How to choose between multiple job offers

As a specialist engineering and IT recruitment agency, talented candidates we put forward for positions sometimes find themselves with more than one job offer to choose from. So, how do you choose between multiple job offers?

Here are some of the key things to bear in mind and questions to ask yourself before you choose which dotted line to sign on:

6 ways to choose between multiple job offers

1) Think “pull” and “push”

There will be a reason (possibly more than one) that has made you consider leaving your current job.

The first thing to ask yourself is whether any of the job offers you are considering will make a material change to whatever situation you are trying to leave.

Will it be challenging enough to alleviate your current boredom? Are there opportunities for progression (unlike your current workplace)? And so on.

2) Picture yourself in each role long-term

Can you imagine yourself staying in these positions for an extended period? Are you confident that the company has enough to offer you to encourage you to stay with them long-term?

Plus, what are your longer-term career goals? Will the new position help you achieve at least one or more of them?

Unpleasant working conditions aside, the main reason most people look for a new job is to move their career forward. Always think about how well each job offer meshes with your ambitions before you choose.

3) Consider your work-life balance

Most people will at least give work-life balance passing consideration before they choose between multiple job offers. Don’t neglect this. Ask yourself questions like:

-Will you be able to work flexibly? If so, how many days per week? Is that guaranteed?

-Where is the office located? How long will your average commute be?

-Does the company offer ways to help? Childcare support, for example?

4) Ask yourself what you’ve learned about their culture

There’s an old adage that even the worst job can be better if you have the right people working with you. Conversely, even a great job can be soured by a workplace that doesn’t have a good culture.

These days, many companies run a round of preliminary or culture-fit interviews. These can feel like an unnecessary extra step in the engineering or IT recruitment process.

However, they can help you understand a prospective employer’s company culture as much as they help employers understand how good a fit you might be for them.

To get an inkling of a company’s culture, you could:

-Ask your interviewer during the hiring process (even the way talk about culture can be a good clue)

-Ask friends, former colleagues, or former employees of the firm

-Get indications from prior similar jobs you’ve had

-Search Glassdoor and other independent employee review websites

-Think back to your interviews and the kind of people you interacted with (this is especially true if you’ve met the person who will be your direct manager)

5) Balance compensation against satisfaction

Money can go a long way to ameliorating any negative aspects of a position you’re considering. This is especially true if there is a big difference in salary between the two IT or engineering jobs you’re comparing.

However, as the saying goes, money can’t buy you happiness. Nor is salary any indication that a given role will help you advance your career. Or that the job will give you any satisfaction – any reason to employ your intelligence, creativity, or experience.

Of course, if you have outgoings like a mortgage that need to be met, you might not have much choice.

That said, if you have multiple job offers and one is much better paid, it can be worth at least mentioning to the lower offer that you’d prefer to work for them if they could only improve their bid…

6) Assess your gut feeling

You can’t beat your intuition when it comes to assisting you in the decision-making process. If you end up going against your gut impression, you can even end up feeling worse if it gets proven right later on.

Because even if you can’t put your finger on why, it’s likely that all of the considerations above – and maybe some other personal ones – will all contribute to the way you feel instinctively about the job offers before you.

A helpful strategy can be to ask friends and family. Not just because they might volunteer considerations you haven’t thought of yet. But also because you might find yourself naturally defending one position from their criticisms.

One job might be better paid. It might come with glamour or prestige. But if another option lets you be creative and the company has a great culture, it might be time to trust your gut.

Want to find yourself in the lucky position of having more than one job offer to consider?

Let’s talk. Ernest Gordon is a specialist engineering and IT recruitment agency. Here you will find exclusive job vacancies you won’t find elsewhere.

Reach out to one of our friendly team for a chat about your career plans today.