Decision Time: What To Do With Multiple Job Offers

You’ve been interviewing for months with what seems likes a zillion companies and now it looks like you are a final candidate for two great positions.  You’ve got your fingers and toes crossed that one of them turns into a bona-fide offer of employment.

Both jobs are interesting, both offer similar types of work and both are located in the same area of town so the commute will be good.  It appears that both have a great corporate culture and you clicked with the hiring manager as well as team members.  No red flags that you have identified.

In other words, either would be a good job.

What’s the old saying? “When it rains, it pours.” Much to your surprise, BOTH companies make you an offer!

Once you’ve calmed down after high-fiving everyone in the neighborhood, at the grocery store and at the gym, reality comes crashing in.  How do you decide what to do with multiple job offers?  Especially since both companies are pretty much offering the same opportunity.

Wait; they aren’t.  One company is offering a much greater compensation package then the other one. Higher salary, signing bonus and other perks.

So what’s a job seeker to do?

If – and this is a big IF – both offers are truly apples-to-apples, then higher compensation may win out.

But rarely are two offers truly an apples-to-apples comparison.  There are usually a few differences that need to be looked at closely to help determine which job is the right job at this particular point in your career.

Deciding on an offer is different for every job seeker.  Certain things may be more important to me than they are to you, so we each need to decide for ourselves.

Here are a few ways to help:

• Know what’s important to you.  Prior to a job search, write down your top ten career goals.  Do the same thing for your personal life (lifestyle goals).  See how those two lists intersect.  You want to make sure the job allows you to fulfill some of your lifestyle goals; if it doesn’t you will not be happy in the long run.  (If you did not do this exercise prior to job search, do it now.)
• What are you trying to accomplish with this new job?  Is it learning a new skill and moving up in the company?  Job stability?  Benefits? Is it all about the cash?  Answering those questions will help you make an informed decision because one company will probably fulfill your needs better than the other.
• Know Your Strengths. Hopefully you only interviewed for jobs that played to your strengths. Sometimes, though, we discover during the interview process that the job has more layers to it and maybe it’s not exactly as outlined in the job description. Make sure the job you choose really does match your strengths.
• Stage in Life.  If you’re a new college graduate with few responsibilities, it’s much easier to take a job that requires long hours and lots of travel than someone with a family.  If you’re nearing retirement you may trade off salary for work that is more personally fulfilling.  Again, the “career goals vs. lifestyle goals” exercise comes in handy here.

Above all, put everything together. Remember the people you met, the corporate culture, the feeling you had when you left the interview, and how you feel now about the job itself.  If the compensation packages were equal, which one gets you most excited?

Again, deciding on a job offer is different for each person.  No matter what, don’t get so bogged down in the minutia of decision making that it takes the fun out of the moment.  Remember how great it is to have even one offer, much less multiple offers!