How To Balance Multiple Job Offers

​It’s a candidate’s dream outcome – multiple job offers all arriving at once! Isn’t it?

Each one of the hiring managers wants you to be a part of their team. They might have promised you the world, more perks than you can shake a stick at and a clear path to CFO or CEO. But now comes the hard part – which offer do you accept? You will likely have many considerations as well as people trying to convince you that their role is by far the best option in the market and for your career. So how do you start comparing them?

Why Are You Looking For A New Job?

First, remind yourself why you are looking for a new role and write it down. For example, if you are leaving your current role because of location, that should factor very heavily into why you would choose one role over another.

Here are a couple of key reasons to consider for your list …

• Location: How accessible is the office? Close to public transport? If you are working from home 3 days a week, does distance matter that much? What happens if the employer changes their policy on WFH arrangements? Would that be a deal breaker?
• Salary: If the starting salary is higher than the market, could that mean you are at the top of their budget and unlikely you will see a pay rise anytime soon? When are pay rises? If there are bonuses, how are they calculated? Who got bonuses last year, and how much of the bonus did they get? There is no point in choosing a job that has a headline 20% bonus if no one achieves it.
• Flexibility and Perks: Are the company’s WFH arrangements an actual policy or is it a bit vague, and ultimately, discretionary? Do you want to work from home or do you prefer being in an office? What other perks are on offer? You shouldn’t take a job solely based on the perks that are on offer, but they can help when choosing between two roles. 
• Career Progression: If career growth is important, what are the options after 2-3 years in this role? Does the role report to someone that has been in the job for 15 years and looks like they are going nowhere anytime soon?
• Manager: Here’s the thing, you will spend more time with your Manager than you will with your own partner, so you might want to make sure they are someone you can respect and learn from. Having a good manager is often the single key reason that employees stay in roles.
• Have you got all the facts? Has the interviewing process answered all the questions that you had? If not, make sure you have all the loose ends tied up before you make a final decision. You don’t want to start your new role having made (wrongly) assumptions about key things that might have seen you choose a different role.

When you have done this for each role, then step back and categorise each point as a “for” or “against” for each role. If one of the roles has more ‘against’ it than for it, maybe it’s not the right role for you.

Take Some Time To Speak To Someone Neutral

Secondly, (and this is hard) don’t let an overly enthusiastic hiring manager pressure you into making a decision in their favour. In the heat of the interview, a lot of promises are made, but may not be delivered later on. This is why you should then talk to someone neutral who you trust and who knows you. Ask them for their advice. Give them all the pros and cons and see what they would do. But be careful not to influence them with your thoughts before hearing their advice.

Stick With Your Decision

Once you have carefully made your decision, stick with it.

Recruiters and Hiring Managers will forgive you for not choosing their role, but even the most mild-mannered individual will find it hard to keep their respect for you if you accept a role and then change your mind. It doesn’t give a great impression to your prospective employers or to your recruitment partner.

Weighing up all of the pros and cons of an offer and talking it through with someone you trust can help you avoid any awkward backtracking, and maintain relationships for the future, as you never know who you will cross paths with again in your future career.

Being offered multiple jobs at the same time can be both an amazing and stressful experience and one where your decision may grate on you for some time after. Taking the time to assess your options will help you to avoid some of these negative feelings once you have made your decision.

If you would like any more advice on this topic or if you’re looking for your next role, please get in touch with our specialist team today on 020 7096 8200 or email us at [email protected]

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