Making the Right Decison When You Have Multiple Job Offers

What do you do if you find yourself in this enviable position? Here are five tips that can help you choose the right job:

1. Remember your primary goals

Get introspective. What are you really looking for in a new role? For example, are you looking for:

• A higher salary?
• More professional development opportunities?
• Better benefits?
• The ability to WFH more?
• The opportunity to work for a certain profile or Tier of law firm?
• All of the above?

Keep these initial goals in mind when reviewing multiple job offers, and use them as a checklist to guide your decision making.

When you’re under pressure to choose an employer, the details of each’s employment package can be so different that they don’t compare well to each other. Referring back to factors you previously identified as most important can help you better rank the offers.

1. Take a long-term view

As you work to decide which of your multiple job offers most closely matches your primary objectives, don’t be blinded by short term benefits. . Think about the future and which job will most benefit your career over the long run.

Here’s what I mean: If your main goal in securing a new job is to earn a higher salary, your initial inclination could be to choose Offer A, which pays the most. Simple enough, right?

But say Offer B has a lower salary and presents greater opportunity to move up within the firm. Even though Offer A pays more now, you could eventually make much more money by choosing Offer B if you rise through the ranks as expected.

It’s not always clear which among the multiple job offers you receive provides the best long-term opportunity. After all, trying to predict the future isn’t easy. But be sure your vision of the years ahead plays some part in your decision.

1. Consider which firm culture is better for you

If you don’t like your work environment, no amount of salary, benefits or perks is likely to keep you happy, especially over time. So when evaluating multiple job offers, identify the employer you think provides the most appealing culture, and factor that strongly into your decision.

Think about these questions:

• Were you able to establish rapport with the hiring Partner? Could you see yourself working for them each day?
• What was the energy in the office like? Does it match your preferred work style?
• Did the employees you interacted with seem happy and engaged?
• Do you know anyone who has worked for the firm? If so, what feedback does your contact have?

If work-life balance is important to you, ask interviewer about policies designed to help workers find that balance. If you’re hoping to find a very social work environment, look into how the firm encourages employees to relax and have fun together.

1. You’re in charge

It’s your decision whether to let potential employers know that you have multiple job offers. Keep in mind, though, that being up front about this can be a powerful negotiation tool.

For instance, maybe you’re close to saying yes to one firm, but that firm gives less annual leave than another. You could ask your preferred employer if they’d be willing to match the competition.

Having multiple job offers could also prove beneficial if an employer has expressed serious interest in hiring you — by inviting you back for several rounds of interviews, for example — but has yet to make an offer. Mentioning that you have other offers in hand could compel the firm to speed things up. Of course, the recruitment consultant you are working with can help with this as well.

But be careful. It’s easy to overplay your hand. Only you know how much room you have to negotiate and how comfortable you are doing so.

5. Take your time, but not too long!

The most important part about weighing multiple job offers is ensuring that you give yourself time to carefully think through your choices. However, you don’t want to drag your feet so that you leave an employer hanging — and, perhaps, lose out on a great opportunity. It’s not unreasonable to request a few days to contemplate your options.

When you arrive at your decision, be gracious to the employers whose job offers you decline, and politely explain why the offer did not meet your needs. You never know when you might be searching for another job and cross paths with these people again.