I need more time to evaluate the job offer

Q: Company 1 just threw a good offer in my direction. The manager asked me for a decision within a few days. I'd like more time to examine this opportunity to see if it fits my preferences, lifestyle and personal goals. And I'd like to think more about Company 2, which may suit my career objectives better. How can I approach the situation to buy myself some time?

NICK'S REPLY: First, check your written offer. It may provide more decision time than you were told. Regardless, you can politely let the company know you're considering other offers and that you need more time to make a decision. That should be no more than a week to 10 days. A company can reasonably expect an answer in that time frame. After all, it wants to hire people who are motivated to join up.You might pose it this way: "I'm very pleased to have an offer from you, and I want to thank you again. I hope you can help me with the decision schedule. I'm very busy at work and have no time during the week to carefully consider the details of your offer. With your permission, I'd like to take the coming weekend to give your offer the attention it deserves. Would that be OK?" That's a reasonable request. A decision period that includes a weekend is a good compromise.

But I'll caution you. Reading between the lines, I sense you're trying to buy time so Company 2 can make an offer. This is a common dilemma, but it's not real. While any job hunter would like to have a choice between Company 1 and 2, the reality is that in such a short time frame, a second offer is not likely to appear. If Company 2 delays, and you keep trying to buy time, you could alienate Company 1 and lose your only offer. When you have only one offer, you don't have a choice. You face a decision: Yes or no? You cannot worry about the offer from Company 2 until it comes, even if that's after you've started work at Company 1.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

It's the people, Stupid.

In evaluating a job offer, you have considered the money, the quality of the company and the job itself. It all seems good. So why do you still feel uncertain?

Find out whether the rest of the company cuts the mustard. Remember that no job is isolated. You can't be successful merely by doing a good job at your job. Your success depends on the people and departments you interact with. If you're in sales, you depend on engineering to design the product, on manufacturing to produce it, on quality control to test it, and on accounting to collect payment.

Meet, interview and assess the efficacy of all those departments and people. Otherwise, how can you be confident of the outcome? If you take the job, the money won't make you successful, nor will the company's reputation or your job description. It's the people, Stupid. (No offense, eh?)

Copyright 2008. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.