I'm thinking about those commercials for an insurance company where the actor walks toward the camera and asks a question that is rhetorical. He then picks a common cliche (Ex: It takes two to tango) and turns that into a question. You are supposed to come away from each question with an answer that is an emphatic, "Yes!"
So, let me try: Is having two job offers on the table truly "the problem to have?"
No. Well, not really.
I've had two long phone conversations in the last month with two young ladies who had competing job offers and were completely stressed out about which one to take. Most of us would look upon this with envy right? We'd say, "Damn, how'd they do that?" Or, "Must be nice" or better still, "What are you complaining about?"
The two young ladies are 25 and 28 years old. Their ages are relevant because they represent a group of employees who are often dissed and dumped in media as a generation of people who don't commit to anything professionally. In this case, both are deeply concerned about commitment to craft and want to be somewhere where they can learn from others. They'll stay as long as they feel a company values them. They won't stay for 30 years.
While their specific scenarios are different, my advice to them was this:
1. Be true to your word because really, that is all you have. Verbal commitments need to be honored.
2. A scalable career is not always about having to change cities. I've always traveled a lot and have discovered that every city has it's" thing." Do you know what your city's is?
3. Life is long, not short. Do not use your age as an excuse to make rash decisions that affect #1 and #2. I should say this to people my age too.
I made a recommendation but, as is my policy, the final decision is totally on them.
As it should be, problem or not.
*Chantal de la Rionda edits this blog
