How to Decide Whether to Accept a Job Offer

You have been contacted about a new concert, but it’s difficult. You’d be happy to stay with your longtime employer, but you’re not sure if that’s real, and your spouse doesn’t want you to move. Here’s how to take this decision as an opportunity and not as a chore.

Throughout my (12 years) career, I have worked for one employer. This is the same company that my father and grandfather spent their entire careers with.

Unfortunately, the company is closing the factory where I work. They promised my group that our jobs will remain in this region. But we still have not chosen a new location for our team, despite the fact that the announcement of the closure of the plant was made almost two years ago. The actual closure will take place in a few months. Another firm approached me with a job offer with similar responsibilities to my responsibilities, but in a completely different area. I would move from a manufacturing company to a more technological one. My commute to work changed from 30 minutes by car to an hour by train. I am very passionate about the product we manufacture for my current employer. But I cannot shake the feeling that we are being pulled, and it will end badly. I would be willing to move to stay with the company, but my wife is from the area and would prefer to stay where we are.

Should I stay or should I go?

This is, of course, one of the most recurring dilemmas in working life. And in a way, this is one of the best dilemmas in working life. This may not be the case at the moment, but it’s perfectly okay to think about the pros and cons of making changes or permanent changes. Appreciate the fact that you always have a choice, and this must be taken seriously and accepted, not avoided until the moment of crisis.

However, I understand that these solutions are rarely easy. There is no way to avoid risk (and sometimes sticking to what you have is actually the biggest risk of all). So moments like this are a good time to ask yourself a question that is worth asking regularly, as the answer is likely to change over time:

What do you really want and what are you willing to sacrifice to achieve this?

Shift your time horizon

You’ve already done most of the basic work in comparison. You are really digging your company / product; the new concert will include a more difficult commute. Maybe you should stay put!

On the other hand, your spider instinct tells you that your job will eventually evaporate, or that keeping it going will require actions that your wife doesn’t want to do. Maybe smarter to go!

Now try to rethink your solution for a longer time horizon. Think about what you want in ten to twenty years. If staying in the area is a top priority, it can limit your career options. (This is a potential victim.)

But the experience you gain with this new firm seems to be more likely to help you develop a set of skills that will give you more flexibility in the future to pursue interesting pursuits, even if you remain in the same geographic location.

Imagine future regrets

While sticking to this longer time horizon, think about what you might someday regret. I know this sounds like a bummer, but this is just a mental exercise. I urge you to rely on this: think really broadly about what you might regret. The decisions you made, the decisions you didn’t make, all of this.

In your case, I suspect that you need to take a closer look at how much you want to stay with your current employer, compared to how much you might end up offending your spouse if you sacrifice it because you believe that she would rather not move. Explore it. What if the move was only for a few years? How strongly does she really feel about it? How strongly do you feel about it? How much does your apparent loyalty to this employer relate to the idea that you have had a family relationship for several generations?

None of this is fun. But confronting these problems is better than avoiding them in an effort to minimize everyone’s possible future regrets. (Note that I did not say “delete.” Spoiler alert: We’re all going to have some regrets.)

It seems to me the most logical to take a new concert. Take a longer commute to work, pick up new skills, and be prepared for whatever comes next. I am deeply skeptical that your current employer will ever reciprocate this long-standing sense of loyalty, but staying open to what comes next must include maintaining your most supportive contacts at the company. Perhaps in five or ten years, you will become more attractive to them than ever, precisely because you took the risk of trying and learning new things .

Obviously, you will have to weigh this against your long-term goals and potential future regrets. Just keep reminding yourself that getting to the crossroads of your career isn’t all that bad. This could be a real opportunity.