Take the offer or wait for other opportunities?

angelwalker·Oct 18, 2021

Posted in:Advice

Hello!

I am seeking some help thinking through a decision. In September I quit my job without another offer due to lack of work-life balance with my new baby. Since then I have been interviewing for new roles thAt are of more interest to me. When I started my job search I wanted to shift into the tech space (industry not role), and work for a global organization. Work-life balance still a huge priority. I received an offer from an established mid-sized company (no brand recognition) That is not global or in the tech space. I also

have some final interviews pending (with companies that are tech but not global), and a great potential opportunity (company tech and global...also my dream company) that wont start the interview process until late this week or next week.

while this offer is financially less than the other things that are on the table, I'd really enjoy the role, the manager is lovely, and they have treated me well during the interview process. They even increased the offer by $10k upon me telling them I had other things pending.

Is it my FOMO that has me wanting to accept this offer? Or is it too risky to turn down a sure thing for something that may not happen?

accepting the offer while I wait for the dream seems inconsiderate to me.

The company that extended the offer (on Friday) is wanting an answer soon.

Any advice?

TheGoalGuru·Oct 18, 2021

Hi @angelwalker! This does sound like a tricky choice! One exercise I often recommend to my clients facing this type of situation is to spend a day (or a couple of hours, if you’re pressed for time) pretending you’ve accepted each choice, and see how you feel in each case. How does it feel to accept the job? How do you feel about getting ready onboarding? On the other hand, how does it feel to prepare for the other interviews? And how do you feel after turning this job down graciously? Of course there are a number of practical considerations to keep in mind. For example, ow soon do you *need* income? If the answer is soon, it might be worth taking the offer now and starting to apply to new jobs again after 6 months or a year. But if you don't need income urgently, you have more space to take the leap of faith and let the other opportunities play out. The top thing I'd counsel you to remember is that no matter what you choose, there is no "right" answer which sounds like a bummer but it also means there is no "wrong" answer. Whatever path you take will simply be the best decision you could make with the information and resources you have available. What ever you choose to do, you *can* and *will* make it work for you. Good luck and keep us posted!

tsahai·Oct 18, 2021

I agree with MWags - there is no "right answer" but 1) Finding people that you would enjoy working with and seem to care about what you bring to the table is very hard. I would definitely put a lot of weight in the fact that "right now" the offer in hand seems to really appreciate you and what you bring to the table. 2) You mention "work life balance" but want to work in a tech / global company -- having worked for a few tech / global companies I can say -- that although you can manage work - life balance, it gets tricky when you need to take calls with people in Asia, or Europe and you are working different time-zones and late nights / early hours because of just where people are located. But in depends on your role! 3) Also, why is the other job -- your "dream job" and what does this job have that you don't get and if you can figure out a way to bring some of that into this job - that is also a point worth considering. Good luck with your decision and congrats on your job offer!!

angelwalker·Oct 21, 2021

Thank you ALL so much! I accepted the offer. When I set out on this job search I knew the industry AND role that I wanted to be in. While the other opportunities presented were in the industry/space of interest and come with a higher compensation, ultimately the people that I work with and the role I’m in are more important. Also, I can’t place a price on being respected and valued in the workplace.When I turned down the other companies I did get some anxiety. I began questioning if I was taking the easy way out, allowing FOMO to get the best of me, or just too scared to take a risk and bet on myself. However, like many of you said, there is no right or wrong answer.

TheGoalGuru·Oct 22, 2021

Congratulations!!! Good luck with your new role!

annamiller·Oct 18, 2021

Hi Angel, Thanks for sharing your situation on here. Congrats on restarting your job search and receiving an offer!I mirror what Meaghan is suggesting. That is a great way to consider what is important and feel into what it means to you to take this current offer or wait for a potential future one. Sounds like you are looking forward to the current opportunity by the way you described your experience with them so far. You can help feel more confident about your choice by having one last conversation with the potential company to clarify any questions about your potential role . Also how excited do you feel when you think about taking this offer? Evaluate how important it is that the company is in tech or global - how will that affect your day-to-day role? Does it matter for your career goals/vision when you think about your work/life balance?You can create a short list of 3-5 top priorities for your next role and perhaps this current roles fits them, or not, but this can give you further clarity.

tiffanykwan·Oct 19, 2021

Hi @angelwalkerSome really big tech companies (FB, Google, etc... ) allow you to hold on to an offer for a year before it expires. This is mostly true if you are going through general hiring with team matching afterward. Not sure which global tech company is your dream company but it might not hurt to ask.That way you can accept this offer and still go for your dream job. And make the choice later down the line if you want to stay or not.Also, with the final rounds pending, you can send them a message and let them know you have an offer you need to reply to (while showing excitement for working at their company) and ask if you can speed up the process. Goodluck!And congrats on your offer!Tiff