ASK HR: Do I choose the promotion or take up the new job offer?
I am in a dilemma. Last year, I asked my boss to promote me to a newly-created position, but it didn’t happen, so I started looking for a job. PHOTO| FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Do you know what you need to achieve it? What are your strengths and interests? What difference would you want to make in the world?
- What aspects of your current role do you find most appealing and do they line up with your future career aspirations?
- Is your supervisor supportive of your growth?
Q. I am in a dilemma. Last year, I asked my boss to promote me to a newly-created position, but it didn’t happen, so I started looking for a job. Just two weeks ago, HR notified me that the company was promoting me. Two days later, I got an offer letter from one of the companies I had interviewed with. I don’t know whether to stay and take up the new position or leave and start afresh. The terms I am being offered are almost the same. The only difference is that if I stay, I will have my own office, but earn a few thousands less than what the new job is offering me.
You are in a fortunate position where you need to choose between two seemingly favourable career opportunities.
It is a positive sign that you have been promoted, as this is usually an indication that your organisation has confidence in your capability and potential to make continued contribution to the business. A job offer is, similarly, an expression of confidence by an organisation willing to take a bet on your talent.
The predicament of whether to take up the new opportunity or remain with your current employer might thaw as you consider a few questions. What is your career goal?
Do you know what you need to achieve it? What are your strengths and interests? What difference would you want to make in the world? What aspects of your current role do you find most appealing and do they line up with your future career aspirations? Is your supervisor supportive of your growth?
Also, what do you consider the most valuable prospect in the new job offer? How much do you know and admire about the culture and reputation of the organisation that has offered you employment?
What does it take to succeed there? Have you had a chat with an individual who works there to better appreciate what to expect?
Which of the two opportunities can you best locate in the scheme of your career dreams? Which organisation has a culture that would best support your growth? Which one presents challenges that are more likely to build the muscle needed to tackle your career ascent?
Years from now, you might care more about the difference you will have made in the lives of others than whether you have an office today. Think more about the officer than the office. And do not ignore what your gut is telling you.
