Imagine a job offer with a salary increase of 30%. The work looks interesting, but the office is far away. The commute will add two hours every day. Should you accept or stay?
That first number can quickly become the main argument. Yet it says nothing about your goals, workload or ability to change course.
Start with what you want to change
Higher pay may be the priority if you need to build a financial buffer. Someone else may want to learn a new profession. Another person may need more time with family. The same terms will have different value for each of them.
Write down one primary goal and two conditions you are unwilling to give up. For example: “I want to develop my analytical skills; I need predictable hours and time to learn.”
Compare the same factors
For both jobs, write down:
- income after taxes and additional expenses;
- working time, including the commute;
- specific responsibilities and learning opportunities;
- the manager’s expectations and the team’s support;
- probation terms and the consequences if the move does not work out.
Separate confirmed facts from promises. “You can grow here” remains an assumption until you understand the responsibilities, criteria and timescale behind it.
Find the question that could change your choice
Perhaps the extra commute makes the offer unacceptable. In that case, ask about partial remote work first. If development is your main goal, request examples of future tasks and a conversation with the manager.
Useful information can change your decision or the way you act on it.
The book’s “WHAT? WHEN? HOW?” method helps turn reflection into action. Here, those questions become: what to clarify, when to obtain an answer, and how to check the terms.
Define your next move
Instead of endlessly debating yes or no, write an action: “By Friday, I will clarify the schedule and responsibilities, then compare both roles against my criteria.” If information is still missing, that is a useful finding too: you know exactly what you do not know.
Explore this situation in Decision Lab and see how new circumstances affect your choice.
Prepared by the editorial team using ideas from the book. The situations are examples created for this journal.
