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You’ve secured more than one job offer! Congratulations! However, the problem now becomes deciding where to work. Though having multiple companies interested in you seems like the dream life, choosing which offer to take is a different challenge. This decision can be stressful, especially if you see yourself working for several options. There can also be a lot of pressure, as you will, realistically speaking, only have a limited time to make this critical decision. It can get to the point where you overanalyze everything about your choices and nitpick everything. However, taking the proper measures to narrow your choice will help you determine what works best for you in the long run. So if you’re stuck between two or more job offers, here are some steps you can follow to ensure you make the decision that will work best for you.
Put Yourself First
It might seem selfish to make this decision about you; however, your job will be a significant aspect of your life! Because of this, you need to see that the company benefits you as much as you will aid them in your potential job. Therefore, compare benefits like salary, healthcare, and other bonuses among your job offers. After looking through the monetary advantages, think about other details like how you get along with the coworkers you’ve met, how far work is from where you live, if you can work from home for some of the week, or even what your potential office looks like. Of course, it is sporadic for a company to check off all of these boxes for you, but choose the job offer that caters to you most based on some of these characteristics.
Research
Yes, you have already researched more than enough for applying to the jobs like in your interviews or cover letters. But no research is too much research. Also, this will not be your typical learn-more-about-the-company research but a more personal one, like looking into how people feel about the company or what current and previous employees have to say about their time working there. Though these experiences may not necessarily be what you’ll go through, they are a good indicator of whether a company is genuinely right for you. In addition, this research is more personalized than how a company advertises itself on its website or social media, so you can get a more unbiased perspective from these sources.You can also meet with a current employee to get their perspective and even get advice from them.
Think About Your Career Goals
Though you are already thinking about things in the long run, think outside the company and consider your desires. What is the one thing you want to achieve careerwise? Can this company help you achieve this goal faster, or will an aspect of theirs slow you down? Do you see yourself working in this company for a long time, or do you have other plans for the future? Of course, it’s okay not to have these answers immediately or even not know where you stand in regards to what you want to achieve in your career, but mapping out possibilities and seeing how compatible these are with the companies interested in you is a great way to decide which job offer to take. A great way of doing this visually is by coming up with a pros and cons list about the company, your position, and any concerns you might have on your mind. (Make sure this is on paper, however, as it will be easier to see the different characteristics listed out on paper.)
Get Feedback
If anything gets too overwhelming, have someone assess your options and help you decide. It could be anyone that knows you in a working environment, like a professor, career coach, or students that share your major, so they can give you helpful insights and lead you in the right direction based on your relationship with them. They could even have connections to the companies you got offers from!
Take Your Time – But Wisely
When making decisions, time can be your best friend or worst nightmare. So to make sure you make the right decision, map out the time you have to respond to companies and plan your decision-making before the deadlines hit. Depending on how much time you get, it may seem too little to figure out everything you want to resolve. Still, companies will usually give you a reasonable amount of time to make the safest decision for you.
Good luck!
