How I Decide Between Multiple Job Offers
Spoiler Alert... It’s Not Just About Pay!
Cameo was the company I joined right after business school, and the experience that pushed me to grow the fastest in my professional career.
When I got the offer, the Chief Product Officer was honest:
“We don’t know exactly what you’ll be PMing yet. We just think you’re smart and want you on the team. Trust me.”
A week later, I was flying to Tahoe to meet the PM team for an offsite. Another week after that, I was on a plane to Chicago to plan the Q1 roadmap for the International Product team.
It was terrifying… and transformative.
That first year at Cameo felt like a decade compressed into twelve months. I went from owning international launches to building B2B products, surviving multiple rounds of layoffs, and earning more trust (and responsibility) each time.
It was chaos. But it was the kind of chaos that forges real growth.
That experience rewired how I choose jobs. Now, when friends ask how I decide between multiple offers, I don’t start with compensation. I start with three questions:
Will this role push me to grow faster than I’m comfortable with?
Do I deeply trust the person who’ll be my manager?
Do I feel inspired by the leaders at the top, are they people I want to grow into?
These three filters, Growth, Trust, and Inspiration, have been the real indicators on whether a next step was the right career decision for me.
1️⃣ Growth: Do Things That Scare You
Lately, I’ve been telling myself to do the things that scare me.
We don’t do hard things because they’re easy. We do them because they’re hard, and they make us grow.
When I joined Cameo, I had no roadmap, no safety net, and no clue what I’d actually be building. But that leap forced me to develop muscles I didn’t even know existed: learning how to build 0→1, lead cross-functional teams across continents, and earn trust through results.
Every week felt like a new boss fight. But by the end, I’d learned more than I had in the five years prior combined.
Growth filter: If a job doesn’t make you a little nervous, it’s probably not stretching you enough.
Ask yourself: “Will I grow here faster than I would anywhere else?”
If the answer’s no, that’s your sign.
2️⃣ Manager Trust: Never Work Without a Shield
Your manager isn’t just your boss. They’re your advocate, your feedback mirror, and your political armor.
A great manager gets you promoted, protects you from chaos, and helps you play bigger.
A bad one? They’ll stall your growth, or worse, quietly drain your confidence.
Before joining any new role, I always vet my manager (and my skip) like it’s my second interview process. At Cameo, I got lucky. I did my homework, reached out to former reports who raved about my manager, and they were right.
He gave me cover when things went sideways and always had my back. Him and my skip manager provided the a foundation of trust that let me take big swings without fear.
Trust filter: Talk to at least two of your future manager’s past reports, ideally people who’ve moved on. Ask how they grew under them. Ask how they handled failure. The answers will tell you everything.
3️⃣ Inspiration: Do You Want to Grow Into Them?
When I look back, one of the biggest reasons I joined Cameo was the Chief Product Office himself.
He was the kind of CPO who could zoom from product vision to org health to business strategy, all while pushing everyone in the room to be smarter.
That mattered. Because when your leaders inspire you, you don’t just work for them, you work like them.
Every meeting with him was a masterclass in clarity and ambition.
And that’s what I look for now in every role: leaders whose example pulls me upward.
Inspiration filter: Look at the senior leaders in the org and ask yourself, “Would I trade places with any of them in five years?”
If the answer is no, you’re in the wrong room.
The Truth
At some point in your career, money stops being the main unlock.
Growth, trust, and inspiration compound faster, and last longer.
That’s how you build a career that keeps stretching you and fulfills you.
That’s how you say yes to the right kind of hard things.
💬 Questions for You
When you’re choosing between offers, what’s your personal framework?
What’s the one question you always ask yourself before saying yes?
I’m starting a monthly reader Q&A, drop your questions here and I’ll tackle one in each issue. First one will be my next piece.
All views are mine and do not reflect any current or former employer.
This is for educational and entertainment purposes only.
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