If you are an employee in the tech domain, more often than not, you would be bombarded by inMails from Recruiters. I get that we in tech are in a better position than many of our cohorts to be sought after by recruiters — and this is in no way a rant.

In the beginning of my career, around 2 years in, as a naïve engineer — i assumed that getting an email from the recruiter meant that the other company was eagerly looking to hire me. It created a false sense of empty pride and my approach to interviews was always half-baked preparation. When i got rejections, i was totally floored. They were the ones who approached me — how could they reject a candidate they had so carefully chosen! What a gullible soul :D

The older me is now amused by my younger self. How could i have not known the way the recruiter algorithm worked? I was just one among the many many emails that were sent out every day with the hope of the stone hitting at least one bird! It took me a few years of back and forth, rejections and lack-luster offers to finally realize why the glorious advertisements don’t always convert into excellent outcomes. Ah.. the young and innocent days. I miss them very much!

Fast forward a few years, as we stand at the era of great resignation, i have gone all in to swim the tide and feel the heat of that market once again. It is told that you need to polish yourself and test the waters time and again, so you don’t forget the skills of winning offers. And that is what i precisely did!

With past experiences in my kitty, this timeline of great resignation has brought about a very different result. I approached the waters like a pro this time.

4 interviews, 4 offers, 0 rejections — the stats felt insane.

Of course, the scale being tilted completely towards the employee also has a lot to do with these mind-blowing results. Having been an introverted kid who would rather bend my head and do the work rather than boast about it in resumes or self-introductory speeches, my interview skills are nothing to write home about. Hence, these results threw a curveball towards me that I hadn’t anticipated while testing the waters.

THE DECISION!

How do you choose between a Ghirardelli and a Lindt (Chocolate lover here guys — and I can’t choose between these 2 for the life of me. I would rather gobble both!)

This was the exact same situation I landed in close to the finish line. I shortlisted 2 and both the companies were amazing in their own way but had very different career paths. The offer numbers were very close, and the benefits were almost similar. The only difference was the options vs RSUs upfront. After a few days of mulling and pounding on my brain cells, I picked one which had lesser cons and lesser pros too — But something more balanced on all angles having a young family to care for.

Many engineers in niche domains are currently facing a similar bombardment of decisions. While having choices is almost always a good thing, the more the choices, the more the stress levels that come along with it. Career decisions at any stage in the adult life are difficult -

Do i stay, Do i lookout for opportunities?
Do i jump ship and take up a completely new domain — as I feel bored here?
Do i totally change tracks and become self-employed or start a business?

These can pop up anytime in your career.

If you are in the same boat as I have been, my honest advice would be :
Don’t make impulse decisions. This decision is easily going to affect a few years of your life and as much as you want to ignore it, work does take a majority of your time in the 24 hours gifted to you. Ask yourself where you would like to see yourself 5–10 years down the line. Life doesn’t always go to plan — but not planning at all will just lead you down the road of emptiness. Make that journey count by setting goals and striving to achieve them in your own timelines.

To each one of you reading this — I wish you a life full of joy in the paths you choose!

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