Month: May 2019

When facing a hard decision such as taking a new position versus staying where you are or choosing between two new positions and don’t know when one is best, this might help… I believe in evaluating them based of four key criteria: opportunity, security, culture and financials.

OPPORTUNITY:

If you are like most, you want to continuously learn and have new challenges. Doing the same thing over and over gets tiring. Are there new opportunities for you and your team? Are you going to feel challenged? New accounts, new channels, employee training, ability to do things you haven’t ever done before.

SECURITY:

In today’s world is any position really secure? But is there a lot of turnover at the organization, are there recurring layoffs that happen on a regular basis. Are accounts disappearing? Is there new business coming in to help offset losses if they are taking place.

CULTURE:

A really big one. You are going to be spending a ton of time in that work environment, working with team members on a daily basis. Is it an environment that you are going to like? Do others like it. Is there a crazy amount of drama? Does it encourage growth and advancement, especially internal advancement? Does it reflect what you believe in. Can you envision yourself working there for a long time?

FINANCIALS:

For this area it’s really easy to go right to how much you are getting paid. True, huge factor. But what else from financial standpoint should you be factoring in: healthcare, 401K, bonus, small perks, allowances, commute costs, etc.

Analysis: Once you’ve developed your list based off these four areas, now prioritize the areas. If you are just starting out it’s probably more financials than security. If you are at a place that has a lot of turnover and have been burned before, security is more important for you. Prioritize them and then compare the different options.

Conclusion: Congrats on multiple options! Know that there is risk and uncertainty with all decisions but the more time you invest in weighing the options the higher the likelihood, you’ll make the right choice. Good luck!