In a tight job market, multiple offers sounds too good to be
true. So what's the problem? Choose the one that pays the most
and move on, right? Wrong. If you don't take time to evaluate 
the offers, you could find yourself searching for a job again 
in no time. 


Assess Your Wants and Needs 

The first thing that you will need to do is to evaluate your 
needs and which of these offers fits your situation the best. 
It may be time well spent to plan out a strategy to evaluate 
the offers. 


Exercise

Put together a spreadsheet with the company names across the 
top. Down the left side of the page list your values and needs. 
Under each company's name assign a score from one to 10 for 
each of the following as appropriate for you:

 • Security: Have you been laid off? Are you looking for a home 
   with a solid company?

 • Balance: If you have a family or outside life, you may not be
   interested in working 60 hours a week. Rank the importance of 
   job and your personal situation.

 • Job Satisfaction: You probably would like to fee that your
   work means something in the bigger picture, that you are 
   contributing and making a difference.

 • Location: This goes hand-in-hand with balance. If you have 
   to spend three to four hours a day commuting, it will mean 
   time spent away from your interests or family. Telecommuting 
   a couple of days a week may be a possibility.

 • Salary and Benefits: These are certainly important
   considerations but are they as important as some of the other
   values? You want to be paid what you are worth, but would you 
   be willing to negotiate to get some of your other needs met?


After totaling the columns compare total scores. The totals may 
reveal that although one of the companies offers more money, 
the risks are higher and the time away from your "life" may not 
be worth the extra dollars. Your priorities will affect your 
decision. The decision will be about priorities and values 
-- and where you are in your career and life.

There are always variables that cannot be predicted when 
accepting an offer, but using an analytical approach the 
decision can be more objective. Making a bad decision can 
result in your being miserable and feeling unfulfilled, but 
unable to leave because you have only been in the job for a 
few months. It's always best to evaluate any offer, but if 
there is more than one offer to choose from -- it is essential.