Should I take an offer in a specialized area that I'm not familiar with?

Question

Hi guys, would like to seek your viewpoint on “long-term career planning”. Currently, I'm in a career break mode and seeking job in a tough economic environment. Realistically speaking, there are not many headcounts available. Thus I have applied to a wide range of firms (as experts suggested), and I plan to pick the best offer I can get within the next 1-2 months.

I have now got an offer from Accenture Strategy in the US. At the same time, I'm still interviewing for corporate strategy roles and consulting firms in the Middle East. While I'm happy with the offer, the only concern is that I am not sure whether I am really passionate about digital topics, since I have never worked on large digital transformation projects. It is most certainly that most projects would be digital-focused. Thus, I'm kind of switching my career path from general strategy consulting to specialized digital topics.

My current feeling is to take the offer and stick to the firm for at least 3 - 5 years, and “develop” my expertise and interest in digital topics along the way. Given my age and ranking, this “next move” is quite crucial in shaping my future career. Also, given my jumpy career history, I don't want to switch career paths in the next 3 - 5 years. My aim is to really find a field where I can start to specialize and develop expertise.

My career decision criteria (ranked by importance), are:

1. Location (US is my first choice, but I could consider other locations, though not preferred)

2. Career stability

3. Enjoy the work that I do

4. Financial benefits

5. Brand name

Given your experience and the context that I have shared, do you think this choice makes sense? Anything that I should take in mind when I decide which firm & position should I take? Not many choices at this point, so I guess I will need to compromise “dream job” vs. “practicality” a bit.

Would be grateful to hear your thoughts regarding this long-term career planning topic.

Answer 1

Hello,

Congratulations on getting an offer!

It sounds to me like you have an offer in hand right now, and are also going through the interview process with a couple of firms. How long do you have until you have to decide on the Accenture offer? Do you expect to have concluded the hiring process with the other firms in the meantime?

If so, my advice would be to continue interviewing with the other firms, see what your final outcome is at the end of all the interviews, and make a decision as to which one best corresponds to your desired career trajectory alongside the factors you have outlined once you know concretely which options you are choosing from.

If the Accenture offer expires before you expect the other firms to reach a decision, you could see if Accenture is willing to extend the offer deadline.

If not - this is a real offer you have in hand right now, vs uncertain outcomes on the other hand. Even if it isn't your dream job, exploring a new role at a prestigious firm + in your preferred geography. If you find that you're not as interested in digital transformations, you don't have to stick it out there forever. I think your current feeling about this seems pretty reasonable.

Answer 2

Hi there,

First, your “instinct”/gut is telling you to do this. Generally, with these types of things, it's good to listen to that.

Second, you don't have other offers.

Third, it's a tough hiring environment.

Ultimately, you're wringing your hands over a false choice.

If you want to delay this offer a bit and see what else you can get THEN make the decision IF you have multiple offers. But, right now, your ONLY choice is to accept.

Answer 3

Hi there,

Q: Given your experience and the context that I have shared, do you think this choice makes sense? Anything that I should take in mind when I decide which firm & position should I take?

It seems you are still interviewing with other firms. Assuming the other roles might be more interesting than Accenture, this is what I would recommend:

Complete all the interview processes first.
Pick the offer that aligns more with your goals (you can find some tips here).
Review your current plan once you start to work there based on your actual experience. You might find an amazing new opportunity after 2 years. Or you might find a great environment and decide to stay there for 20+ years. This is something that will become more clear once you join though.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 4

Hi there!

First of all, you're putting quite a lot of constraints and pressure on yourself, especially in terms of this decision having so much wait.

At the end of the day, it comes down to which roles gets you closer to where you'd want to be in 5-10 years from now. None of the options might be perfect, but some might be more suitable. Go for the latter.

Best,
Cristian

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