A framework for evaluating job offer
Back when I was trying to decide which job offer to take, a great mentor of mine shared this super helpful framework with me.
The goal of this framework is to help you get closer to your ideal job. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is figure out, for your ideal job, what percentage would you give to each of the following pillars.
Note that the total weight you give to all four pillars should add up to 100.
(1) Intellectual Stimulus
The job provides enough challenges for you to help you grow or stretch certain skills to keep the job interesting.
(2) Runway
How much do you value the visibility to showcase your work? If the opportunity to present your work to a large group of people and/or senior leaders is important to you, give this pillar a higher weight.
(3) Work-life balance
Certain jobs might provide greater flexibility on work-life balance, while some might requires you to work longer or non-typical hours from time to time. How much do you value the flexibility?
(4) Compensation
At the end of the day, you need to get paid so that you can support yourself and your loved ones. How important this is to you might depend on your personal financial situations.
Now that you figure out what the ideal percentage is for each pillar, you can evaluate all your options at hand. Use the knowledge you’ve gathered from interviews and from talking to people in similar roles to evaluate how much weight each job offer score on each pillar, and see how far off each pillar is from your ideal percentage.
This is especially useful if you have multiple job offers, or you are currently employed and trying to figure out whether you should take this new opportunity or not — after you evaluate each job offer, compare them to your ideal percentages, and pick the one that’s closest to your ideal percentage.
If you feel unsatisfied with your current job, this exercise could be useful in helping you figure out where the gap is — for your current role, which pillar is the most far off from your ideal percentage. And, if you decide to start looking for new opportunities, your ideal percentage for each pillar could serve as a guidance to narrow down the jobs you’re applying for and help you land a closer to ideal job sooner.
Best of luck to all the job seekers out there. Despite the setbacks you might experience during the job hunt, don’t lose faith and keep forging ahead —
You deserve a job that’s fulfilling and satisfying!
