With two job offers on the table you're probably focused on salary options, but you should be focused on courtesy.
It’s an enviable position to find yourself in: you’ve been looking for a mining job, you’ve had a couple of interviews for positions you like and, amazingly, two job offers come in at the same time.
What you do next can affect your career for years to come.
It’s not just about the decision that’s immediately in front of you: deciding between the two offers you have now. What you do next can also affect the next career move you make — the one after this one. And maybe even the one after that.
It’s about job-hunting etiquette.
More on that in a moment. First, let’s help you make the decision.
Things to consider when choosing between two jobs
When choosing between two jobs, do a bit of soul-searching and ask yourself the following questions.
Is this the right role for me?
- Will this role challenge me?
- Will I be bored within a few months?
- Where does this job lead? What’s the logical next step?
- And do I like the idea of that next step?
- Am I being swayed by the pay and the perks?
Is this the right team for me?
- Do I know whom I’ll be reporting to? And can we achieve things together?
- Can I see myself being a core and purposeful member or leader of this team?
- Do they seem like the kind of people I can rely on?
- Are they passionate about what they do? Are they successful? Can I learn from them or can I teach them?
Is this the right company for me?
- What is the company culture like? Can I see myself slotting right in?
- How do they treat their employees, especially in times of crisis?
- What are the opportunities for advancement in this company?
- How secure is a job with this company? (The “are they likely to go bust” question.)
So, back to job-hunting etiquette
It might not feel like it while you’re sitting back with a celebratory beverage deciding between two salary packages, but having two job offers on the table at the same time is a situation that needs to be handled very carefully.
The two most important things to remember are:
- Honesty
- Courtesy.
It’s amazing how quickly those can go out of the window. But look at it from the perspective of the companies involved or the recruiters who have been helping you find work.
MPi Principal Consultant, Tony Turton, said the best idea is to keep recruiters informed throughout the process.
“In an ideal world, the candidate would have been keeping the recruiter fully informed about all the jobs they are contemplating throughout the entire process while they were being considered for a position,” he said.
“That way the recruiter is fully aware of each position and the respective merit of each job. From there the recruiter can manage the situation so that they don’t get to the end of the process to only have the candidate accept the other job.”
Courtesy always pays in Australia’s mining industry
Courtesy always pays in Australia’s mining industry
Why does that matter? Surely the recruiter’s problems are their problems, not yours. You should only be worried about finding the best (and best-paid) job you can. Not so, said MPi’s General Manager of Workforce Operations and Career Services, Shane Moore.
“Be up-front and honest at the time that you are initially talking to the recruitment company. Do not play one off against the other; that will just lead you to having a black mark against your name,” he said.
“The mining industry is small and most people in mining remember those who have not played a job application correctly.”
People remember good manners. They remember those who have extended them a professional courtesy and treated them well. So, whether you’re dealing with an independent recruiter or the human resources team at a mining company, always be honest, up-front and courteous. Then next time you’re looking for a mining job, they’ll remember you favourably as an honourable person.
In an industry that has boom and busts, that could come in handy at a time employment is harder to find than it is right now.
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