WHEN JOB OFFERS ATTACK

It's a funny thing about job offers: Sometimes they come when you don't want or need them. Unfortunately, they can be so alluring that the thought of saying "no" is agonizing. But to take the wrong job at the wrong time ... That's terrible, too.

AMY LINDGREN

WORKING STRATEGIES

Perhaps the best-known scenario for getting unwanted offers involves a call from a recruiter. One minute you're busy with an assignment at your desk; the next minute you're hearing things like "How much would it take to interest you in this job?" and "It won't hurt you to do the interview."

Such calls are the sign of a lazy recruiter. And probably a successful one. Lazy, because it takes almost no imagination to find a job candidate by calling a competitor company. Successful, because the tactic so often works. The recruiter persuades a worker to leave one company for another, and everyone's happy -- except the worker's former boss, of course.

But sometimes the worker isn't happy, either. When swept away by the heady experience of being courted, it's easy to put decision-making steps on the back burner. If the money seems right and the job promises more opportunity or challenge, "yes" can seem like the only logical answer.

Currently employed people who aren't seeking jobs aren't the only ones who have to deal with unwanted job offers. It's a curious irony of a job search to have to dodge employment options that aren't quite right, while searching like crazy for suitable situations.

And yet, when you're unemployed, it's easy to minimize the possible downside of an unsolicited offer. Indeed, while the employed worker risks leaving a current job for an untested opportunity, the unemployed worker is giving up only daytime television. Right?

Beware of this thinking. To some degree, it's true that most unemployed people would be better off taking a job than not. Nevertheless, it's essential not to assume that any job is better than none. If you've had miserable jobs, you'll understand how wrong such thinking is.

Because unexpected job offers are just that -- unexpected -- the trick for handling them is to be aware of your own goals and work criteria at all times.

If that sounds a little extreme -- like always having a month's supply of bottled water in the basement -- write down the following questions and keep them handy to evaluate the next job offer you receive.

About the job:

1. What are the specifics of this offer? Do I understand the salary, work conditions, schedule, etc.?

2. What is this job likely to lead to? Do most people in this position stay a certain number of years? Do they get promoted or transferred?

3. What do I know about the culture of this department or company? What would it be like to work with these co-workers/supervisors/customers?

4. What will I learn on this job? What will I be able to do that I'm not already doing? What will I not be doing that I will miss?

5. What makes me the most uncomfortable about this job possibility? How will I deal with this circumstance if I take the job?

About you:

1. What are my work goals for the next few years? For the next 20 to 30 years?

2. What kind of lifestyle am I striving for in relation to my work: hours, commute, level of responsibility, etc.?

3. What have I not yet learned that I want to learn? What kind of work have I been wanting to try? At what level?

4. What are my goals outside of work? What kind of work situation do I need to make these possible: salary, tuition benefits, schedule, etc.?

About this job as it relates to your goals:

1. Will this job help me meet my goals?

2. If it doesn't help me reach my goals, will this job at least be a neutral factor, providing income and stability while I work toward my goals in another way?

3. If I don't take this job, do I have a reasonable expectation that a job that is better suited to my needs will become available within the time that I need it?

These last three questions are your decision-making questions. If you can answer "yes" to the first two or if the third comes up "no," you have good reason to take the job that's been offered. But if the reverse is true, watch out. This offer is more of a distraction than an opportunity. Turn it down politely, but keep the door open to better opportunities.

-- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.