Answer these 4 Questions

As the school year is about to begin, are you in limbo between two jobs? You are just about to decide on one, and then the other one seems better all of a sudden. It’s a seesaw that keeps going back and forth, and at the end of the day, you are still stuck!

Mind you, not everyone has such a luxury. Many therapists who perform online speech therapy are happy to have even one job to choose from, so indeed you are fortunate. Although you can be thankful, you still have a dilemma on your hands: How do you know which one to choose?

Thoughtful answers to these questions will give you the clarity you are looking for.

1. Which Job is a Better Fit for your Career Goals?

Whichever job you choose now could very well impact the direction of your career moving forward. You need to become somewhat of a visionary if you wish to enhance your position further down the line. Which of these jobs will accomplish this better?

You may need to be so blunt as to ask not what can you do for this company but what can this company do for you? When reviewing your notes regarding the speech teletherapy job options under consideration, take the following angle by asking these pointed questions:

1. Looking down the road, which job is more compatible with your career goals?

2. Does one of the options offer more potential for growth?

3. Will either of the jobs require you to expand your skillset?

4. Does one of the positions seem to be more challenging than the other?

When you see the opportunity vis-à-vis your long-term goals, you gain an entirely new perspective regarding the decision.

2. Is it Remuneration or Satisfaction?

At first glance, the choice may seem to be a no-brainer.  After all, if you are working to make money, why not accept the offer with the higher salary?  Add to that the benefits such as free health care, a healthy PTO allowance, and generous 401(k) contributions, and you might wonder why you are even wasting your time thinking about it.

But not so fast. You may have neglected to consider “the satisfaction quotient.” Don’t forget that job satisfaction is critical to your happiness. If one job pays more while the other will give you greater satisfaction, the decision becomes a bit more complicated. Which is more important to you? Is it the money or the satisfaction?

And if you decide that job satisfaction is more important, you might be inspired to negotiate a more generous financial package. Remember that you can accept either of these offers. It is your choice, so take your time to seal the best deal for yourself.

3. Who’s The Boss?

Many dissatisfied employees report that they never left the company; they left their manager! Remember that the person in the company to whom you directly report will considerably impact your work experience. As careful as the company was in choosing you as an employee, you may need to be even more careful in choosing your boss.

Bad managers can drain the effectiveness, energy, and enthusiasm out of their employees really well and really fast — even to the point that they will want to quit! On the other hand, a good manager inspires, motivates, and facilitates growth by aligning your happiness with the well-being of the company. Consider the decision very carefully.

Your knack of “getting people” may not do the trick. Do your due diligence by thoughtfully researching the various options. And this means more than just scanning the manager’s LinkedIn profile. It will probably require speaking with current or even former employees about their experiences to find out what to expect.

4. Is it Safe to Trust your Gut?

You probably had a certain feeling as you walked out of the interview. Even if you didn’t record them in your notes, you must recall those feelings and seemingly unimportant details associated with your initial encounters. Do you remember any red flags?

While you need to analyze all of the relevant information, be careful not to become overly analytical. You need to trust your instincts. There may be something bothering you that you just can’t put your finger on but intuitively know is worthy of concern. Don’t ignore it; it may make the difference between your future happiness and misery!

When trusting your gut, there are no right or wrong answers. It’s all subjective. What you consider a problem may be exactly what the other SLP is looking for, and vice versa. Some who deliver remote speech therapy are looking for more independence, while others crave structure. Which do you prefer?

And let’s say that, after deliberation, you finally decide, and are overjoyed that you now have resolved to make the phone call to accept the offer. And as you are dialing the number, you are overcome by a sense of dread. Don’t brush aside that last-minute feeling. Rather, pay attention to that feeling and what it may tell you about your decision.

When all is said and done, you need to trust yourself. Although there may be naysayers among your family and friends telling you not to trust your gut, don’t forget that it’s you who will be working this job day in and day out.

What’s The End Game?

If you are like most people, you will intuitively make your decision in the first few minutes and then spend all kinds of time finding ways to support and justify that intuitive choice.

What’s important to bear in mind is that you need to keep things as simple as possible. Don’t suck the life out of yourself with endless details.

Construct a short and simple list of your priorities to keep yourself focused on those aspects that you value most. Adding layers of complexity is bound to add unnecessary and unwanted confusion.

You may find it helpful to confer with a family member or friend whose judgment you trust, to gain deeper insight or perhaps even a new perspective.

The ideal outcome of your decision is that you will accept the best offer without burning any bridges in the process with the second choice, just in case the job you choose doesn’t work out.

Another possibility when the two offers are so close is to accept both offers part-time. Then you can see which one develops into what you prefer. Aside from “keeping your options open,” you may solve that nagging problem of wondering if you made the “right choice” in the first place.