Why did you reject that last job offer?

Q: In my experience, a key reason people change jobs is because they took the wrong job to begin with. Rejecting the wrong jobs is all the more important in a difficult economy, because who wants to go through the agony of interviewing again? Thinking about the last offer you rejected, what was your reason?

Nick's reply: There are lots of reasons for turning down a job. Sometimes people will turn down a good offer because they have a better one from another company. But even in that case, the offer is likely rejected because something is missing. In my years as a headhunter, I've found there are three key reasons why talented, successful people turn down job offers.

Money rarely tops this list. Of course, money is important, but when a person takes the right job with the right company, good money usually comes, even if it's a bit later.

What I just said may have tipped you off. This edition of the Challenge isn't really about turning down jobs. It's about why people select the job opportunities they do.

The job itself is usually the key reason for accepting -- or turning down -- an offer. In our survey, I broke out three other issues that I believe are actually subcomponents of "the job." When they are analyzed carefully, I find that job decisions are largely based on the people, the product and the company's reputation. As the economy gets stronger and more employers beckon, it's important to think about what factors really contribute to our success at our jobs.

I've placed people in jobs where they actually took salary cuts for the opportunity to join a company that had a sterling reputation and where they could work with outstanding people building top-notch products. Does this sound a little far-fetched? It's not. When you take the long view, like smart investors do in the stock market, you are more likely to profit by investing in value.

In almost every case I've seen, when people joined great companies and accepted salary cuts to get on board, their salaries rose significantly within a year or two and they quickly maneuvered themselves into job functions that they might not have had access to elsewhere. Such success is driven by the value inherent in a company's people and products. When people have the satisfaction of being around other good people and working on products that are meaningful to them, they naturally tend to work longer, harder, and with the sort of enthusiasm that breeds new ideas and greater success for everyone involved -- including the company and its investors. Success breeds more investment, which in turn stimulates growth and bigger opportunities.

An initial salary cut is thus an investment itself, but it is justified only when the environment warrants it. You will recoup your investment and come out ahead only if the company's environment can generate a wave you can ride to your own success.

Nonetheless, money is a great motivator for all of us, and lots of people turn down offers because the money isn't enough. Some people goose their earnings by jumping ship frequently for more money. Good for them, but every time they make a change, they're trading away valuable career equity that comes only from high-quality, long-term relationships with others in their field. So why work with anyone but the best? The best opportunities stem from good relationships with good people.

The biggest career challenge we all face, I believe, is to form productive relationships. And the best relationships are formed in a particular kind of environment: a company that has a solid reputation, outstanding products and good people.

Few companies offer all three of these qualities. That's why it's a good idea to reject some job offers -- for the right reasons.

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.