’ll enjoy your time in the office. Compare how each job might improve your life or stretch you too thin.
Salary, benefits, culture, and work-life balance
There are four aspects to consider in maintaining a rewarding work and home life: salary, benefits, company culture, and work-life balance. Some roles may not offer your preferred combination of these elements, so it’s important to consider what you want to prioritize. A lower salary, for example, might be balanced by great benefits. The right company culture could ease your stress levels, while a flexible schedule would allow you to have more control over your time off work.
Is the salary worth the stress?
Sometimes, it’s worth a few high-intensity years for a larger income and a future career boost. What stress-to-compensation balance are you looking for? Do you need a stable job to focus on your personal and family life, or are you looking for a few years of rigorous employment for a high salary? Do the jobs you’re considering fulfill this balance?
Will the schedule and benefits be enjoyable?
Your day-to-day is filled with your work, commute, and personal life. Benefits can improve time spent at the office or your home life, depending on the package details. Finding a job with a balance of benefits and scheduling can be valuable. If you’ll be spending long hours at the office, look for on-site benefits like catered meals and gym equipment. For a balanced home life, look for benefits that make your personal life more enjoyable or affordable.
Are you being paid for your value?
Make sure each job offer is offering a total value equal to the value of your time, or greater. Complex job offers can sometimes obscure a lower total value on the job market.
3. Will you like your manager?
The person you directly report to, your manager, has a huge impact on your work experience. During the interview process, did you get a good feeling about them? Trust your instincts and experience to tell if you could handle this person as your boss in stress-varied situations long-term.
Compare the managers of each role
Most importantly, compare your two (or more) potential managers between job offers. If you’re really torn and they’re both very tempting jobs, this consideration can often help you make the right choice. Which manager did you feel more at ease with? Which had a style you have admired in previous managers?
4. What do your instincts say?
Finally, trust your gut. When you can’t make up your mind, flip a coin on it. Oftentimes, you’ll know which side you want the coin to land on before the flip is revealed. After you’ve weighed all your options, compared the packages, considered your financial position, and made your career plans: where do you stand?
Trust yourself to select the most rewarding job
If you’re not sure, ask your gut which job might be more ‘fun’. Your instincts can help you find the right company culture, team dynamic, and manager for your own style. You might have a feel for which job will be more challenging, and have a more optimistic approach to challenge. Trust yourself to know which environment will be more rewarding, even if your gut can’t do financial math.
Don’t involve too many outside opinions
Ultimately, it’s your choice. Ask for advice from a few people you trust, but make the decision on your own. Don’t let other opinions sway a decision you’re sure about. You’ll be the one working the job, not anyone else offering advice. Make the decision for your well-being and future.
When you can’t make up your mind between job offers, there is always a tie-breaker. From the benefits package to the office atmosphere, the right choice will make itself clear. Here at Career Technical Institute, it’s our goal to help every professional in our program receive multiple tempting job offers. When your options are laid out before you, it helps to know yourself and your own workplace preferences to make that critical decision between job offers.