As the place where you spend a large portion of your waking hours, your job leaves a significant impression on your life. So, it’s understandable why you so carefully choose a workplace. Most people only have one day job, after all.
The next step in your journey shouldn’t be made in haste.
It’s important to take your time, weigh your options and think about where you want to go — who you want to be.
You’re not in limbo but, rather, turning a page in the novel of your life. What will you write next?
To this point, you’ve done well, setting yourself up for a fruitful next chapter. With multiple job offers in hand, however, you have a decision to make. Sure, this isn’t the worst place to be. But you’re at a crossroads nonetheless.
Which option should you choose? The job that pays the most? The job at the most stable company? How should you shape your interactions to ensure that, after a decision is made, you don’t leave a trail of smoldering bridges?
These are valuable questions to answer in this situation; they’ll help you make the right decision.
As a company that employs more than 2,000 people, here at Anderson Trucking Service (ATS), we have decades of hiring experience.
Over the years, our hiring team has developed an intimate understanding of the pressure job candidates feel when deciding between multiple job offers.
In this article, we’ll give you some tips for overcoming the uneasiness that overwhelms some individuals in this position.
In the end, there might not even be a wrong decision to be made here. That said, if there is, this article will help you avoid it by doing two things:
- Outlining the main pieces of a job offer
- Giving you seven tips for deciding which role is best for you
What Are the Main Pieces of a Job Offer?
Job offers are employment proposals extended by a company to an individual. Typically, job offers are initially presented verbally (over the phone or in person) and are officially extended in written form thereafter.
Job offers signify the end of the interview/job selection process and typically include the following information:
- A position summary
- A breakdown of the pay/compensation/incentive structure for the role
- A benefits summary
- A non-compete agreement (where applicable)
- A breakdown of the position’s paid-time-off (PTO) allowance/schedule
- The projected/agreed-to start date
- The job/work location (in-person, hybrid, remote)
While this is not a comprehensive list, these are the main buckets of information typically included in a job offer. Don’t be alarmed if an offer you receive varies slightly, but make sure to reach out to your point of contact with any questions.
7 Tips For Making a Sound Job-Selection Decision
Deciding between multiple job offers is difficult. Though you may have a gut feeling, definitively picking one job over another won’t be easy — especially if they’re relatively similar.
It’s important for you to take some time when doing this. Don’t rush to a decision. If necessary, feel free to reach out to each company asking for a bit more time — 24-48 hours more. This is a reasonable request and should be granted quite easily.
Once you’ve set aside some time to analyze your situation, here are seven tips for dialing in a sound job-selection decision:
- Don’t decide based on a single factor (like pay)
- Consider each employer’s history and stability
- Keep your interview experience and interactions in mind
- Don’t hesitate to ask questions
- Use a long-term mindset
- Negotiate within reason
- Be kind and grateful to every employer
1. Don’t Decide Based on a Single Factor (Like Pay)
A common misstep job seekers make when faced with the conundrum of vetting multiple offers is to look at their compensation sections and nothing else. Try to avoid this if you can.
Even if one job will pay you substantially more than another, you’d be remiss to make your selection based on this alone. In fact, it’s never recommended to make a career-altering decision because of a single factor — like pay.
In the end, your job satisfaction is tied to far more than the dollars you take home.
Things like work-life balance, the meaningfulness of your work, the company’s culture and your benefits package are also important to consider. Even though your compensation is vital to enjoying what you do and feeling valued, selecting a job simply because it will pay you more could be a big mistake.
Instead, look at each job offer in its entirety and factor in some of the things listed below. This will help ensure long-term satisfaction with your choice.
2. Consider Each Employer’s History and Stability
The importance of stability in an employer can’t be overstated. You’ll be dedicating a massive amount of energy and time to the company you choose. It’s important they return this dependability.
Businesses compete within their markets of focus to secure customers, appease shareholders and stay in operation. Unfortunately, like any other battlefield, the business world has victors and losers.
This is why, as you weigh which job offer to accept, you must consider each company’s history and stability.
Do your research and find out:
- How long each company has been in business
- Who their direct competitors are
- What kind of shape their industry is in
- Has it exhibited growth patterns?
- Is it shrinking?
- Which way this company has been trending
- Have they been growing over the past five years?
- Are they consistently losing employees?
Some of this information will be easier to find than others. Make sure to read through every company’s history page, check their LinkedIn profiles for employee growth data and use sites like Statista for some high-level industry information.
3. Keep Your Interview Experience and Interactions in Mind
The way a company makes you feel matters greatly.
Think back to the in-person interactions you had with each employer:
What was the atmosphere like? Did it feel welcoming?
What about the hiring manager and other employees? Were they easy to get along with and passionate about their work? When you asked them questions during your interview, did they seem open and honest?
Trust your gut here. The last thing you want to do is end up at a company that isn’t a culture fit. Instead, try to find a place with employees that share your interests and respect each other personally and professionally.
Since you don’t have much to go on here, think about your interview experience and the visits you had at every company. Which felt more like home? That might be the best place for you.
4. Don’t Hesitate to Ask Questions
Company recruiters understand the predicament you’re in; trying to make an important decision with limited time and context. For this reason, they’re no stranger to answering questions. In most cases, they expect a candidate to have follow-up questions after an offer is extended.
As such, don’t hesitate to fire away. Reach out to your point of contact at each company and have them answer your concerns. Whether your questions have to do with pay, your benefits or even parking, a great recruiter will happily answer them. Your peace of mind is important to making a sound decision, so don’t let unanswered questions linger.
5. Use a Long-Term Mindset
As you consider multiple job offers, it’s important that you look beyond the here and now. An opportunity for upward mobility will be important as your career progresses. And, even though it might not be top of mind right now, your long-term happiness may depend on it.
You don’t want to end up resenting your decision three years down the line because you chose a short-term gain at the expense of your long-term career trajectory.
To avoid this, be sure to ask questions about the growth potential afforded to someone in the role you’ve applied for. Inquire about the size and expansion rate of the department you’ve applied to work within.
This line of questioning should help you hone in on what the future holds for a high performer in the position you’ve applied for.
6. Negotiate Within Reason
With more than one job offer in hand, you’re in a good position. This may even swing some bargaining power into your favor. You see, with each offer, the businesses you’re selecting from have indicated their interest to hire you.
In turn, more than one interested party gives you a cushion for negotiation. And, although it can be tempting to ask for the moon — a company car, a $10,000 pay bump or a larger PTO balance — it’s important to play your cards wisely here.
Too much negotiating may cause you to lose out on the job you really wanted, forcing you to settle for another. Or, in the worst case, all of your offers might be pulled, leaving you with nothing.
So, be careful how you proceed with negotiations — especially if it's a job you really want in the end. The level to which you negotiate will also depend on the kind/specialization of the job you’ve applied for. Those looking to fill more senior positions have a bit more pull than those applying for entry-level jobs.
7. Be Kind and Grateful to Every Employer
This last tip is perhaps the most important. As you know, more than anything else — more than what your resume says or how well you interviewed — people remember how you made them feel.
Nobody knows what the future holds. And, a few years down the line, you might be right back where you are now; applying to one or more of the companies you’re considering.
Your ability to get a job in the future may come down to how you act throughout this process.
So, regardless of your final decision, reach out to each company and thank them for the opportunity. Display enthusiasm and kindness in every interaction, making each company feel like their job offer was appreciated. Doing so will pay dividends for you down the line.
Related Content: What is Ghosting an Interview? [and Why You Shouldn’t Ghost an Employer]
So, You’ve Got a Decision to Make
You’re in a unique position right now, that’s for sure. Having to decide between more than one job offer can be both harrowing and exciting. What a time to be you.
As long as you steer clear of deciding based solely on pay, think practically about which role aligns with your long-term goals, ask a lot of questions and approach every opportunity with enthusiasm, you’ll make the right choice.
No one can make this decision for you. But at least now you know where to start. At the end of the day, each company wants you to succeed. So don’t worry about taking your time and asking questions; the best company for you will make you comfortable throughout this process.
Here at ATS, we’re constantly trying to make people, like you, make more confident decisions for their careers — even if transportation isn’t the right industry for them.
To do so, we publish educational content to our Career Success Center multiple times per week, check it out for some more helpful tools and insights.
