How to handle more than one Job offer

How to handle more than one Job Offer Nurses are in high demand, even in a bad economy; there will always be a need for nurses. As long as there are sick people, doctors, and hospitals, nurses will have some form of job security. So when the time comes that perhaps you have made the decision to change positions, and resign from your current job, you will probably start by submitting resumes. As a skilled nurse, when you send out resumes to more than one facility, you are most likely going to get responses from more than one facility. So then you are faced with the decision of what to do, which job to take, and what if you turn in a notice and are asked to remain at your current job?

Receiving an Offer to Remain in your Current Position It is not uncommon as a nurse, to turn in your two week notice to resign, and be approached with an offer to stay. Perhaps you may be offered more financial compensation, or a more desirable work schedule, or even a promotion. Your first response to a current employer should be the same as with a prospective employer, advise the person making the offer that you would like a little time to consider the offer. It is always important to respond with an initial off with the statement that you would like to think about it, a quick decision is often a decision later regretted. As to an offer to remain with your current employer, statistically speaking, that is not a good idea. There are situations that indeed that may be the best decision, however, those situations are far and few between. The issues with remaining with your current employer after you initially advised them you were planning to resign are: • The employer now knows you are satisfied with your position. The exception to this may be if your employer has agreed to transfer you to a completely different area or department. If your intentions are to remain in your current position, your employer will have the knowledge that you are not currently happy in your job. Even if they offer you a salary increase, they may view that as a temporary solution, and assume that at some point you will again require more financial compensation. Hiring Executives agree, it is generally not a good a good idea to stay with a current employer, once you have turned in a notice to resign.

In the event you do make the decision to stay with your current employer, keep in mind that the prospective employer is going to feel as though you wasted their time, and you should not expect a second chance with that company should you change your mind again and decide to resign your job.

The correct thing to do if you have made the decision to stay with your current job is to immediately call the prospective employer and provide a brief explanation that you have made the decision not to resign. Do not provide in depth details as to why you reached this decision, just a very brief explanation, and a sincere thank you for their time and offer. They will want to end the conversation and get back to their search for a proper candidate for their open position.

Related: Reasons Why You Shouldn't Stay Quiet when it comes to Patient Care Receiving Multiple Job Offers When sending out resumes, consider the fact that you could possibly get interviews and offers from each resume you submit. That should not discourage you from sending multiple resumes; however you should prepare how to handle the situation of multiple job offers. There is a lot to consider if you receive multiple job offers, so the most important step you should take, is to tell the prospective employer that you would like a little time. In the event they question when you will have an answer, be prepared to respond. Generally speaking 48 hours is the maximum time you could expect them to wait. If it is a Friday, that 48 hours would apply to the weekend, so you should respond by Monday. Never tell the prospective employer that you are considering other offers, just that you would like a short amount of time to consider their offer. Providing all 4 pending offers will be held for you 48 hours, it's time to get down to the consideration process.

Making the Decision There are numerous factors that you should consider when making a decision on which job to accept. Involve your partner or a friend to bounce ideas off of, however, make sure you make the decision based on what you feel is the right thing. Decisions are not easy in a situation such as this.

You wonder which the right one is, if you will regret the decision you make, and how do you determine which job to accept. Break your considerations down into segments, listing the major considerations first: • Job Security- you want to make sure the job you accept is stable, no expected layoffs in the foreseeable future. Is the company a large medical corporation, or a smaller practice? A larger corporation will probably offer more benefits, and a better chance for advancement, while a small practice will be a more personable environment.

• Career Advancement Opportunities- is it your intention to advance in your career? If so, make sure that is something you discuss in your initial interview. The interviewer will advise you if there are advancement opportunities, or if the position will remain the same for the most part. If career advancement is a factor in your decision, check online job postings for the company, outside of your area of expertise is fine, just check to see how many jobs they actually have available. The more jobs they have available, the better your chances to advance.

• Salary- it may not be wise to put salary as a first consideration, it's pretty easy to be blinded by a high figure, only to find out you hate the job.

Obviously, if there is a significant salary difference in the jobs, you may proceed to discount the one that is lower than you expected.

•Shifts and working hours- consider the shifts and hours heavily. If you have really wanted to move away from night shifts, and one of the positions is days only, that should put added value on the job. Keep in mind you will be the new employee so you won't have seniority on shifts and hours, so get clear clarification on that upfront.

•Job responsibilities which job entails the duties that would, especially like to do. It is not a good idea to accept a job that you are unsure of, or a job that has duties that you dislike.

Other Considerations • Travel distance- may be a consideration, especially if you live in an area that you will have to deal with traffic. Also consider the gas cost involved if the job is a distance away. One never knows when gas prices may inflate, and high gas prices could take a hefty portion of your salary. In addition, think about the time you will be away from home. 2 hours of travel time per day equals 10 hours extra a week, while 30 minutes travel time a day equals 2-1/2 hours per week away from home.

Related: Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills at Work After you have put some consideration into the main contributing factors, there may be some other things you can do to help ensure you are making the best decision. Obviously the internet is not always accurate; however, it's a starting point to look up information about working at the medical facility. Also social media can provide insight as to how the facility functions and how happy the employees are. Make a list of all prospective jobs, and list pros and cons, narrow things down from there.

One all important factor is to never rule out your intuition, in other words your gut feeling about which job to accept. It can be difficult; you worry that you will make the wrong choice, and that you won't be happy with your decision. The fact is, you never know 100 percent that you are making the right choice, so don't stress too much about if you are making the correct choice. Compare your list of pros and cons carefully. Then use an old trick, ask yourself very quickly, which job do you want, and respond instantly, which job did you indicate? Is that the job that your gut feeling suggested?

Was it high on your list of pros? So, you may have picked your job.

Accepting a new job position can be stressful, you are the new person, and regardless of your nursing skill, it is still a new environment, and you have a lot to learn. You have to meet new people and make new friends, it's almost like you are starting over. Be patient with yourself, there is a learning curve with any new job. Make your decision and stick with it, allow yourself at least three months to determine if the job is a good match for you. In the end you should be happy with the decision you made, and look forward to a long and successful nursing career.

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