Best Ways to Choose Between Multiple Job Offers

Best Ways to Choose Between Multiple Job OffersBest Ways to Choose Between Multiple Job OffersIt certainly feels great to know you have choices of which job you want next. Company A wants you and Company B wants you. It is a great position to be in. So, what are the best ways to choose between multiple job offers that will benefit your career? And how do you protect your relationship with the company you did bedrngnis choose?Here are ways to help you make the best of a great situation.1. Look beyond perksPerks in the forms of coffee kitchens and pizza nights do not pay bills. When it comes to deciding which job offer you will choose, aim for the one that helps you support your health and your financial situation. Things like health insurance and dental will save you a ton of money over the course of a year, especially given the rising costs of healthcare in the USA.Also, choose the job that appears to offer a peace of mind. Do you think the company will be a toxic work environment or one that will leave you feeling inspired? Jobs that are mentally and physically taxing on the mind and body will do more harm to you than good over the course of a career.The last thing you want is a job that offers medical and dental benefits because you will need them after a couple of years on the job due to the behavior of the company. Make sure you get as much information about your job responsibilities and who you will work with. Be as detailed as possible and then answer the question, Is this the right job for me?2. What job offers the most opportunity for career growth?Career growth can come in many forms, be it in education, financial, or title. However, times are changing faster than ever before. It used to be that if you were hired at a company, you stayed there for your entire career or changed jobs maybe two or three times. In the 21st century, the average number of times people change jobs is between 10 to 15. While employed employees devote their time and energy to p reparing for their next career move.With that being said, you will ideally want a job that is progressive and preparing you for a career transition. So, education and position growth will tend to matter more than financial growth. Accepting a job that will be automated to death in 5 years because it pays well now is a career move that could hurt you.If you are not learning and growing in your job right now, the chances are in a few years your career will stall or demand you abflug taking new business courses. In the US job market, the older an employee gets the less likely they are to be paid more if they are not learning new skills and growing.Some do manage to hold onto jobs for an entire career, but the reality is the majority of these jobs are becoming a thing of the past. If you have hit the glass ceiling in your company already it may be time for a change. If you have a few job offers on the table aim for the one that will provide you with career growth for the next five years and help you eventually move on to bigger and better jobs.3. Which job is one you actually want to see yourself advancing in?An interview question that used to come up often welches, Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Even though the question does not seem to be asked as much anymore (probably because of point 2), you should be asking yourself, Do I want to advance my career here over the next 5 years?Why? Working at a company and succeeding within that company is great. But what do you do if the company has a notoriously bad reputation? To give you an example, imagine you worked for and grew your career at a company that was bailed out by the US Government in 2008.Before that happened, you were steadily promoted, educated, and saw financial gains from your hard work. Then suddenly, you are laid off and start your job search at a time when your most recent experience is at the very company everyone is holding a grudge against.Before choosing a job, do your best to make sure the ethics and morals of a company are aligned with your own. The last thing you want to do is grow your career at a company you dislike but agreed to work for anyway. When you interview for a new job, eventually you have to be proud of the company you just worked for and it is easier to do that when you respect them.4. Did you like the people you met during the hiring process?It is not silly or emotional to say this. If you did not like the people you met during the hiring process, then you should not be working for the company regardless of what it offers.Think about it You are going to spend 40+ hours with these people during the week. You have to collaborate with them and share ideas with them. How do you think your job will turn out when you do not even like the people you work with?When you have job offers on the table, make sure you like the people you are interviewing with. By nature, when we connect with people in-person there is a sense that anything can be achieved. When you start to feel like you are managing personalities, achieving anything becomes a chore and eventually, you will end up resenting someone or something who disagreed with you. Dont ignore your gut instinct when you think youd be happier working with one group of people over another.Protecting your relationship with both companiesIf you are in a position where multiple job offers arise, always be sure to let the other company down politely. Emails written like this, Sorry, you did not offer enough are a mistake. Instead, as a job candidate you get to write your version of a rejection letter like thisThank you so much for the offer for the **** position. I appreciate you taking the time to consider me and for answering so many of my questions about the company and role.After much consideration and thought, I have decided to accept a position at another company.It was a pleasure to meet all of you and I hope we can stay in stich if future opportunities to work together present themselves. .Respectfully yours,*****Over the course of your career, this is a great way to establish connections that help your career and network flourish

Achieve More! Student Recruitment Video Now Available

Achieve More Student Recruitment Video Now Available Achieve More Student Recruitment Video Now Available ASMEs Membership department has created a new video that ASME Student Section leaders and mechanical engineering faculty can use to boost the size of the ASME Student Section at their college or university.This new recruitment tool - titled Achieve More - is a lively, fast-moving video that combines animation and live footage to convey the excitement of ASME Student Membership and show engineering students how membership can help them build their skill set, make new friends, get involved with their community, and prepare for their careers.Student Sections and faculty members are encouraged to share the video with their peers and colleagues, play it at on-campus events, post the video on their universitys intranet or a favorite social network, or use it any way they choose to promote ASME activities at their school.To view Achieve More now, visit http//go.asme.org/AchieveMore. F or more information on the benefits of ASME Student Membership, or to become a Student Member, visit http//go.asme.org/students.

How to Capitalize on Post-Recession Employee Turnover

How to Capitalize on Post-Recession Employee TurnoverHow to Capitalize on Post-Recession Employee TurnoverHow to Capitalize on Post-Recession Employee Turnover PicoultI quitThose two words, which you may not have heard much since the Great Recession began, could be poised for a comeback.In October, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the number of employees voluntarily quitting their jobs had eclipsed the number terminated through layoffs and other types of discharges.Could this signal a shift in the job market, requiring companies to focus less on workforce reduction and more on employee retention and employee engagement?One thing is for sure employees are not happy. The stress of the economic recessionhas taken a heavy toll, not just on those laid off, but also on the survivors who shoulder the burden of the resulting staffing gaps.Employee Satisfaction and the Tip of the IcebergWorker satisfaction is at its lowest level since The Conference Board began measuring it in 1987. Four out of every five workers are planning to, or at least contemplating, leaving their current employer, according to a recent survey by human resource consultancy Right Management.For this reason, the numbers in the BLS report could very well be the tip of a much larger iceberg. As the job market improves, all of the pent up turnover thats been festering in companies since 2008 will start being released. Businesses will face a new, post-recession challenge a turnover surge that could sap them of their talent and wash away any prospect of improved performance.For those businesses that even recognize this looming threat, the knee-jerk response is to focus on employee loyalty What can we do to keep our best people from leaving?But theres another side to this equation that routinely gets overlooked. The employee turnover trend doesnt just present a threat it also presents an opportunity.This wave will dislodge good people. Forward-thinking employers will capitalize on that dislocation to draw talented individuals into their ranks. So the question shouldnt just be how do we keep the best people, but also how do we attract them?Dont Just Attract Great Candidates Captivate ThemHeres the answer Dont just aim to attract top talent try to captivate them. Create a candidate experience so impressive that it makes people want to work for you.This can be a complicated endeavor, but one thats grounded in the simplest of concepts Candidates are customers and should be treated as such. Just as great companies cultivate consumer affinity by carefully choreographing their customer experience, the same can be done with candidate interactions.Here are five ways to start shaping a more distinctive candidate experience, from how you market employment opportunities to how you measure recruiting successArticulate a purpose.People like to be part of something thats bigger than themselves. Purpose-driven branding is about defining your companys reason for being in ter ms that transcend mere profit and market share. This branding approach can be a powerful influence on many stakeholders, job candidates included. People will be attracted to a career opportunity that provides greater meaning and purpose in their lives.Market the opportunity. Defining a compelling brand is but one component of a comprehensive employment marketing strategy. Craft talking points and company overview materials that highlight what is distinctive and different about working at your firm. Create job titles that convey the purpose and importance of a role (e.g., whats more likely to get someone out of bed in the morning being a Personnel Recruiter or a Talent Scout). Turn job descriptionsfrom mind-numbing administrative documents into compelling, candidate-focused marketing materials.Give your undivided attention. In todays wired world, its hard for people to maintain eye contact, let alone give someone their undivided attention. Interviewers are easily distracted, by the caller ID display on a ringing phone, the ping of an e-mail hitting their PC, the buzz of their smartphone receiving a text message, even a staff member meandering past their office. Want a candidate to feel valued and appreciated? Try giving them your undivided attention when you conductan interview. Be punctual, maintain eye contact, and actively listen (and respond) to everything they say.Communicate considerately. If theres one thing candidates yearn for (other than getting the job), its timely and relevant feedback. From acknowledging receipt of a resume right through to conveying a hiring decision candidates are hungry for communication. Yet this need is probably the one that most frequently goes unfulfilled. Employers rarely communicate well with candidates (despite the ubiquity of enabling technology), triggering all-too-common horror stories about resume black holes and unresponsive HR departments. That means theres great upside potential for those firms that bring a more thoughtful, considerate approach to candidate communications.Set up listening posts. How do you really know if youre sending the right signals through your candidate experience? Theres only one group qualified to tell you the people whove gone through the process. Gauge success not just with recruiting outcomes, but also with candid, unfiltered feedback from recent candidates. Have an independent anlass solicit feedback from new hires about every key touchpoint in the candidate experience. Where possible, reach out to rejected applicants to do the same, or even test the recruiting experience via mystery shopping. Unfiltered feedback is essential for continuously evaluating and improving the impression you leave on employment candidates.Many companies structure their recruiting process with a decidedly administrative mindset, missing the chance to turn each candidate interaction into a persuasive marketing opportunity.Stand out from competing employers by shaping your candidate expe rience as carefully as you would shape that of your customers. Couple that with an effective employee engagement strategy and you wont just weather the employee turnover trend, youll come out stronger for it.Author BioJon Picoult is Founder of Watermark Consulting, a customer experience advisory firm.Watermark helps businesses impress their customers and inspire their employees, turning everyday people into loyal brand advocates.Read Jons blog and learn more at www.watermarkconsult.net.