Career Decision-Making: How To Know Which Opportunities To Pursue Or Pass On
Ideally, your career is dynamic and filled with plenty of incredible opportunities.
But even if it is, it can be hard to decide the best way to evaluate those choices and pick the ones that will help you move the needle professionally.
Here’s how to know whether you should pursue a career opportunity—or pass on it:
Say yes when...
It scares you a little bit.
Saying yes can be scary, but the growth payoff can be immense, especially if it includes gaining valuable new skills and experience. If you wait until you feel ready to pursue an opportunity, chances are it’ll pass you by. Saying yes helps you move past your comfort zone and embrace new challenges.
It levels up your professional posse.
Jim Rohn famously said we’re the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time. Considering that you spend a significant portion of your day in their workplace, it behooves you to seek those who challenge you to bring out your best, who have done what you hope to do, and whose network is filled with top-notch talent and leaders. Say yes to a new opportunity when you know you’ll be working with those from whom you can learn, level up, and make new connections.
A previously passed-on opportunity now better aligns with your goals.
As fabulous as an opportunity might sound, you might choose to pass on it because it doesn’t align with your career objectives. But your professional path isn’t etched in stone; it should evolve as you do. So if you find your goals have changed and you’re given a second chance with a previously passed-on opportunity that now fits, jump on it.
Say no when...
It’s a great opportunity—for someone else.
It’s tempting to say yes when presented with an amazing, too-good-to-be-true opportunity, but if deep down you have a sense that it’s not quite right for you, trust your gut. It’s probably best to pass on this opportunity for now or, better yet, pass it on to someone else.
It doesn’t challenge you.
Yes, a bigger paycheck to do the same job elsewhere is great, but ask yourself if this short-term gain is worth it in the long run. The hard truth is that coasting careerwise leads to professional stagnation. If you’re not challenged, you’re not changing. And if nothing changes, nothing changes—including your level of professional development. So if a career opportunity doesn’t challenge you, say no.
It prevents your progress.
When considering a new opportunity, it helps to ask yourself two questions:
- What do I want?
- Will saying yes to this opportunity help me achieve that or prevent my progress?
If your answer to question two is the latter, you should take a hard pass.
And don’t forget that a new opportunity isn’t just about the role; consider with whom you’ll spend your time while working on it. If the people around you are negative, overly critical, or uninspiring, they’ll hold you back from accomplishing your goals. Remember, when you say no to the things and people who prevent your progress, you can say yes to those who encourage it.
Having professional choices is wonderful; making the best choices for your career is priceless. Using these criteria, you’ll know which career opportunities to pursue and which to pass on.
