Shall I accept or decline that Employment Offer Letter?

We are living in an era that's full of opportunities, some are direct, some are disguised, and some sound like better opportunities but aren't actually any better.

In that Tech Space, we're demanded and we're going to be always demanded, it's an undeniable fact. We always receive InMails and Headhunting Messages and it sometimes feels good to know that we're needed, we have a nice profile, and interesting work experience. It subconsciously gives us some sort of psychological safety feeling.

It also happens a lot when we're happy where we are, but we still consider and explore opportunities to even just know where we stand in the market, etc.

I was there too. I was stuck, confused, and hesitant, not knowing what was the wise decision at some point back then (Shall I accept or decline that offer letter?) I once accepted an offer letter and eventually apologized after experiencing retention from my current company back then, and I kind of hated myself for doing so. I felt like I took this whole thing for granted! I also considered opportunities while I wasn't even interested in either moving to that company or leaving my current job. Then I also felt like I wouldn't feel super fine if some candidates did the same with me in case they weren't interested in the first place already--wasted resources, efforts, time, etc. But then I realized that it happens and it's okay; we learn, move, and evolve. You could be interested; you could go through a hiring process, and end up concluding "Nah, this is not what I'm looking for nor what I was expecting"

I'm one of those folks who kind of moved a lot throughout their career paths so far. You wouldn't initially see my profile as a super committed profile who stayed for years in each previous job, but that's in case you judge a book by its cover — another different story that could be tackled later. I just had my reasons, and for me, they were valid. On the other hand, I learned tremendously. I reached an extent where I learned how to consider such an opportunity and whether it fits me or not, whether it's better than my current job or not, etc. It's certainly not an extraordinary skill or anything. It's just you getting to know more about yourself, your preferences, prioritizations, interests, etc.?

It's not always the case when signing an employment offer letter is an easy decision even if it's a financially way better offer. (One day, I felt that deeply when I declined an offer that was almost double my pay and 4 months ahead, I saw that company laying off its employees, including the role that I was going to have back then. I wasn't even in a state whereby I could afford such a circumstance, it would have impacted me since my current job back in the day was good already, and I was happy there. I then went like "Thank God - I'm blessed - I took the right decision" However, I would have felt fine if I joined that company and still got laid off in case I wasn't happy where I was, and I had my reasons to leave) Either way, no regrets, but we just get to learn from such situations.

Still, though, it's an easy, direct, and obvious decision for many folks who are either unsatisfied with their current jobs or even if they have an opportunity that couldn't be declined for any reason from their point of view.

Today we will talk about:

• Some guidelines that would help you consider a potential opportunity
• Things that you should consider in an offer stage
• Salary Negotiation Tips

And now, bearing in mind the subjectivity and without much further ado, let's get into it.?

Potential Job Opportunity - Guidelines:

1. It starts with that very first reach-out message, if you felt it's very scripted, not personalized, or irrelevant, then simply send a decent apologetic reply or even ask for clarification if you're interested, but don't just directly forward your CV.?
2. It also technically starts with that very first phone call. If the call isn't pleasant enough, if the person who's calling you isn't keen enough to give you a helicopter kind of view about everything, or if he/she isn't willing to answer all of your questions that could possibly be answered initially, and you're mainly being asked, then it's flagging.
3. Don't go through a hiring process just to give it a shot if you know well that you won't be joining in the first place and don't want to leave your current job. What happens is that you waste your time, drain your energy, distract yourself, and you also consume other people's time, efforts, and resources. So please don't do so unless you're really considering the opportunity, you have some reasons to let you leave your current job, and you believe that this could be a better opportunity in one way or another.?
4. Consider doing your research beforehand. Check the Website, Glassdoor, and check LinkedIn, etc. You could also reach out to some of the employees in that company, a new joiner, or even a former employee to ask them about their feedback.?
5. You should be a good observer if you're running throughout the hiring process. Starting from the reach-out message, that very first call, the hiring process stages, the people who are evaluating you, the questions being asked, the answers to your questions, etc.?
6. Don't be misled by the brand name, the nice sweet words, or the future plans. Be more pragmatic and realistic.
7. Know well that you're assessing the company just like the company is assessing you.?
8. Bear in mind that the Job Description and Job Title aren't always accurate enough to convey what happens on the ground -- Dig deeper.
9. Evaluate the work-life balance and flexibility as much as you can.
10. Consider your culture fit.?(That could happen throughout the hiring process, the interviewers, your potential direct line manager, your potential colleagues, employees on LinkedIn, etc)

• On a different note, you do need to bear in mind those aspects throughout any hiring process (Pay, Benefits, Culture & Environment - Manager & Team - Career Advancement - Technology & Tools - Flexibility - Business Model - Profitability (Current Financial State) - Work-life Balance - Current Economic Situation in the market - Current Employer - Family)

Once you reach the offer stage, consider doing the following:?

1. Ask as many questions as you possibly can.
2. If whoever is talking with you doesn't have a direct answer, ask for a meeting with your potential direct line manager to clarify things further.?
3. Don't get blinded by the salary.?
4. SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) will help you figure out whether it's a truly better opportunity or not. A paper and a pen are recommended, divide a page into two sections and start the comparison between the two companies.?
5. Cost-Benefit Analysis. (Ex: I'm not offered the best package, but I'll learn tremendously, and it will be a gateway to a new sector - I'm not upgrading my title, yet the scale is way bigger - The package is very tempting, yet I won't be allowed to work remotely or maybe things aren't flexible enough - The salary is high, yet I don't have any other perks, like Medical Insurance, etc - The package is almost double my pay, but I don't feel like I'm culturally fitting)
6. Well-Being Analysis. (Non-Monetary)
7. Trust your inner guts and follow your heart if the comparison's result is confusing.?
8. Be very transparent and blunt. It's not sugarcoating time, you're taking a very important decision.?
9. Consult yourself (If someone is asking me for advice, would I recommend them to sign that offer letter?), and consult your mentor, too (Hearing an external voice from someone you trust matters indeed). I don't usually recommend consulting your family or your friends at this point unless they won't be emotional about it.
10. Have a casual conversation with your current manager, people partner, or even the CEO if possible, and tell that person casually that you have an opportunity elsewhere. You're considering it because of those reasons and hear back from them, that helps. (Don't do so if you feel like the mentality of those people could be judgmental or not even open-minded enough)
11. It's your absolute right to experience retention from your current company, just don't be emotional. It's either making sense or not. Also, please don't decide to just consider a job opportunity, go through the hiring process, and get a better offer just for the sake of negotiating with your current company.?
12. Bear in mind that leaving your current good job today is itself risky. So yes... "Risk it to eat the biscuit, but the risk has to be calculated from my humble point of view"

• On the flip side, if you didn't feel comfortable through the hiring process for any reason or if you can see some signs that are telling you, "Don't do it", then apologize on the spot and don't proceed further. It's okay.?
• Also sometimes going through every single point mentioned above is needless in case you have your reasons to leave your current job and other reasons to join that other company; it depends.?

Salary Negotiation Tips:

1. Know your worth.
2. Be ambitious, yet realistic.
3. Research the market average for the role.
4. Set a minimum certain uncompromisable figure.
5. It's always healthy to tackle the salary expectations part in the beginning, you might be disappointed if you went through all the interview stages, passed, and then realized that the offered salary is way far from your current salary or your expected one.
6. Know well that a contractor with no benefits should be more paid than a normal full-time employee, and the gap should be serious.
7. Make it clear, I want this position, and I'm not just exploring and negotiating.
8. Know that in some companies, recruiters would make this easy by sharing with you the average package for the role initially, and then you can tell whether it's fitting or not before proceeding further.
9. In some other companies, recruiters wouldn't be allowed to share figures; accordingly, you could share your current or expected salary with them. They will either apologize if the range of that role is lower than your expectations or vice versa.
10. Also in some other places, especially newly established Startups, it's usually negotiable.
11. Sometimes people exaggerate their salary expectations to get the highest possible salary range that they could have, but the thing is that they could lose the opportunity by doing this move. (If you're getting 10k, the range of the role is 20k, and you're expecting 30-40k just to get the highest possible salary range (Which is 20k in this case), they won't simply proceed further with you and you will lose the opportunity due to an exaggerated expected salary just for the sake of negotiating - Wrong move)
12. Also sometimes companies overcomplicate this part because they don't have structured salaries for their employees which means that you could find big gaps in the salaries between two employees doing the exact same job, which is completely unfair. Ask whether that company has a structured payment for their employees or not.
13. You don't always have to accept the first offer. Depending on the offer VS your expectations VS the market range, etc. (Companies should offer you the range of the role even if it's higher than what you have expected. Companies shouldn't take your current or expected salary for granted if they have a certain budget for the role. You should be offered this range even if it's double your current salary as well)
14. Avoid Face-to-Face negotiations; it's awkward most of the time. (A very friendly and casual phone call with the concerned person would be more decent - Don't push it, don't stress out, and don't take it personally)
15. Remember, it's always a full package, so again, don't get blinded by the salary.
16. Say the positive words first; then negotiate. "I'm genuinely interested in joining your company and can't wait to start and kick off a new chapter with you guys. I also really understand the budgeting process and want to be as flexible as possible to work with you guys, but I just want to know whether $$$ would be possible or not given my current pay, experience, etc."

Always remember that it's not what you say, it's how you say it

• Bear in mind that there are lots of other job opportunities and offer letters waiting for you at some point, and also for any company, there are lots of other candidates waiting to get that job and that offer.
• Try to set yourself apart as much as possible, try to be unique, invest, and work on non-technical skills, not just technical skills. The more you're special, unique, and literate, the more you're demanded, the more you will be highly paid, and the more solid your situation will be while negotiating.

At the end of the day:

Consider and observe what's happening around the market. For instance, in the middle of these current economic challenges, leaving a good job is luxurious especially if you have some serious commitments and bills. Some folks could still see this itself as a reason why they should move to a different company. Maybe the company and the role are good enough, but still, they're underpaid - Maybe their income VS their bills isn't helping - Maybe they're taking a milestone in their life (Like getting married or having a baby for instance) and their current income is challenging - Maybe their current income is blocking them from achieving lots of stuff or even living a normal life along with any other given different reasons.

If you're always considering opportunities in the market, if you're open to exploring most of the job opportunities that you may be receiving, it says that you have some problems with your employer. You won't keep considering opportunities if you're happy and satisfied with your current employer. So simply, in this case, don't stay there, leave, explore the market but just make sure that you will end up accepting the right employment offer at the right time and place.

"Never compromise your next Career Chapter" You might get double your pay but it's not the right place, not the right roadmap, not the right culture, not the right role, and the right manager, etc. Consequently, you won't be able to commit to a such role and a such company, and you won't be able to stabilize and pursue your career path in that company normally. You wouldn't be able to enjoy what you're doing and, accordingly, your life! Because as we all know our career paths and what we do professionally impact our personal lives ultimately.

Hope that was helpful!

If you haven't read my previous article, I would urge you to check it out at the below link. It could be insightful, and interesting since it's also shedding some light on what's happening around in the market nowadays.