If you’re wondering how to decide between two jobs, then congratulations! Your applications, interviews and the stress of looking for a new job has paid off. And you’re in a great position. Not just one, but two jobs want you! So while it may not seem like it, your dilemma is a great place to be!
But despite that fact, you are still in a dilemma. How are you supposed to choose between two great job offers?
Unfortunately, we can’t make the choice for you. But what we can do, is to give you our best tips, that we give to the candidates we work with everyday here at Dynamic, to help you choose the job that is right for you.
How to Decide Between Two Jobs In 6 Steps
- Remember the reasons you were looking for a new job, and what you were looking for when you started your job search.
- Consider your long-term goals. Which job will help you in the long run?
- Look into the company cultures, which one best aligns with your own values?
- Don’t focus purely on the salary: Because it’s not what makes you happy in your job!
- Write a Pros and Cons list to objectively decide which is the job more suited to you and your needs.
- Talk your options through with a recruiter, who can give you insider knowledge.
Remember Your Reasons For Looking For a New Job, and What you Were Looking For.
The very first thing when deciding between two job offers, is to remember the reasons you’re leaving your job in the first place. When you started the process, what did you decide were the most important things to you from your next job. The things that you absolutely wouldn’t compromise on.
It’s one of the first things we ask an IT Professional looking for their next job. Because as you go through the interview process over weeks and weeks, it can be easy to lose track of the reasons why you’re leaving. Or when an attractive salary is on offer, it can be too tempting to compromise on what you initially said was more important to you than salary in your next job.
Consider the Long-Term: What are your career goals?
Another crucially important thing to ask yourself, is which of these jobs aligns with your long-term career goals? Let’s look at a couple of examples:
- One job is at a great company, and offers a great starting salary. But there’s not much room for progression, and because you’re at the top, there isn’t going to be lots of training for you.
- Meanwhile, the other job is also at a great company. It offers a lower salary, but comes with great opportunities for training. You’ll also gain exposure to new technology/ software/ or markets that will be a real benefit to your career moving forward.
While the job which pays better may be better in the short-term, it may not be the best thing for your career. But it’s only by sitting down and taking an objective look at the opportunities that you can make an informed decision. Which leads us to our next point…
Which Company’s Values and Culture Aligns with Your Own?
Accepting a new job isn’t just for Christmas. When you join a company, you can be joining for years. It’s not a small decision, so it’s important to consider more than just the job itself when you join. Because the company itself, the culture, and the values of the business can be just as important as the job itself, and sometimes even more so.
If one opportunity is at a hybrid working company that works with clients in the charity industry, and offers a much more collaborative work environment; that would be perfect for some people.
But for others, the perfect company might be much smaller, working purely remotely from the comfort of their own home, and with a more independent, driven working environment.
Both company cultures have their own pro’s and con’s, but which matters more, is individual to your needs. Whether that’s flexibility, support, new challenges or independence.
Don’t focus Purely on Salary
When choosing between two jobs, people often default to choosing the job that provides a higher salary. Which is understandable: It’s often seen as an indicator of worth, and how much the company wants you. And of course, being paid more is always nice.
But it’s always important to ask yourself, which job would make you happier in the long run? Is salary the most important thing to you? Or would you take a lower salary if it meant being offered hybrid working, more engaging work, or greater flexibility in your day?
A study from CV-library showed that 84% of people surveyed consider that “enjoying your job” was a greater signifier of “career success”, than having a “high salary” (42%).
And something well worth considering, is that salary offers aren’t always set in stone. If everything is right about a job offer except the salary, and you know the job wants you, then now is the time to negotiate. And there’s never a greater position of power as a job seeker than having a similar, but higher paying, job offer on the table. Read here for our step-by-step guide on how to negotiate a salary offer.
Write a Pros and Cons list: What’s most important to you?
And finally, the best thing you can do is put pen to paper. Having a clear list of the pros and cons for the two jobs, will help you make an objective choice of which role is better for you. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, some of the things to consider when making your list are:
- The company culture and values.
- What are the opportunities for career progression?
- What are the opportunities for training?
- Which has better working hours.
- Where is the location, and what is the commute like?
- Which job has the better perks and benefits?
- Which job pays better overall when you take into consideration salary, bonuses etc.
- Do they offer comparable hybrid and flexible working opportunities?
Of course, which of these are the biggest priority will be different for you than for someone else. So when you’re writing and considering your list, these should be given an order of importance.
Work with a Recruiter to talk through your options
One thing you can do to help when choosing between two jobs, is to work with a recruiter in your industry. Because it’s a recruiter’s job to understand your job market, and to be a career expert.
They can often give insight about a new role, the type of companies that you are considering or a specific company. This is especially useful when you are starting out in your career, and may not know the difference between the long-term effects of starting down one career path.
Let’s not ignore the fact that a recruiter may have a vested interest in your situation, if you have been working with them already or not. Because they obviously do have a financial incentive for you to get the job they want you to take.
But it’s also a recruiter’s job to support you in finding the job that is best for you. Here at Dynamic, our recruiters are more focused on building a relationship with you and offering a quality service, one you would recommend to colleagues and friends and would consider using in the future. Instead of forcing you into one role where you may end up leaving, damaging the recruiter’s relationship with you, and with their client (they employer you leave).
If you’re working in the IT industry, from networking to cloud and cyber security, you can reach out to one of our Recruitment Consultants here, for support on your job search, and help finding the job that is right for you.