Take your time. But not too much time.
Asking for a couple of days to think about the offer is totally normal. You would want to talk to your family and trusted friends, even if you had one offer on the table. During that time, you can do a couple of things to help you look at the situation as an outsider and make a more informed decision.
Remember what you were looking for
When we start a job search, we have some things that we want. Try to remember what those things were — even better if you created your dream job list at the beginning of your search!
Try to be as specific as you can: starting date, salary, benefits, type of management, type of services/products, culture, team size, "vibes", values, location, and so on. Keep the list open during the decision-making days and keep adding everything you think about.
Transform the list into a table with three columns: one for your current situation, and one for each offer. In case you created this list at the beginning of your search, you'll also have a column for your dream job (with dream salary, dream culture, and so on).
Now, score each of them for each aspect. How do you feel about it? Observe aspects you can negotiate, such as starting date and salary, and the aspects you can't, such as management and culture. Overall, which one do you prefer?
Compare the objective aspects
Base salary, benefits, PTO, parental leave, remote/on-site, equity, and so on. The objective factors are the easiest to compare. List all of them, add the total numbers, and see which one looks better. To come up with a conclusion, you'll notice that sometimes benefits weigh more than base salary. You are the one defining those.
Something like this:
Compare your direct managers
Your manager is one of the most important people for your future growth, promotions, and day-to-day activities. Observe and understand their approaches and styles, what they value, and how knowledgeable they are.
Do you see this person as a mentor? This question can be a great signal of which way you should take.
Money shouldn't be a factor
If you have two offers, money shouldn't be the main deciding factor. Of course, we all need money, but research has proven that after a minimum amount, your happiness level won't change much. Also, what I mean here is that a 5–10% difference shouldn't impact too much. Do they have a 50–100% difference? Well, then maybe pay some more attention to it.
Regardless, just keep in mind that there are other aspects that influence your career later on, such as work-life balance, the company's culture, and financial health. Take them into consideration.
Culture should be a factor
If you have multiple offers, salary and career progression are probably very similar. What will really affect your day-to-day life is the company's culture: how they work, how they make decisions, and how they promote. You can learn about these during the interview process, but also observe their website, their emails, and their Glassdoor reviews.
Trust your gut and excitement
I know, kinda hippie, but it's so true. Pay attention to your gut and how you feel/felt when interacting with each company and each team. Pay attention to your excitement and what you felt right after you heard the offer.
Be aware of the difference between fear of the future change and having a bad feeling about it. Changing jobs is always a risk, no matter where you go. Finally, this should be ONE factor to consider, not the only one.
Look at the landscape
Try to understand the company's financial situation, investments, trust, and strategy. Do you believe in this company's growth? Do you trust their executive's decisions? Do they plan for the long term?
A quick search on Google can help you with these! When I interviewed Liza, her strategy was such a great idea: search for "company name" + Crunchbase.
A template always helps!
Here you'll find a simple template for your matrix. You can use this when you get your offers, or more ideally when you decide to start looking for a job. You can use one column to list your "dream job" and compare your current job and offers to your dream one.
Make a copy and build your own list. Feel free to add/remove aspects that are or aren't important to you!