New Year, New Job Predicament

With every new year come new year resolutions. A common new year resolution is to switch jobs, change careers, and improve oneself on the work front. Most people do well taking the plunge to update their resumes, apply for jobs, and prepare for interviews. You now have one or multiple job offers in hand. How do you decide? The very last step is the one that many people stumble on.

Deciding whether to take or reject a new job offer is very hard. A hasty, quick, or rash decision about a new job can have a significant impact on both your career and your happiness. When someone asks for my opinion on which job offer to accept, I weigh my words carefully when I give advice. I find myself coming back to some key ideas in every conversation I have about a new job opportunity.

• Are you running away or moving towards something? Answer this question in all honesty. It will help you understand your motivation for the job change. Are you running away from something at your current job: long working hours, repetitive work, lack of career advancement, or difficult work culture. While all of these could be the impetus to move on to a new job, the real motivation should be to learn a new skill, better compensation, a lateral or vertical career move, better work-life balance, a dream team to work with, or a more favorable location. 

You should be excited about the new opportunity and make a conscious decision to move towards it. The only reason to take a new job should not be that you are unhappy with the current one. 

When you are looking for a change, you should be clear about why you want to make a change. This clarity will help you make the right decision for you. 

• Plan the next two moves: Think about your career as a game of chess. Before you take any step, you need to have a strong sense of the next two moves you are likely to make. This means you should have an acute sense of where you want to be in the next few years and then determine if the current job opportunity is a hop in the right direction. 

Now let's evaluate the specific job offer you have. I always use this prioritized list to help make a decision.

1. Role – Does this specific role excite you? Will you be happy doing this job? This is one of the most crucial aspects to consider in a new job offer. You should be excited about your day-to-day job and how your contributions will result in a sense of personal accomplishment and contribution to your team and company.
2. Immediate Manager – Did you meet your immediate manager during the interview process? Did you enjoy meeting them? Did you get a sense that they will empower you to do your job? Your job satisfaction depends on how in sync you are with your immediate manager and your relationship with them. A good manager is a mentor and guardian and values his team. If your gut warns you of a negative vibe between you and your immediate manager, it is usually enough reason for me to turn down an offer.  
3. Company Culture – Take some time to research the new company's culture. If possible, get feedback about the company culture from current and former employees. Some companies are laid back and give their employees the freedom to select their working hours and projects. Other companies have a cutthroat competitive culture or demand long on-site working hours. Your working style and the company's culture should align. If these two are out of sync, employees are quick to feel out of place and experience deep dissatisfaction. 
4. Management Team and Company Vision – How do you feel about the company’s vision, the product you will be working on, and the company’s management team. Do they invoke confidence? Would you feel a sense of pride in contributing to the product and company? If you do not believe in the company’s direction or vision, it will be challenging to give your 100% to the job, day after day. 
5. Compensation – This is the first thing most people start thinking about when looking at new opportunities. It is a motivator for many. The reality is that if you are not happy with the first four things on the list, compensation will not matter. Total compensation shows how much the company values you and the role, so you should make sure they are paying you the current market rate for comparable jobs. 

The Great American Resignation of 2021 is a great opportunity to take your career in a new direction. It takes deep thought, and reflection to make a conscious and deliberate decision to change jobs so that it turns out to be the right move for you.