This morning I parked my car in the economy lot at the Salt Lake airport as I prepare to fly out to Baltimore.
Finding a good parking spot is always a fun challenge – I want to be as close to the bus stop as possible, but I also want to get to an open spot as soon as I can (and not drive around for too long).
I found one, at the very end of one of the longer rows. I came around the back end of the row and felt very fortunate to find this rare, open spot!
I got my luggage out of the trunk and started walking to the bus stop. As I walked down the row I passed an open spot. And then another open spot. And another. And another! Five open spots that were all closer than the one I had found.
I thought I was so fortunate to find that one but I found myself coveting the others… I wanted any of them since they were “closer!”
How much closer? A few slots. The closest was probably about 5 slots closer than where I was.
It made me think about accepting a job offering. What happens when we accept, and are so grateful and excited, and then a week later we get another offer that has a slightly better salary. And then we get another offer with slightly better benefits. And another that seems to have a better culture, and another that seems to have more opportunities for growth?
What do we do?
In the parking lot I DID NOT turn around, pack my stuff, and drive 2 slots, or even 5 slots, closer. I just kept walking to the bus stop.
I had time to repark but in the end I was happy with what I had and knew that spot would be just fine.
Are there risks to either scenerio? For me I might have missed the next bus… for a job seeker, you risk your reputation!
I’m not saying don’t take the other, better offer. But consider the pros and cons. Can you be happy with the job that you were so elated to get, even if something smells better a few weeks later?
