01
Money
- Base salary and guaranteed allowances
- Bonus, commission and equity
- Pension, benefits and one-off payments
- Costs created by the move
Ask: What will this role reliably add to, or take from, my finances?
JOB OFFER COMPARISON
How to compare a job offer properly.
Salary matters, but it rarely tells you the whole story. A useful comparison looks at what you'll earn, how you'll work, where the role could take you and what the move changes in your life.
Here's what to compare before you decide.
JOBDECISION
SalaryCareerTime & energyFlexibilityCertaintyHouseholdLocationGut feeling
One factor can look strong while the wider move still needs weighing up.
THE COMPARISON FRAMEWORK
Don't compare the salary.
Compare the job.
A good comparison holds every offer against the same questions. It includes the obvious numbers, but also the time, certainty, progression and personal changes that come with them.
More payLess flexibility?Better titleLonger hours?Fresh opportunityMore uncertainty?
02
Career
- Scope and responsibility
- Learning and progression
- Quality of management
- Meaningful or motivating work
Ask: Where could this role take me next?
03
Work-life balance
- Expected weekly hours
- Peak periods and overtime
- Boundaries and availability
- Energy left outside work
Ask: What will an ordinary week actually feel like?
04
Flexibility
- Remote and office pattern
- Control over working hours
- Travel expectations
- How formal the arrangement is
Ask: Does the working pattern fit the life I need to live?
05
Certainty
- Contract and probation terms
- Guaranteed versus variable pay
- Role and company stability
- What is confirmed in writing
Ask: Which parts of this offer are dependable, and which are assumptions?
06
Household
- Childcare or caring impact
- Partner or family implications
- Shared time and routines
- New household costs
Ask: What changes for the people whose lives connect with mine?
07
Location & lifestyle
- Commute time and cost
- Relocation or travel
- Where and how you will live
- Access to the life you value
Ask: What does this move change beyond the working day?
08
Gut feeling
- Excitement or hesitation
- Trust in the people you met
- Concerns you cannot yet explain
- Questions the feeling points towards
Ask: What is my reaction telling me to investigate, not simply assume?
COMPARE LIKE WITH LIKE
Make the trade-offs visible.
The same framework works whether you are deciding between staying and moving, or choosing between two new offers.
CURRENT JOB VS NEW OFFER
What already works
- Strong flexibility
- Short commute
- Known team
- Limited progression
What the move changes
- Better progression
- More responsibility
- Longer hours
- More office time
Are the things you're gaining worth the things you're giving up?
OFFER A VS OFFER B
Offer A
- More flexibility
- More annual leave
- Lower variable upside
Offer B
- Higher earning potential
- Clearer progression
- Longer commute
Neither offer wins every category. The useful question is which combination fits you better.
YOUR PRIORITIES
A comparison only becomes useful when it reflects what matters to you.
You might want to earn more, protect flexibility, create stability, progress faster, keep more family time, live somewhere different or find more meaningful work.
There is no universal top three. Decide what you want the move to change, what you need it to protect and which trade-offs you could genuinely live with.
SAME OFFER
PERSON A
Earning moreCareer progressionStability
PERSON B
FlexibilityWork-life balanceHousehold
A SIMPLE WAY TO COMPARE
Put both options on the same page.
You do not need a complicated formula. You need consistent facts, visible priorities and a clear list of what is still unknown.
- 01
Choose the same factors.
Use the eight areas above for every option.
- 02
Write down facts, not impressions.
Separate confirmed terms from expectations and assumptions.
- 03
Add what matters to you.
Note why each difference matters in your real life.
- 04
List what you still need to confirm.
Ask before deciding; do not fill missing information with a guess.
| Factor | Current / Offer A | New offer / Offer B | What matters to me | What I still need to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
| Career | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
| Work-life balance | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
| Flexibility | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
| Certainty | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
| Household | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
| Location & lifestyle | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
| Gut feeling | Write the facts | Write the facts | Note the difference | List your questions |
COMMON MISTAKES
What makes a comparison misleading.
01
Comparing salary only
Headline pay doesn't show the whole move.
02
Treating bonus as guaranteed
Variable pay isn't the same as confirmed cash.
03
Ignoring the working week
More money can also mean more time.
04
Assuming unclear terms
If it matters and isn't confirmed, ask.
05
Letting one feature dominate
A salary, title or flexibility promise can hide other trade-offs.
If something important is unclear or worth raising, use the evidence you have gathered to prepare the conversation. See Decision + Negotiation
OR LET NJS DO IT WITH YOU
Compare the whole decision in one place.
Not Just Salary brings the offer information, your priorities and your situation together, then turns them into a structured Decision Review.
Start free. See a personalised preview before deciding whether to pay.
Offer informationYour prioritiesYour situation
DECISION REVIEWThe whole opportunity, in one view.
- Strengths
- Trade-offs
- Worth Confirming
One offer
Understand an opportunity on its own merits.
Current job vs new offer
See what the move gives you and what it changes.
Two job offers
Compare both options against the same priorities.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Job offer comparison, clearly explained.
START WITH YOUR OFFER
Compare the whole opportunity.
Then decide.
Build your personalised Free Preview first. No card details are required to start.