Do I stay or do I go?

How to decide if the job offer is right for you.

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It happens all the time... you decide to put some "feelers" out there and apply for a new job, one thing leads to another and you are offered the job and you are left thinking "well, that escalated quickly". What do you do? Do you stay with what you know or do you spread those wings and fly?

As a recruiter and business owner, I have seen this all the time. A candidate gets to the offer stage and suddenly their current job isn't that bad. I actually make it a point to not pressure a candidate one way or another. Push them to go and they feel pressured, encourage them to stay and they wonder why your even there in the first place. This, my friend is what I call, staying in the middle lane. So with this in mind, let me share the advice I give to help the undecided candidate.

Remember your WHY. I actually encourage candidates to write this down at the beginning, before diving into the job search. It really does help remind you of your motive, especially when you are on the fence. Whether your WHY is financial stability, work life balance or a promotion, it makes the process a lot more seamless if you can look back and say "Yes, this new job would satisfy my why". If it doesn't, then move on and don't look back.

Do not make a pro's and con's list (yep, I said it). I remember when my husband and I were trying to decide whether or not to move cross country back to Oklahoma. We decided to write down the pro's and con's. Well guess what, they were even. 11 Pro's and 11 Con's. So we then decided to rank each one on importance from 1-3. Well, you guessed, it the score was equally 25. It created more confusion and frustration. I am not discouraging the discussion of pro's and con's, but making your decision off a list with a line in the middle, simply does not work. Instead, weigh your options and discuss the differences but keep in mind that there is no magical formula that will help with the decision.

Focus on the negative. Ironic statement coming from someone who is overly positive 98% of the time. But this is actually something I like to discuss with my candidates. Every job is going to have draw backs, but which of those negative aspects can you NOT live with? We all have our threshold of job challenges, what are those for you?

Do not stay put (or leave) for a boss or coworker. This is easy. Bosses and coworkers come and go. Whether you love them or hate them, chances are they won't be there forever so never make a job decision based off this. I once had a candidate leave their job because they did not like their boss. One week after he left, the boss resigned.

Does this job align with your career goals? Sometimes the "next" job is used for a stepping stone. It might not be your long term career, but does it help you get there? If the new job helps you accelerate you to the next step, it might be time to make the move.

Will you keep looking even if you decline the offer? The answer to this will really help you decide if the current job isn't cutting it. If it isn't, will this new job make you happy? If the answer is no, that is ok too, and just keep looking. But I like to encourage candidates that if they are looking to leave either way, then the job offer might be worth accepting.

Counter Offers are never a good idea. Sorry to burst your bubble, but counter offer's are a recruiter's worst enemy. And not because we don't want you to make more money it's because they rarely work long term. They blind the candidates from why they were looking in the first time. Also, if you accept a counter offer, you are telling your current employer that money is the only reason your staying. And guess what? 90% of the time the employer starts looking for your replacement just in case you do decide to leave (since you had one foot out the door already). If you want more money from your current employer, have the conversation before job searching.