The phone rings. It’s the job offer you’ve been waiting for. Sweet! This is the kind of opportunity you hoped would come your way. Next day, phone rings. Surprise – yet another job offer from another potential employer. Now what?!
Being presented with more than one job offer is a nice situation to be in, but it can be a little stressful. How do you make sure you choose the best option? Here are 3 helpful tips for handling multiple job offers.
Buy yourself extra time.
If the employer doesn’t give you a specific deadline for responding to their offer, then take your time and don’t rush to accept or decline. Be clear that you’d like a day or two, if possible, to consider the offer.
You may not always have the luxury of buying more time, but do it if you can. This’ll give you a chance to thoroughly evaluate all the offers on the table.
Make a pros & cons list.
One popular approach to handling multiple job offers is to make a pros & cons list.
For most people, there are many factors that influence whether or not you accept a job offer. Here are the factors that most people weigh when planning a job move:
- Salary – consider the starting salary, as well as the frequency of performance reviews and the typical salary increase that comes with it.
- Benefits – look at everything, from health insurance to other benefits like wellness programs or continuing education opportunities.
- Work/life balance – does your potential new employer have a good vacation policy? Are there flex-time or remote work opportunities? These type of offerings are becoming much more desirable to today’s workforce.
- Training/mentorship opportunities – find out about the employer’s onboarding process. What kind of training will you get? Is there a mentor program to help employees settle into their new work scene?
- Culture – work culture is all the buzz these days, with good reason. The more comfortable you are with the company’s culture, philosophies and work environment, the happier you’ll be at the new gig. So consider the pros and cons of work culture before making your decision.
Negotiate.
If your pro/con list has you leaning towards one job offer, but there’s still that one big con holding you back from accepting – like salary – consider negotiating.
If your pro/con list has you leaning towards one job offer, but there’s still that one big con holding you back from accepting – like salary – consider negotiating.
According to a recent salary negotiations survey from Glassdoor, 3 in 5 employees surveyed (about 60%) accepted the salary they were offered and didn’t negotiate. Women negotiated less than men – 68% of women accepted the salary they were offered. For men, it was 52%. The survey also revealed that age plays a role in how likely a candidate is to negotiate. Older workers aged 45-54 were less likely than younger workers aged 18-24 to negotiate their salary.
If you do plan to negotiate, do your homework first. Know what the typical salary range is for the type of position you’re considering, the industry and the region where you live.
If you’re looking for a few job offers, connect with us! Our staffing specialists are here to help. View our online job postings and visit our How to Apply page today.