How Picky Should I Be When Deciding Whether To Accept A Job?

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The Great Resignation is on. Workers demand more from employers, vote with their feet if they don't get what they want, and are picky about what they do next. There is no worker shortage. There are too many bad jobs. If you're a job seeker, your time is now.

You may feel like you're missing out on this shift and leaving potential opportunities unexplored. How do you get a seat on this gravy train? During economic upturns and pro-labor job markets, it's natural for restless professionals to wonder how green the grass is on the other side. If you join the ranks of professionals on the move, at some point, you will receive a job offer and face the dilemma – accept the offer or not.

Personal circumstances vary. Depending on your specific situation, whether or not to accept a job offer may be a super easy decision or one you struggle to make. Just because it's a favorable job market today does not mean it will stay that way indefinitely. That adds pressure to each decision. You don't want to squander the goldilocks timing, but you also don't want to settle. Those days are over.

Let's start with the most obvious factor. What is your financial state? If you're sitting on a nest egg, you have more options and less risk than workers who live check to check. If that egg is big enough, you may want to be part of the Great Resignation and resign from the job you no longer want. Should you? If you jump instead of quit, you have the advantage of a job search while already employed. You have more bargaining power, you can leave your nest egg intact, and financial obligations will not have an undue influence on your decisions. You may have the latitude to be picky.

The next step is to conduct an objective assessment of your position in the job market. Yes, it's ripe for professionals right now, but is it ripe for you? If you want to be picky about job offers, you need job offers! There are many ways to go about this, but to get the process rolling, you may consider these questions:

1.     What type of move do you want to make – upward, lateral, or a new field altogether?

2.     How much experience do you bring to the table?

3.     What are typical compensation packages for the job you want in your area? (Payscale.com)

4.     Will additional education help you reach your goals?

5.     What can you afford to do?

Your answers to the above questions should indicate how picky you can be when considering job offers. For example, if you are a recent graduate, you will judge a job offer with a different set of criteria than someone further along in their career looking to make a lateral move. A younger worker may sacrifice overall compensation for valuable professional development, whereas an established professional may weigh factors like work-life balance with more discretion.

Next, think about and write down what you want from a new job – salary, benefits, location, title – everything. If you're feeling bold, rank them. Put any deal breakers at the top. When you get a job offer, compare the deal points to your list. Where does it fall? Where are the gaps? This practice may help you decide whether or not to accept, negotiate, or pass.

If an offer meets your initial list of expectations, weigh any mitigating circumstances. There always seems to be at least one major curveball. For example, relocation is a big one. Maybe your dream job is a 45-minute commute that impacts your child care. Or the offer is from a start-up. The work is challenging and exciting, but will the company be around in a year? These are the difficult decisions that carry inherent risks. There is no "right" or "wrong" answer.  

If a job offer makes it this far, it's time to do a deep dive into the company. Even though the job market is dynamite right now and the press goes bonkers for every story about major companies increasing worker salaries and perks, bad employers have not gone away. Start with  Glassdoor.com and continue your research from there. Note positive feedback and red flags. Build a profile of the company.

Moving jobs is a major life-altering decision. From the employer's perspective, hiring someone is a major company-altering decision. None of this is easy. Regardless of how picky you are about job offers, how you pass on one is critical. Your goal should be to keep the door open with the company, hiring manager(s), and recruiter ­– be polite and gracious. Even if you would never consider working for a particular business, you never know where the people with whom you've interacted will end up.

Be cordial, friendly, and professional. Whatever you do, do not ghost the company or send an impersonal email. If you get on the phone with the point person and have a well-thought-out and respectful discussion about your decision, your professional network and reputation will most likely improve. One day, the pendulum will swing back to employers, and it will be their turn to be picky, and if you treat everyone along the way with dignity and respect, it doesn't hurt your standing.

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Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

I Lied To The Recruiter, Saying I Have Another Job Offer So They Hasten Their Hiring Process. Was This A Bad Move?

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Is it a good idea to tell an employer you are consider a job offer, so that the company speeds up the hiring process? Even if you don't have one?

When I recruited, I’ve seen the “I have another offer” strategy blow up in candidates’ faces.

Here’s why. Hiring managers don’t like to be rushed - they like to feel that they are in control of making a well-thought out decision. Sometimes this deliberation, while candidate-unfriendly, adds to the overall time of the interview process.

Bear in mind, hiring managers don’t make a decision in a vacuum. They interview several candidates looking for the right fit, and proceed from there.

I once had a hiring manager tell me, “If it’s not ‘yes,’ it’s ‘no.’” What this means is that if they’re not completely sold on the candidate, then they feel no need to pull the trigger. The bar is high for the candidate to impress the hiring manager.

Crappy? Yes.

Reality? Also, yes.

By putting a fire under the hiring manager, you’re forcing their hand, possibly before they are ready to make a decision. And by visibly trying to take control of the situation, you may be putting the manager in the uncomfortable position of having to make a selection without having all the information they require or want.

If you’re truly the solution to the hiring manager’s problems, and you both agree that you are the solution the hiring manager’s problems, then you’ll probably push things forward in your favor, more quickly.

On the other hand, if you’re one of several candidates where there’s not yet a clear winner, then you may be blowing yourself out of the water. The manager may decide that your timeline and his/her timeline don’t correspond, so they’ll just cut you loose. If it’s not “yes,” it’s “no.”

I’m not saying that the hiring manager is right to proceed in this way. But you need to be prepared to deal with the psychology of the situation and the results.
 

This blog was originally published on Quora.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

I Just Got a Job Offer! What Do All The Words in this Letter Mean?

Sign it! Sign it! / iStockphoto.com (Grinvalds)

Congratulations! After five weeks and multiple rounds of interviews, the company decided to extend you a written job offer!

The recruiter emails you the offer and... holy cow, this thing is long. The letter has to be at least two pages long and filled with business speak. What do I make of all this? And why did the company feel the need to send me their own version of War and Peace?

Believe it or not, that lengthy letter you're holding in your hands is a well thought out document, that – if well written – details most of the things about compensation, terms, and conditions, and the other effluvia you need to consider prior to accepting a job offer.

Let's go through the components of a typical offer letter. But first, there are two important items I'd like to mention:

I am not an attorney, nor do I presume to give legal advice. This is a general guide to reading a job offer; if you have serious questions or concerns about the wording of an offer, I advise you to find appropriate legal counsel. But that's not me.

This article details what you will typically find in an offer. There are as many variations to offer letters as there are companies extending employment, so how much or how little documentation a company chooses to include in the letter can vary wildly - from the verbal offer to a lengthy contract.

Let's talk about the components of an offer:

1. Salary: How much the company pays you to do your job. This will usually be presented as an annualized figure., such as $35,000 per year, and broken down into per-pay-period amount, such as $1,346 per bi-weekly. The reason for this is that unless you sign a serious contract (like a Major League Baseball player or head coach in the NCAA) your pay is not guaranteed. Your job is likely at-will, meaning that once you stop working, so does payroll. This will often tell you if or when you will be eligible for the merit increase (i.e. raise) based upon your performance appraisal and the regular salary review cycle. Some companies don't give regular raises - be warned.
    

2. Incentive Compensation: Many companies give out bonuses to employees in certain jobs if they, the company, and or their business unit meet some combination of performance goals. This is usually presented as a percentage of salary, such as "12% of eligible earnings." Keep in mind, this is just a target; companies often give more or less (or none) depending upon how that performance turns out. Often, the letter will state that you will have to be employed on a certain date and have worked a certain period (like the previous full year) to collect this. Terms will often be detailed in the offer letter.
    

3. Long-Term Incentive: Higher-level folks, like executives, often get offers for stock options and the like. It's usually detailed in here.
    

4. Sign-on Bonus: If company really wants you to join, they may throw some extra cash at you to help influence your decision. They'll detail the amount they're offering you - and they'll detail how they'll claw back a portion of the bonus or the entire amount in case you leave before a certain time (like 1 or 2 years of employment) – companies often include this language to encourage employee retention. My advice: If you're not sure you're going to love the job, put the money in escrow so that you can hand it back when you leave.
    

5. Relocation Assistance: Moving the old homestead from Texas to California for the job? The company may offer you relocation assistance in the form of mover services or a cash allocation so that you can handle the move itself. The specifics of the actual relocation itself usually reside in a separate policy document, so ask for this if they offer you a relocation package. Again, the company may try to claw back a portion or all of your relocation expenses if you leave the company too soon, and these costs can really add up to major cash.
    

6. Tuition Reimbursement: Your new employer may pay some or all of the tuition for you to get that degree you've wanted to pursue. There are two catches. First, the degree usually has to be something that will add to the company's benefit in your current role (in other words, if you work in Accounting, they'll more likely approve tuition for an MBA than for a Theater Arts Degree). Second, clawbacks in case you leave usually apply.
    

7. Health & Wellness Benefits: This explains the benefits you will typically qualify for - such as health insurance, long- and short-term disability insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, etc., and when you're eligible to get these benefits. The letter will usually tell you when and how you qualify, but won't get into the nitty–gritty of what your benefits cost you (your premiums and copays) and what's covered. You'll need the benefits brochures - ask for them.
    

8. Vacation, Holidays, Sick Time: Also known as PTO (paid time off). Here you'll find out how you accrue days off, and how many you can accrue. Each company's paid time off policy works differently, so read this carefully; some companies offer separate vacation days and sick days, and others will lump these all into a time bank where you draw it down regardless of why you're missing work. Incidentally, if you have vacation time already scheduled to take place after you start, this is a good time to mention this to the recruiter, so that you can get the time approved, even if you haven't accrued the time.
    

9. Other Perks, Benefits, and Tools: Company phone, company car, discounts on corporate product, travel benefits, whatever, this will all be outlined in the offer letter.
    

10. Terms of Employment: The company will likely insert verbiage about your employment being "at-will" (in other words, you can quit or be fired at any time), or perhaps contractual terms. Either way, the company usually include a note about their right to change terms and conditions (on benefits, policies, or many other things) in the future.
     

11. "Employment is Contingent Upon"...: This is where the company details that the offer letter is only good if you pass the drug test and background check. Fail one or both of those, and the offer is null and void.
     

12. Place For You To Sign: Yep. The offer letter is a contract. The company wants you to sign the letter and send it back to make sure that everybody is on the same page and agrees to the terms. Keep a copy.

What may NOT be in the letter: Employers may have you sign a plethora of other documents once you walk through the door. These could include Non-competition Agreements (which restrict you from working for a competitor within a certain period of time), Nondisclosure Agreements (saying you won't share their secrets), Conflict of Interest Disclosures (preventing you from investing in or doing business for any organization in direct conflict with your employer's interests) and many more covenants. Companies have been known to terminate employees who refuse to sign such documents, so ask your questions up front.

Don't hesitate to ask the HR representative who extended you the offer if you have questions about its contents. It's better to know and to understand what you are getting yourself into.

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Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.