Know When to Say "No!"

Not too long ago I wrote about the similarities between dating and job interviewing.  (July 18, 2011 “Why Interviewing is Like Dating”) and led my readers to consider that dressing up for interviews, hoping to make a good first impression, and all that waiting by the phone make us all feel a bit uncomfortable and vulnerable.

Today, I suggest that the analogy extends even beyond the first date.  If you’re actively seeking a long term relationship (the employment kind, or otherwise) eventually you reach a place where you’ll need to carefully consider the offer that is put before you and analyze how closely it matches your goals. 

But wait….

What ARE your career goals?

Do you know?

A few weeks ago I received a job offer from a very large, and well known, electronics company.  It was a tough decision but I politely told them “No, thank you” after I had weighed their offer against, not only my career goals, but other options that were still open to me.

Tip of The Day

Do the math, and check it against your goals, before accepting a less than ideal job offer.

So…why did I decline the offer?

1)      Do the Math - I receive $507 per week in unemployment compensation.  My vehicle gets 17 miles per gallon and the commute distance was 50 miles per day.  Gas is almost $3.50 per gallon so my weekly gas bill would be $70.  The job offer was for $18 per hour.  (Gross Pay of $720 per 40 hour week)  If you consider how far I would be driving, and my net working pay after 20% income taxes and deductions, my weekly take home would be LESS than my unemployment compensation! 

2)      Unemployment 101 – Initial unemployment claims are good for 6 months.  I received this job offer only 2 months into my 6 months of compensation.  I have to admit, however, that had I received the offer with only a month or less of benefits left to go I would have JUMPED at it.

3)      To Temp or Not to Temp? – I have also posted about the benefits of accepting temporary jobs as a method of extending your unemployment benefits and in consideration of the permanent position opportunities that may present themselves.  The opportunity I turned down was indeed supposed to turn into a permanent position, but not for at least 90 days. As such, that extended the amount of time before I would be eligible for any benefits.  Another proverbial “point” against my new employer.

4)      You want an answer WHEN? – At the time the recruiter called me she indicated that I would need to make my decision within 15 minutes and would need to show up for work within 2 hours.  I had already interviewed for another company and was waiting for a call from them for either a 2^nd interview or a job offer.  The other option was for a permanent job that was within 2 miles of my home and paid significantly more than the temporary job that was offered.  The recruiter called me at 12:15 pm so there was NO WAY I would be able to get a hold of anyone at the other company to see if I was still in the running, or not.

Perhaps you will agree with me that an ideal full time job is close to home, pays competitive wages, is permanent, provides good benefits and advancement opportunity, and an intellectual challenge. Perhaps not. What are you goals?  What are the details behind the offer that is presented to you?  Is it mathematically a great job opportunity or just a short term fix?

The more honestly and thoroughly you consider your long term career goals the more prepared you will be to make the tough call and...know when to say no.