Which is more important: Money or opportunity?

By Joyce Lain Kennedy

Workplace Q&A | Tribune Media Services

DEAR JOYCE: What is most important in deciding which of two offers to take – opportunity or immediate salary? – E.M.R.

JOYCE SAYS: You’re fortunate to have two offers! Assuming your research shows you’re not being promised pie in the sky or rewards 10 years down the line, I’d go for opportunity. Consider, in the following order, these factors: your prospective boss, the industry, the company and the starting salary. Tip: When you want to know plenty more about this topic, read “Evaluating and Negotiating Job Offers” on The Riley Guide (www.rileyguide.com). The guide is a legendary online career resource. It’s high-quality, reliable – and free.

Do you hear an interview echo?

DEAR JOYCE: I am a recent accounting graduate. What’s up with being called to a second interview by the same individual and asked virtually the same questions? – M.M.

JOYCE SAYS: Echo interviews typically happen when a company’s decision-maker is nervous about making a poor choice, given escalating costs and the risk of employee termination litigation. If it happens again, be ready with a list of questions about the company . Reassure the interviewer that you’re a made-to-order choice for the job. Readers tell me they’ve been called back for as many as six rounds of serial interviewing and are still waiting for an offer. Unless you’re desperate for a job, think about whether your style blends with the company’s cautiousness.

Beware thank-you overkill

Dear Joyce: I’ve not hunted for a job for some time. Have you ever heard of sending a thank-you note to the secretary of the person who interviewed you, as well as to the interviewer? – J.V.

JOYCE SAYS: Uh … unless the interviewer referred to this person as a “secretary,” time and technology have modernized the job title to “administrative assistant.” Yes, it’s appropriate to send a separate thanks if the assistant performed a special service , such as providing additional job-related information. Otherwise, you risk having your action seen as overkill.

Speed can be key in applications

DEAR JOYCE: When is the best time to respond to a job ad – immediately after it’s published, or several days later, when the response has slowed and your reply isn’t wrestling for attention with an avalanche of applicants? – C.F.

Respond at first light. Interviews are closed more quickly today than they were before the widespread use of screening by applicant-tracking systems (special computer software). Employers have plenty to choose from almost immediately.

Ready for (some) change in job

DEAR JOYCE: I’ve been a mechanical engineer for seven years, and I’m not content with the work. What else could I do and still not lose my engineering edge in the job market? – J.T.

JOYCE SAYS: Make a list of the engineering tasks you never want to do again. Follow up with career-change books, community college career-change workshops or private career counseling. Consider a sales engineering job that you could obtain with the skills and experience you already have. I know several people who’ve followed this pathway.