When you have received an offer, you will need to decide if it is a good offer for you. A quantitative analysis is the best way to approach the decision. Many people I have worked with are delighted to hear that this task can be broken down into numbers.
Take a piece of paper and divide it into two columns, labeling one column “pros,” and one column “cons." Then, make a list of the pros and the cons of the offer. These will include things that relate to your goals and work/life style preferences. Then, adjacent to each item, assign a numerical value on a scale from one to ten: how important is that item? Do this analysis for each offer you receive and you will now have a way to choose between the offers.
One IT professional that I worked with a couple of years ago had an offer from a company in San Francisco that was several thousand dollars higher than another offer she had from the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) here in Sacramento. She was very nervous about taking an offer that was lower. After she finished doing the analysis, she was able to see that the FTB offer represented the best professional and personal move for her and her family.
One individual was deciding between a military career and a civilian job offer with a defense contractor. Here is how he analyzed the offers and made the decision:
Sample of Quantitative Analysis of Job Offer Comparison
Analyzing Offers
Method #1
Method #2
Method #2 (Example)
Method #2 (blank chart)
That is how you sort the offers and plan your career and your life!