How to Decide Which Job Offer Is Right For You

It’s no secret that the tech industry is experiencing a boom greater even than the dot-com era. With ongoing consumer demand, shifting business landscapes, and an increasing need for airtight cyber-security, the supply of top tech talent is growing but seemingly not fast enough.

Companies are getting competitive in their hiring. If you’ve set the ball rolling by applying to a handful of positions and performing well in a handful of tech interviews, it’s likely you’ll see at least a couple of separate job offers.

It might be tempting to make a rash decision to accept whichever offer comes with the highest price tag and put a little extra cash in your pockets. But realistically you know that all the money in the world can’t make a miserable job any happier.

Once you’re past that initial temptation, the reality of deciding between multiple job offers may be overwhelming. How do you decide?

Cultural Fit

You spend about a third of your working life in the office, and if you’re not happy in the work environment, the other two thirds of your life are going to suffer too. A company that cares about their work culture is going to make sure you get a tour and meet some of the team. This should give you a good idea of how you might fit in, and if your values and personality align with the company.

Management Style

What kind of management style do you thrive under? Hands on? Hands off? Collaborative or removed? Make sure you get an idea of the leadership structure within each organization you’re looking at, since even the best work culture may not make up for having to report to a tyrannical micro-manager. If possible, find out about approval processes and methods of communication. The more you know, the better you can determine how well you’ll fit in.

Career Growth

The highest salary offer might be appealing, but if that company doesn’t provide much in the way of career growth, then that salary will quickly become stagnant while your career gets stuck in a rut. Find out what kind of opportunities lay ahead of you in the role you’re interviewing for. Are there opportunities for learning? Leadership? Promotion? Contribution? Be clear about your own career goals and choose the company that can help you fulfill those.

Key Values

Consider what values are of critical importance in your life right now and for the next few years. Which company will best be able to accommodate and align with those values? For example, do you need some flexibility and work-life balance in order to take care of your growing family? Or are you looking to get on the cutting edge and make a big contribution to the tech world? Which company best supports your values and can help you achieve your goals?

Business Goals

If you’re still torn between multiple job offers, take a look at how the companies compare in their plans for the future. Are they looking into new markets? New geographical areas? Are they looking to grow exponentially? Will they be able to scale accordingly? Are they taking innovative risks or sticking to tried and true strategies for steady growth? Determine which trajectory fits best with your own career goals and preferences.

Intuition

It may sound cliché to say “listen to your gut” but chances are you can imagine yourself in one job over the other with no obvious reason why. Which company do you think you’ll be happier working for? Which office and team can you see yourself thriving within? If your answers to all the questions above fit with this vision, then you’ve probably come to the right decision.

If you’ve carefully weighed your options, you should trust yourself to make the right decision. If you need extra time to think about these multiple job offers, make sure you’re asking the hiring managers when they need a final decision by.

Be very careful when negotiating with a company based upon a competing offer; you don’t want to appear money motivated and risk having your decision made for you if the company rescinds the offer.

Demand for top tech professionals is not going to let up any time soon, and if you have the experience and in-demand skills, it’s likely you will see multiple job offers in your future. At MiSource, we can help you find the position that meets your needs.