With technology evolving faster than ever before, employers are ramping up their IT hiring plans to ensure their organization can stay current in this day and age.  With such a drastic rise in demand for IT professionals, hiring managers are finding that there is simply not enough talent to go around.  With the skills shortage in the marketplace, organizations are having an increasingly difficult time filling their open positions, and are therefore getting more competitive with each other for top talent.

“In this candidate driven IT job market, many can expect IT professionals to not only receive multiple offers, but a counter offer from their current employer as well,” says Lisa Samson, Director of ES Technology, a division of The Execu|Search Group.  “This is not a bad position to be in, however, if you want to lead a successful career, you have to learn how to best handle this situation, and how to ultimately decide between two great offers.”

Here are 4 things to keep in mind when presented with multiple offers:

Don’t let money be your only motive

A high salary is always nice, but it should not be the only deciding factor between two different opportunities.  After all, a higher salary doesn’t necessarily translate to a better offer.  “Be sure to look past surface value and weigh out other underlying factors such as corporate culture, work-life balance, and the long term value of working for that organization,” says Lisa.  “Weighing the non-monetary factors is the best way to gauge whether a position is the right fit, and a good way to measure where you will be happiest.”

Keep your career at the forefront

Your long-term career goals should be the top priority when deciding between multiple job offers and/or a counter offer.  To do this, remember why you decided to look for a new job in the first place.  “For example, if you are leaving your job because you have limited room to grow or advance your skills, don’t get blinded by a counter offer with a higher salary,” warns Lisa.  “You’re leaving for a reason and accepting the counter offer will only put you at risk of becoming complacent in your career — leaving you in the same position you were in before, but with a higher salary.”

Be honest

Honesty is key when juggling multiple offers.  “When presented with multiple offers it’s important to be as honest as possible with all parties involved, whether it’s with your recruiter or a hiring manager,” says Lisa.  “Do not try to be sneaky and lie with the hopes of buying yourself more time because doing so can not only hurt your reputation, but also lead you to lose out on both offers.”  Honesty is definitely the best policy.  In fact, if you are juggling multiple offers, being open with your hiring manager or recruiter may give you room to tactfully negotiate the offer you are more keen on taking.  For example, if you are leaning towards one employer, but the second employer is offering the flexible scheduling you need, you can tactfully/strategically ask the first employer what they can do for you.

Don’t be afraid to say no

With multiple offers and/or a counter offer on the table, you will inevitably have to face the unpleasant task of rejecting one.  “Don’t be afraid to say no if you feel that a position is not the right match for you,” says Lisa.  “Just be sure to go about your rejection as professionally as possible by respectfully thanking your hiring manager for their time and showing your appreciation for the opportunity.”  This same concept should be applied to rejecting a counter offer.  “If your current employer makes concessions, it becomes easy to stay with what is comfortable,” says Lisa.  “However, it’s important to keep your long-term goals in mind, and make the decision that is best for you.  Sometimes this requires you to step outside of your comfort zone and make a change.”

Regardless of what types of offers you are considering, it’s important to be courteous and sound confident in your decision.  You never want to burn any bridges because you never know where your paths may cross in the future.