Blog

How to Decide Between Multiple IT Job Offers

by Anastasia C. Valentine on October 9, 2018

 

multiple IT job offers

 

Due to the increased demand for IT talent, it is not unusual for IT professionals to be presented with multiple job offers at once. While this may seem like a good problem to have, they are faced with the seemingly impossible task of deciding which position is right for them. Selecting the ideal opportunity requires more than a comparison of compensation and work hours. Analyzing how each position will set you up for success now and into the future is an important factor to consider. Follow the steps below for tips on how to decide which job is right for you.

Do Your Research

When you are in the market to buy a new car, you likely spend days researching their ratings, specifications, and vehicle history reports. Likewise, when you are torn between multiple IT job offers, your first steps should be to compare the details of each job and thoroughly research the companies. After conducting your research, see if you can answer these questions:

  1. How long have the companies been around? If they are public, do their finances look optimistic?
  2. What innovative projects are the companies working on?
  3. What are their respective missions and values? Do you align with them?
  4. Do the companies have strong and experienced leaders?
  5. What does their culture look like? Do their employees work remote or on-site?
  6. What do their past and present employees have to say about their experience working there?
  7. What will your core responsibilities be in this position and how are they likely to evolve?

Balance Your Priorities

Once you have gathered information on each company, you will need to compare your findings to your own career values and expectations. This is the most important step when deciding between multiple IT job offers because a position can look great on paper but it might not actually address what you are looking for in your next career move. Unless you take the time to carefully analyze all the job details, you risk being unsatisfied with your choice.

To help streamline the decision-making process, Allison Rimm, an executive career coach and Harvard Business Review contributor, created her own Career Decision Scorecard. Acknowledging that a “good offer” and “bad offer” are entirely subjective, methods like Rimm’s scorecard weigh the pros and cons of the job offers against what you value most in a career. You can easily create your own system by taking the time to rank how important certain aspects of a job are to you, where you might be willing to compromise, and what you want to avoid.

While exploring the details can help give you a clearer view of what each position offers, it is also important to consider the bigger picture.

Consider the Big Picture

What qualities do the positions you are considering fall short on? Are the job responsibilities likely to change as you grow within the position? When deciding between multiple IT job offers, it is important to ask yourself if the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term benefits. Consider the following example from the perspective of a software engineer:

Job Offer A: You just got off the phone with the hiring manager and were offered the job. You are very impressed with the above market pay rate that comes with the position and you’ll be able to code in your favorite programing language. That said, you are not completely sold. The position does not offer much flexibility or skill diversification, as you will only be involved in one ongoing project.

Job Offer B:  A day later, you get your second job offer from a different company. The pay rate is lower than your first offer and you are not as experienced with the language they expect you to program in. Your recruiter explains that this is not a problem as you will receive initial training before working alongside other engineers on a variety of different projects. She explains that past IT consultants say they have grown a lot while in similar positions.

So, which do you choose? While job offer “A” might fulfill more of your short-term values, job offer “B” will give you more learning opportunities and will benefit your long-term values, especially if you are a technical professional wanting to expand your IT skill set.

When choosing between multiple job offers, it is important to consider each position’s responsibilities and benefits. Determining how meaningful these job components are to you will help you make an informed decision.

At Resource 1, we have spent the last 36 years navigating the evolving IT marketplace and delivering top IT talent to our valued clients. Our deep relationships with our consultants give us first-hand experience into their motivations and preferences in their search for new opportunities. If you seek stability in your career, excitement in every project, and the challenge to advance your technical skills, Resource 1 will match you with the right opportunity. Contact us today.