Do you remember the dramatic story of the Lady and the Tiger? In brief, a young man can choose to open one of two doors. Behind one door is the woman of his dreams. If he opens that door, they will get married and live happily ever after (at least the man will). Behind the other door is a tiger. If the man opens that door, he will be ripped to pieces and die at the claws of a ferocious beast. In the story, the man doesn't know which door is concealing which fate.
For many students with more than one job offer, making a decision between (or among) job possibilities makes them feel like the man in this story. The feeling is understandable: Making any important decision can be frightening. But, in real life, choosing between offers is not like choosing between the lady and the tiger:
- Your career is involved, but your life is not at stake. Seldom does a corporate "lady' guarantee lifelong bliss, and there is no corporate "tiger' that turns its employees into chopped steak.
- You have visited each employer and researched each firm. You should have a fairly good sense of what's behind each corporate "door," at least as it affects your early career.
- If your choice is that hard to make, it is really a choice between two "ladies.' If a "tiger" were lurking, you would probably eliminate that option without much difficulty.
A graduating college senior had to decide which of two doors to open. Behind one was a lovely individual and behind the other was a lovely individual. The senior knew the two people behind the doors and liked them both. Which one would make the better marriage partner?
Evaluating and Comparing Offers
Throughout this article, I have referred to a social analogy. At one stage, I compared saying 'Yes' to a job offer to accepting an offer of marriage. To continue the analogy, one way to evaluate a job offer is to assess the degree to which it satisfies things that are important to you in a job-just as you will someday assess a potential spouse based on the degree to which he or she satisfies what is important to you in a marriage partner. My Corporate Marriage Partner exercise will give you a relatively objective way to make your decision.
The Corporate Marriage Partner
One way to evaluate a job offer is to determine the degree to which the position fulfills the criteria that are important to you. My Corporate Marriage Partner exercise will help you:
- Identify what decision criteria are important to you;
- Rank your priorities;
- Assess the degree to which a particular job satisfies your important criteria.
- List the criteria that are important to you in a job. There is no minimum or maximum length for your list.
- Divide 200 points among the criteria on your list. The more important a criterion to you, the more points you should assign to it.
- Evaluate the degree to which the job offer you are considering meets each of your criteria. Assign a value from .00 (doesn't meet the criterion at all) to 1.00 (meets the criterion completely). Consider this your 'fulfillment quotient.'
- Multiply the allocated points from step 2 by the number in step 3 (your 'fulfillment quotient'). Then add the products of your multiplication to determine your evaluation of the job offer according to the criteria that are important to you.
Robert followed the four steps I have just described. His worksheets are given below.
Step 1. Important Criteria
Things That Are Important to Me in a Job
Compensation Location Starting date Career mobility Comfort with co-workers
Step 2. Allocation of 100 Available Points
Criterion Allocated Points
Compensation 25
Location 30
Starting date 10
Career mobility 20
Comfort with co-workers 15
Robert was surprised at this result. 'It looks like a failing score,' he said to me.
"If the answer seems uncomfortable to you, re-examine the first three steps," I suggested.
- Is your list of important criteria accurate and complete?
- When you divided the 100 points, did you accurately rank your criteria and give each criterion an appropriate number of points?
- When you assessed the degree to which a particular job offer meets your criteria, did you assign appropriate weights?
Robert also had an offer to work as a financial analyst at Toolco. Robert applied the Corporate Marriage Partner exercise to the job offer from Toolco. He had no trouble listing the important criteria or dividing 100 points among the criteria on his list. (For any given person at a particular point in life, the criteria and the allocation of points to them should remain the same, irrespective of the particular job being evaluated.)
Evaluating the degree to which the job offer met his criteria was difficult for Robert, just as it will be for you. This is how Robert assigned values to each of his important criteria.
Robert: Compensation: In terms of salary, Toolco would start me at about $2,000 less than I expected. On the other hand, over the long term, my potential earnings are very high. I think I'll rate this 90.
Location: Toolco moves you around, so I don't really know where I would be working a year from now. I don't like uncertainty, but maybe a year from now I'll feel less concerned about being far from home. I'll be starting in Pleasantville, which isn't great for a social life; I probably won't have time for one anyhow. I'll give this a .70.
Starting date: It's after Labor Day, just what I wanted. This will be my last long summer vacation until I retire. On the other hand, my cash situation is a bit weak. An earlier start would put some needed cash into my pocket. Let's say .85.
Mobility: Upward mobility within Toolco is great. I've seen the firm's data on that. But the firm doesn't release data about where people go if they leave Toolco. On balance, I'd say .70.
Comfort with co-workers both firms scored well, but Toolco had a .75 edge over Sanderson. Did that mean Robert should accept Sanderson's offer? Not necessarily.
The Corporate Marriage partner exercise is designed to identify important criteria in a job and the degree to which any given offer fulfills each criterion. It is not a precise scientific test or a sporting event where the highest score wins.
Robert could see that:
- Both jobs had considerable appeal;
- Both firms would give Robert most of what he wanted in terms of compensation and starting date;
- Neither firm held much appeal for Robert in terms of location;
- Robert anticipated better career mobility by starting with Sanderson but more comfort with co-workers at Toolco.
Alice's Evaluation
Alice came to see me in December, just before finals. In her hand were offer letters from two prominent public accounting firms, Newhouse Price and Sincere & Olde. She had made a Follow-up Visit to each firm, submitted each offer to the Corporate Marriage Partner exercise, and remained equally interested in both firms. What should Alice do?
I asked Alice what time she typically woke up on a weekday morning:
Alice: I have an 8:30 class. So I get up at 8:15, wash my face, get dressed, walk from my apartment to Wisdom Hall, buy a coffee and doughnut from the concession stand, and go to class.
It was interesting to get this picture of student life, but I realized that I had really meant to ask something different.
Richard: Alice, next year, what time do you expect to wake up when you're working?
Alice (laughing): Well, I guess I'll have to get up at 7:15 or even earlier to make the rush hour commute to Lincoln City. What a drag!
Evaluating Job Offers
Richard: OK, that sounds realistic. Now let's imagine that it's 7:15 A.M. on Monday during your fifth month on the job. Your alarm goes off. Let's say you're working for Sincere & Olde. How do you feel?
Alice: Basically, I feel good. I have friends at work, and I'm learning every day. The work is not interesting, but I feel that I'm building a solid foundation for my professional future.
Richard: Now let's change the scene a little bit. Everything is the same, but, when the alarm goes off, you're employed by Sam Sanderson & Co. How do you feel?
Alice: I'm ready to go to work, but I'm not excited. I'm going to feel very professional in that firm, but somehow I just won't feel like me. Somehow, I'm not sure that I fit in.
Richard: Alice, this 'good morning" exercise is hardly scientific. In fact, it's totally subjective. But how you anticipate you're going to feel after five months on the job says something about how you feel right now. It's a feeling you should take into account. Let me tell you my own secret career story.
Confessions of a Happy Man
My career path has been different from that of the most people. I started out with an administrative job in academia. I felt I had reached a dead-end and decided to earn an MBA at night, in order to make a transition to a corporate career. While earning the MBA, I took what was supposed to be a short-term job in placement at a college in New York. I made it clear to my employer that my purpose in taking the job was to make contacts that would help me make the transition to a corporate career.
The year I was to receive my degree, I interviewed with a number of potential employers. One said to me, 'Richard, a job with us is not for you. You're technically qualified and well-prepared. But, I've looked at your face. When you discussed your job in placement you were animated and enthusiastic. When you discussed working for us, you gave the right answers, but didn't show the same enthusiasm."
At first, I was disappointed. Given the goals I had set for myself, I had just been 'rejected" for the perfect job. But, as time went on, I realized the wisdom of the interviewer's remark: Sometimes the best way to evaluate a job is to sense how joyful you feel when you discuss it.
Now, 11 years later, I am still happy when I wake up to go to my job as a college placement director. I can't imagine that I could have been as happy anywhere else. This doesn't mean you should work for a college or university. My story does suggest however, that your subjective feelings when evaluating a job may be as important as your objective calculations.
Hitches and Glitches
"What do I do if my decision tools give me an uncertain answer?"
That's an important point. The tools I've given you and any others you could read about or devise, help you decide by clarifying your decision criteria. They can't make the decision for you.
Let's return to Robert's decision. Did he accept Toolco's offer or the offer from San Sanderson & Co.?
He chose Sanderson. Robert's thinking was this: "These are both good opportunities. But, in the long run, Sanderson has more to offer me. If I do well at Sanderson and on the CPA exam, I can be certified as a CPA in three years. That's a good credential to have, and it may be especially important for a liberal arts major to have a recognizable credential. The experience I gain at Sanderson will include making lots of client contacts in different industries. Experience, contacts, and credentials should add up to good career mobility.
"I know I'll be giving up something in terms of comfort with my co-workers, but that's a price I'm willing to pay.
"On balance, my choice is Sanderson."
Lies, Good Faith, and an Uncertain World
The Job Search Club met to discuss Hector's Happy Co./Manufacturco dilemma. Hector told us about his success using the Stall-juggling decision dates. A discussion about the lie approach was still in order.
When the meeting began, I asked the Club to give Hector rationalizations for lying-accepting Happy Co.'s offer while really intending to work for Manufacturco if it subsequently offered him a job as well. These are the comments Club members made.
Alice: Hector, be realistic, this situation means nothing to the firm, but it means a lot to you. Happy Co. can always get another employee, especially in a tight market. It's not so easy for you to get another job.
Bill: That's right! You've got to watch out for yourself. No one else will.
Gabrielle: Besides, Hector, think about the social analogy Richard is always making. Let's say accepting the offer from Happy Co. is like saying 'Yes' to a proposal of marriage. So what! Engagements are broken and people get divorces all the time.
David: That's right; if you're not going to be happy at Happy Co., everybody is better off if you don't start there at all.
Lauren: Not only that, Hector. Let's be real. Happy Co. would dump you tomorrow if they wanted to. What's sauce for the corporate goose is sauce for the student gander.
According to the rules of our Job Search Club, the students were not necessarily stating their own opinions, but they certainly had raised some formidable points for Hector to consider. Hector thought about the situation. He had already proceeded with the Stall approach, but Hector was eager to tackle this intellectual and ethical challenge. This is a summary of how Hector responded to his Club-mates.
Hector: You've certainly given me some interesting rationalizations for the Lie approach. In fact, I thought about some of them myself before I saw that, for me at least, the Stall worked. Everything you've said has some surface appeal, but I'll tell you why I can't accept it.
I know it feels like a very uneven situation. The Big, Powerful Corporation against Little Old' Me. But that's a little unreal. Yes, they can always get another employee, but probably at the cost of additional time and money to find someone. Once they think they've hired me, they notify the other applicants that the job is filled. So, to open the search again is a problem for the firm. And it's a problem for the other applicants, who've made decisions based on the belief that the Happy Co. opportunity was closed.
I know about looking out for myself. I'm a 'big boy' and I'm aware of reality. But if I look out for myself only, with no regard for the interests of others, what kind of person would I be? I want to be successful, but not selfish.
The social analogy has been giving me the hardest time. If the 'holy state of matrimony' can be so conditional and temporary, why make such a big deal out of a job offer?
You know, Jeannette and I are engaged, so the social analogy really hits home. When Jeannette said she would marry me, I hope she meant it. I hope she wasn't thinking, 'Yes, unless I get a better offer.' We both realize that our marriage may not last forever, but we're entering into the relationship in good faith. Maybe that's what makes accepting a job like marriage. Even though you know it might not last, when you accept the relationship of working for a firm, you enter in good faith--fully intending at the time of your acceptance to abide by your commitment.
If I accepted Happy Co., but was really waiting for Manufacturco it would be like Jeannette saying 'Yes' to marrying me, when she really hoped Prince Charming would come along before our wedding day.
Gabrielle: I think you've being naive, Hector. Since Happy Co. could dump you anytime they want, what makes you so committed to them?
Hector: Jeannette could "dump me' at any time, too. We don't have indentured marriage any more than we have indentured servitude. Does that mean that I could lie to her, cheat on her, dump her first?
David: But, Hector, let's say you wouldn't be happy at Happy Co. You have to act in your self-interest.
Hector: Keeping my self-respect is part of my self-interest.
This discussion in the Job Search Club highlighted for me the difficulty of the issues. Ethics and self-interest often come into conflict. Do we say "I've got to watch out for myself, no one else will?' Or do we say 'If I'm concerned about myself only, what kind of person am I?'
I told the Job Search Club that I thought Hector's choice of ethics over self-interest was correct and that I hoped they would reach the same conclusion. Lauren immediately challenged me.
Lauren: Hector and you sound very high-minded. But let's be realistic. What kind of protection do we have if a firm rescinds an offer on us?
Richard: That's a fair question. Let's stick with the example of Hector and Happy Co. It is highly unlikely that Happy Co. would rescind its offer. First, Happy Co. may and should have ethical concerns. Second, it's not in the firm's pragmatic interest. It would damage its reputation at this college and others as well. In the case of Emeritus (and many other colleges), we would refuse to let Happy Co. use our placement facilities again.
Bill: That's great as a deterrent or as a punishment. But what if Happy Co. does rescind the offer to Hector? What happens to him?
Richard: If Happy Co. did rescind its offer, it might offer Hector some financial compensation. But, frankly, Happy Co. probably could not be compelled to do so.
To go back to our social analogy: It is possible, though unlikely, that Jeannette might leave Hector standing at the altar. Would that justify Hector's promising to marry a second woman as a hedge against what Jeannette might do?
Gabrielle: I know you think that not honoring a job acceptance is unethical. But let's say Hector did say 'Yes' to Happy Co., and then reneged to accept a job with Manufacturco Could Happy Co. take any legal action against Hector? Richard: I am not a lawyer, so I won't speak from a legal perspective. However, it's not very likely that Happy Co. would take any legal action against Hector. It's hard to see what they would have to gain by doing so.
In this article, we saw how Robert went through the relatively objective Corporate Marriage Partner exercise and Alice used the totally subjective 'good morning' test, to help evaluate their job offers. We also heard the Job Search Club debate ethics and saw how to avoid seeing a job choice as a decision between 'the lady or the tiger.'
