Choosing Between Two Job Offers

The technical job market is continuing to do very well—and we find that many of our candidates are receiving more than one offer. I thought it helpful to pull together a checklist of things to consider when choosing between two job offers. Of course, the day-to-day work is usually the most important decision point; I’ll cover everything that should factor into your decision outside the technology aspects.

You could get fancy with this list and assign weighted scores to each answer and determine with mathematical precision which offer is the better deal—or you could simply run down the list to help clarify what is already your gut feeling on the issue. However you use it, we hope you find this list helpful.

Doing What You Love

Many will debate which is more important—this one or compensation. Doing what you love is certainly important, but let’s face it—so is compensation. Suffice it to say that both are important and a premium can certainly be put on doing what truly floats your boat. Which job offers you the most opportunity for doing what you love to do? Would one motivate you to roll out of bed more than the other?

Compensation

Salary is important, but it’s only one aspect of an overall compensation package. Is there a 401K match? If so, that percentage should be factored into the salary. How do the overall benefits compare between the two offers? Does one company require a higher out-of-pocket than the other for medical benefits? Does one offer dental? This could potentially be a 3-6 thousand dollar bonus for a family of 2-4 kids looking at braces. How many personal days are offered in addition to vacation days? Are you able to flex your time at all? Do either companies pay a bonus—and if so, when is the last time a bonus was paid out?

Company Stability

This one rarely makes the top of the list in the decision-making process, it should nevertheless be close to the top. How stable are the companies you are considering working for? No matter how good an opportunity seems, it isn’t worth much if the company is doomed. Do a bit of research on each company’s financial stability (looking up their 10K, 10Q and MD&A is a good place to start). If it’s a direct-hire position, make sure that you go into it feeling good about the company’s long-term security.

Work-life Balance

How many hours will you be expected to work at each of the companies? Does one have a longer commute than the other? Will either expect you to work off hours? Is travel involved? Will one be more difficult to mentally “leave at the office” than the other? It’s all fun and games when you first start a job, but once the honeymoon is over, an out of balance work life can be a drain on the homefront.

Future Career Growth

Does one company offer better long-term opportunities for your future career? Does one provide a job title that would be more useful for opening future doors? What is each company’s philosophy on investing in their employees for things such as tuition reimbursement, industry events, conferences, etc.? If this is money you were planning on spending anyway, having your company pay for them can in essence be viewed as an increase in your salary. Is there a definite career growth path within one company or another?

Gut Feeling About Your Boss

Although you don’t always have the opportunity to interview with your direct manager, if you do you should have a good gut feeling about him or her. Did you click in the interview? Do you have similar work/life philosophies? Does this person appear to be someone you could respect and feel good about working hard for?

Gut Feeling About Your Coworkers

This one could be even more important than your feeling about your boss since these are the people you will likely be spending the majority of your time with. Did you have an opportunity to interact with potential co-workers during your interviews? Did you at least have an opportunity to see some of them in their work environment?

Corporate Culture

Any interactions with potential bosses and co-workers would certainly give some indications of the overall corporate culture. Did you take note of the cubicles during your office tour? What’s put on display in a cubicle can sometimes give clues about culture. Is this a Google-esque “we’ll press your shirts so you don’t have to leave the building to pick up your laundry” kind of an environment? Did you see toys or scooters laying around giving indication that this might be a raucous work environment? How were people dressed? Were there empty Craft beer bottles in the kitchenette? If so, would you be comfortable in an environment where developers start popping the tops off of bottles starting at 3:00 PM Friday afternoon? This is going to be your home-away-from-home for 8-12 hours a day making culture possibly the most important on the list.

We hope all of these points help in choosing the offer that suits you best.