
Ask HN: How do you decide to accept new job offer or not - andrewtsaplin
Which pros and cons are most valuable for you?
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JohnFen
For me, the most important things about a job are that I find the work
interesting and the work environment is one that I'm compatible with. Also,
that it's a company that is well-behaved. Experience has shown me that if
those things aren't true, then I will be miserable and my job performance will
be equally miserable.

Location is also extremely important. For instance, I can't handle living and
working in the SV or Seattle areas, so any offers that require me to do that
are automatically out.

Pay is important, but not a critical factor. I have a floor below which I
won't go, but (fortunately) that floor is much lower than my value to
employers -- so I can generally ignore pay issues, or use pay as a bargaining
chip to get something else that I want more.

I'll also want to get a chance to walk through the offices and observe the
other engineers working there. If they seem generally unhappy or overly
stressed, then I'll turn the offer down.

~~~
highhedgehog
> I'll also want to get a chance to walk through the offices and observe the
> other engineers working there. If they seem generally unhappy or overly
> stressed, then I'll turn the offer down.

This is interesting, but how do you do it? I mean, unless you are "lucky"
enough to find a moment when everyone people are stressed and reacting badly,
how do you evaluate that?

In general, without "interviewing" someone who already works there, how do you
think just walking around is enough and how do you evaluate that?

~~~
JohnFen
> In general, without "interviewing" someone who already works there, how do
> you think just walking around is enough and how do you evaluate that?

I almost always have the chance to engage in some light banter with a few of
the devs, but that's not as useful as you might expect. I'm a stranger being
given a tour, and everyone is on their best behavior, not acting normally.

But you can get a general "vibe". That's what I was talking about. Is it
highly reliable? Probably not. Have I passed on jobs that would have been
great? Probably. But when you're data-deprived (and job applicants are always
data-deprived), you have to do the best you can with what you have.

------
saradhi
In the order:

    
    
      sponsorship - because I'm an immigrant
    
      Tech stack - I spend most of my after office hours in doing new projects, effectively, I like to use the skills learned in the job. So an advanced tech and freedom to experiment with tech is always a top preference
    
      sustainability - a continuous revenue-generating company or dependent on new sales every time
    
      motivation - be it a side project or office work, I enjoy working on the problems that are pointed out - greater the impact, more the involvement
    
      hierarchy - from my experience, too many levels above you is a problem not just in career growth but also product implementations, which kills the pace and transparency
    
      compensation - a 20% hike is the least I expect

~~~
milesokeefe
Without code formatting:

>sponsorship - because I'm an immigrant

>Tech stack - I spend most of my after office hours in doing new projects,
effectively, I like to use the skills learned in the job. So an advanced tech
and freedom to experiment with tech is always a top preference

>sustainability - a continuous revenue-generating company or dependent on new
sales every time

>motivation - be it a side project or office work, I enjoy working on the
problems that are pointed out - greater the impact, more the involvement

>hierarchy - from my experience, too many levels above you is a problem not
just in career growth but also product implementations, which kills the pace
and transparency

>compensation - a 20% hike is the least I expect

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sloaken
I make of list of all things (in a spreadsheet). Then I order the list Most to
least. Add a multiplier factor. Sometimes comment - if they do not have this
its a deal killer. I then make sure I answer the questions either through the
interview, or HR. End result is I put a dollar figure to all the thoughts. I
include work environment, ability to progress (everyone says they promote from
within, do not believe it), salary, benefits, commute time.

The job before last I took, because of the work life balance and the benefits.
Salary was lower, over a year, but side benefits and hours per year made it
much better.

I do the same when I am house hunting.

------
RitzyBucket
The emotional side of me says: Don't run from something, run towards
something. Whenever I catch myself convincing myself to accept a job, I know
to reject it. On a more practical level, I score things that are important to
me. E.g. Flexibility, company, values, salary etc. Then I try to make a
decision only after I scored each of these. Coincidentally, this also helps
when I negotiate a new job: Can't pay me more? How about I get more holiday?

