This may not be the best time to accept an alluring offer....
You're one of the lucky ones if you've held onto your job in this recession and gotten an offer of another job too. But before you jump at that offer, do some serious research into both the job and the company. Weigh the opportunities and job security you have with your current employer against what likely awaits you at the new company.
"Don't get blindsided by the enthusiasm of the moment, of getting a job offer," says Laura Hill, founder of Careers in Motion, a Manhattan-based career-coaching firm.
First consider what your career goals are. Where do you want to be in five or 10 years? Will this new opportunity help you get there? Will you learn new skills that will help make you more marketable? Will you have more responsibility?
First consider what your career goals are. Where do you want to be in five or 10 years? Will this new opportunity help you get there? Will you learn new skills that will help make you more marketable? Will you have more responsibility?
If the answer to all those questions is yes, do everything you can to find out how stable the new company is compared with the one you're at now. Of course you might learn only good things and still end up getting laid off, but there are definite red flags to look out for. Your goal is to avoid switching companies and then getting downsized out of a job three months later.
Do a Google ( GOOG - news - people ) news search to learn about what's gone on with the company and the industry over the past six months. And set up a Google news alert for future reports. That will help you stay current on what's occurring right now. Look out for acquisitions and mergers, product launches, executive and managerial reshufflings, lawsuits. Public companies are often the focus of message boards where current and former employees post. Some of what you read on them can be rumors, but they're worth looking at to see what people are saying. Also, if you're connected on LinkedIn to any current or recently departed employees at the company, try to get their insiders' views "One question to ask a hiring manager during the interview is, 'What are the challenges your company faces now?'" says Hill. "The truth is never as rosy as they represent. They're trying to recruit you, so they'll say it's better than it really is." Still, their response may suggest other things for you to explore in your research.
Once you've gotten the big picture, get more information on the department you'll be joining and the actual job. Find out why the job is open. That could reveal a lot about what it would be like to work there and how secure the position is. If the previous employee got promoted or left for a better opportunity at a different company, that's a positive sign, since it shows that the job can lead to career growth. But if there has been a lot of turnover in the position, that's something to investigate. Is there a boss who's difficult to deal with? Are the expectations unrealistic? Perhaps the position was just created, because a new product line is launching or additional clients are signing on.
Be cautious about being hired to solve a particular problem. "I'd be leery of that opportunity," says Rick Smith, author of The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great. "That's a short term opportunity. You want them to want you to grow with them. You want to be hired for your potential."
Money is often the deciding factor. Try not to let it be, says Caroline Ceniza-Levine, a job coach at the career Web site Vault. If salary is the sole reason you'd switch jobs and you're happy in your current position, try negotiating with your manager. Just be sensitive about how you go about it.
Ceniza-Levine recommends saying something like this: "I've been approached by someone from another company who has been persistent and flattering about getting me to join their firm. I've talked to that person because I thought it would be good to know what's going on in the market. I actually learned some interesting things about what they're doing that could be helpful to us. [However, never share proprietary information you've been told in confidence during a job interview.] What stopped me in my tracks was the fact that the salary they were talking about was 10% more than I'm making now. Can we talk about that? I'm very happy here, but knowing that I'm leaving that money on the table is tough.
"That is a non-threatening way of raising the money issue. It's almost like you're looking to the boss just for advice," says Ceniza-Levine. You likely won't get the amount the other company is offering, but even a little bump will be helpful, particularly if you like where you are.
If you do decide to go with the new job, you don't necessarily want to be making the highest salary there. "Big salaries can attract attention in tough times," says Hill. "If you go in as a really highly paid new hire, they have huge expectations. That can set you up for failure."
Finally, how much do you like your boss and co-workers? Don't underestimate the importance of that, since congeniality in the workplace can be hard to find. "If you get along unusually well," says Hill, "that should set a high bar for making a change."
Do a Google ( GOOG - news - people ) news search to learn about what's gone on with the company and the industry over the past six months. And set up a Google news alert for future reports. That will help you stay current on what's occurring right now. Look out for acquisitions and mergers, product launches, executive and managerial reshufflings, lawsuits. Public companies are often the focus of message boards where current and former employees post. Some of what you read on them can be rumors, but they're worth looking at to see what people are saying. Also, if you're connected on LinkedIn to any current or recently departed employees at the company, try to get their insiders' views "One question to ask a hiring manager during the interview is, 'What are the challenges your company faces now?'" says Hill. "The truth is never as rosy as they represent. They're trying to recruit you, so they'll say it's better than it really is." Still, their response may suggest other things for you to explore in your research.
Once you've gotten the big picture, get more information on the department you'll be joining and the actual job. Find out why the job is open. That could reveal a lot about what it would be like to work there and how secure the position is. If the previous employee got promoted or left for a better opportunity at a different company, that's a positive sign, since it shows that the job can lead to career growth. But if there has been a lot of turnover in the position, that's something to investigate. Is there a boss who's difficult to deal with? Are the expectations unrealistic? Perhaps the position was just created, because a new product line is launching or additional clients are signing on.
Be cautious about being hired to solve a particular problem. "I'd be leery of that opportunity," says Rick Smith, author of The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great. "That's a short term opportunity. You want them to want you to grow with them. You want to be hired for your potential."
Money is often the deciding factor. Try not to let it be, says Caroline Ceniza-Levine, a job coach at the career Web site Vault. If salary is the sole reason you'd switch jobs and you're happy in your current position, try negotiating with your manager. Just be sensitive about how you go about it.
Ceniza-Levine recommends saying something like this: "I've been approached by someone from another company who has been persistent and flattering about getting me to join their firm. I've talked to that person because I thought it would be good to know what's going on in the market. I actually learned some interesting things about what they're doing that could be helpful to us. [However, never share proprietary information you've been told in confidence during a job interview.] What stopped me in my tracks was the fact that the salary they were talking about was 10% more than I'm making now. Can we talk about that? I'm very happy here, but knowing that I'm leaving that money on the table is tough.
"That is a non-threatening way of raising the money issue. It's almost like you're looking to the boss just for advice," says Ceniza-Levine. You likely won't get the amount the other company is offering, but even a little bump will be helpful, particularly if you like where you are.
If you do decide to go with the new job, you don't necessarily want to be making the highest salary there. "Big salaries can attract attention in tough times," says Hill. "If you go in as a really highly paid new hire, they have huge expectations. That can set you up for failure."
Finally, how much do you like your boss and co-workers? Don't underestimate the importance of that, since congeniality in the workplace can be hard to find. "If you get along unusually well," says Hill, "that should set a high bar for making a change."
By - Tara Weiss, Source: Forbes.Com
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