With many markets still seeing an influx of job opportunities, great skilled candidates are continuously finding themselves in multi-offer situations.
Comparing two different job offers can be an overwhelming task, and it’s important to look at both opportunities through multiple lenses. Think about not only being attracted to the salary or benefits, but also think long term about your overall career plan and how each role could help you reach your goals.
OCG Recruitment Specialists Kelly and Natalie break down how to approach a multi-offer situation, and how to analyse it through multiple lenses.
Lens 1: Career Plan
It’s important to think about your short-term and long-term career goals. Once you have an idea of where you want to be in five years or so from a career perspective, then you can compare each offer to how it will support you in achieving these long-term goals.
From a career plan perspective, it’s important to think about which relationships, compatible experience or skills will help you get there, i.e., what will set you apart from other candidates? If you’re hoping to be an FMCG CMO one day, then having some category or key accounts experience could make you more commercially savvy and ensure you understand multiple functions of a business. Likewise, if your aim is to head up a small-to-medium business or become the Head of Sales & Marketing and you’ve come from a sales background, having some understanding and appreciation for marketing could be an advantage.
Having additional exposure to other areas of business can enhance your contribution on leadership teams, and help to gain respect from those reporting to you. The old saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If you don’t have an idea of what you want to achieve longer-term, then it will be challenging to compare multiple offers.
Lens 2: Location & Flexibility
Next, look at the location of each job. Consider the commute, cost of living, extra expenses such as travel, and the availability of amenities nearby. If the company offers flexibility, make sure to ask what that looks like, as flexibility means very different things to different people and to different organisations. Does it mean that you can work anywhere? Does it mean you can have flexibility of start and finish times? Does it mean that you can do alternate days or longer or shorter days? Consider how you could make it work for your chosen lifestyle, and what flexibility may mean to different employers.
Lens 3: Culture
Then, look at the team culture of each job. Evaluate the work environment, the team dynamics, and the level of communication within the team. Talk to people who have worked in similar roles and ask them questions about the company culture and job satisfaction. Are you working with a supportive team? Do they have a good work-life balance? Are the team members open to collaboration and feedback? Think about if there would be an opportunity to talk to the outgoing team member if the job is replacing someone, or with the team you would be working with. An informal coffee catch up is a great chance to learn more about the team in a casual setting.
Past employee reviews are often a great way to see how past employees felt about the business, and gain an insight into the culture of the business, but remember to take these with a grain of salt, and check the relevancy and recentness of these reviews.
Lens 4: Training & Development
A big opportunity with two or more different offers, is to consider the level of support, training, and development that will be available to you. What resources will be available? What is the training and onboarding plan? What does the first three months of onboarding look like? Is there a possibility of developing a professional development plan? Also think about the people you would be working with – will there be someone you can learn from? Bounce ideas off? How about the possibility of a mentor?
Finally, make sure to consider the prospects for growth and advancement. Will you have the opportunity to stay long-term, or will you need to look for a new job after a year or two?
Lens 5: Leadership & Collaboration
It’s incredibly important to think about the management. Who will be managing you? What can you learn from them? What is their management style? What are their expectations? Consider the accessibility of leadership, and the level of empowerment for employees. If there won’t be anyone in a leadership capacity that you can learn from or gain mentorship from, then refer to lenses 3 and 4 and make sure there are other team members you can collaborate with and bounce ideas off.
Lens 6: Salary & Compensation
Yes, of course salary is important. Consider the salary, the vacation days, the health insurance coverage, and any other benefits that are included when offered a new role. Another part of the salary and compensation package to consider is whether the role itself and the responsibilities or opportunity is a better fit for you EVEN if the salary is not as attractive as another offer. Will this role benefit your overall career plan? If the salary as a whole is less attractive than you would like, perhaps it’s possible to start on a lower salary package and negotiate a pay review after 6 months, or negotiate flexibility or alternate days to make up for the drop or sidestep in pay? Think about the opportunity as a whole.
Lens 7: Gut Instinct
Finally, one of the most important lenses is gut instinct. If you have two opportunities and are getting a better gut feeling from one of them, it is more than likely that it is the opportunity that will suit you better. But before only using this one lens, make sure to consider all other lenses in your decision.
All in all, it’s a great position to be in when multiple companies offer you opportunities. This allows you to choose the best one for your lifestyle, for your career plan, and for your overall goals and cultural fit in the business (Reminder it is still important to conduct yourself professionally throughout the process). Work your way through this list, and if you need any other advice or a non-biased party to talk things through with, give us a call!
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