Day 24 of 28 · AI Job Hunt
Evaluating Offers
⏱ 5 min
📊 Beginner
Having multiple offers is the best problem to have. But even with a single offer, you need a framework for deciding whether to accept. Too many people make this decision based on gut feeling and salary alone — and end up miserable in a job that looked great on paper.
Today, you'll build a decision framework that considers everything that actually matters.
Look beyond the base salary. The full picture matters.
The 7 dimensions of a job offer
Salary is one of seven factors. Here's the complete picture:
1. Compensation — Base, bonus, equity, benefits, signing bonus. Use yesterday's research to evaluate this objectively.
2. Role and scope — What will you actually do day-to-day? Does it stretch you? Will you learn? Is the scope what was described in the interview?
3. Growth trajectory — Where does this role lead in 2-3 years? Is there a clear promotion path? Will you build skills that are valuable beyond this company?
4. Manager and team — Your manager is the single biggest factor in job satisfaction. Did you connect with them? Do they seem like someone who develops their people?
5. Company trajectory — Is the company growing? Stable? Struggling? A great role at a shrinking company is a risky bet.
6. Culture and values — Do the company's actual values (not just their stated ones) align with how you want to work?
7. Lifestyle fit — Commute, remote flexibility, hours, travel. These affect your daily quality of life more than a $5K salary difference.
Knowledge Check
According to research, what's the single biggest factor in job satisfaction?
A
Office perks and benefits
D
Your direct manager — a good manager amplifies everything, and a bad manager poisons everything
Study after study shows that the quality of your relationship with your direct manager is the strongest predictor of job satisfaction, performance, and tenure. A great manager at a mediocre company often leads to a better experience than a mediocre manager at a great company. Pay close attention to this during your interviews.
I have two offers and I need help deciding. Offer A: $145K base, Series B startup, Product Marketing Manager, small team, fast-paced, equity worth potentially $50K if they hit targets. Offer B: $155K base, large public company, Marketing Manager (not PMM title), bigger team, stable, RSUs worth $30K/year. I want to eventually become a VP of Marketing. Which is better for my career?
Let me break this down by what matters for your VP of Marketing goal:
**Offer A — Series B Startup ($145K + equity)**
✅ PMM title — closer to your VP path
✅ Small team = more ownership and visibility
✅ Startup = broader scope (you'll touch everything)
✅ Equity upside if company succeeds
⚠️ Higher risk — startups can fail or pivot
⚠️ Potentially chaotic, less mentorship
⚠️ Equity is speculative
**Offer B — Public Company ($155K + $30K RSUs)**
✅ Higher guaranteed compensation ($185K total)
✅ Stability and established processes
✅ Larger team = potential management experience
✅ RSUs are real money (not speculative)
⚠️ "Marketing Manager" title — not specifically PMM
⚠️ Bigger company = potentially narrower scope
⚠️ Slower promotion timeline
**For your VP of Marketing goal:**
Offer A likely gets you there faster. The PMM title, the breadth of experience, and the visibility at a startup all accelerate the path to VP. But it comes with risk.
Offer B is safer and pays more now, but the title and scope may slow your trajectory by 1-2 years.
**My recommendation:** If you can handle 2-3 years of startup intensity and the equity risk, Offer A is better for your long-term career. If financial security is priority #1 right now, Offer B is the smart choice.
**Key question to ask yourself:** In 3 years, which experience makes a stronger case for a VP role?
↻ Replay conversation
The decision matrix
Here's a practical exercise. Score each offer on the 7 dimensions, 1-10:
| Dimension | Offer A | Offer B |
|-----------|---------|---------|
| Compensation | ? | ? |
| Role & Scope | ? | ? |
| Growth Trajectory | ? | ? |
| Manager & Team | ? | ? |
| Company Trajectory | ? | ? |
| Culture & Values | ? | ? |
| Lifestyle Fit | ? | ? |
| Total | ? | ? |
But don't just add up the numbers. Weight them. If growth trajectory matters twice as much to you as lifestyle fit, multiply that score by 2. Your weights should reflect what you actually value — not what you think you should value.
Knowledge Check
Why should you weight the dimensions in your decision matrix?
A
Because different factors matter differently to different people — a parent might weight lifestyle fit heavily, while an ambitious early-career person might weight growth trajectory more
B
Because all dimensions are equally important
C
To make the math more complicated
D
Because companies expect you to use a matrix
A raw total treats every dimension as equally important. But they're not — at least not for you specifically. Weighting lets you make a decision that aligns with YOUR priorities, not generic advice. Someone who values learning might accept lower pay at a fast-growing startup. Someone prioritizing stability might take the bigger company. Both are right.
Questions to ask before accepting
Before you sign, make sure you have answers to these:
About the role: "Can you walk me through a typical week in this position?"
About growth: "What does the promotion path look like from this role?"
About the team: "Who would I work with most closely, and how does the team collaborate?"
About expectations: "What does success look like in the first 6 months?"
About the offer: "Is there flexibility on [specific component]?" (Always ask — even at this stage.)
Getting these answers in writing (via email) protects you and ensures alignment.
Final Check
What should you do before accepting any job offer?
A
Accept immediately to show enthusiasm
B
Wait as long as possible to create urgency
C
Ask your friends which company sounds better
D
Get key details about the role, expectations, and growth path in writing — then make a decision using a structured framework, not just gut feeling
Written clarity prevents misunderstandings. "You'll manage a team of 3" hits differently when you start and there's no team. Getting expectations, scope, and growth commitments in writing (even a simple email) protects you and ensures the role matches what was discussed. Then use your weighted decision matrix to make a thoughtful choice.
⚖️
Day 24 Complete
"The right job isn't just the highest salary. It's the intersection of compensation, growth, culture, and fit. A framework beats gut feeling every time."
Tomorrow — Day 25
Your 90-Day Plan
Tomorrow you'll build a plan that turns your new job into your first promotion.