Julie Brush, Solutus founding partner. Q: I have 2 offers. Which one should I take? The First Offer: OK company, broader role, higher up in Legal, 10 percent base salary increase. The Second Offer: Amazing company, narrower role, but cutting-edge experience. Same title.

• Where do I see my career in three-five, five-10 years? What will be the most important factors that will get me there: A broader range of skills? A high-profile company? Size of legal department? “Cutting-edge” experience…?
• What kind of future career options would I create for myself with each opportunity?
• How essential is growth and advancement to me? What are the prospects with each of these companies?
• How important is the company itself for me? Blah vs. “Amazing”
• Do I prefer a broader role or is a narrower role OK if the work is exciting?
• How important is the money? Am I OK with the lower compensation if there are other great things that will outweigh it?
• Is there an opportunity to negotiate a higher compensation package for the second offer? If so, will that make a difference in my level of interest?
• What kind of culture do I like? Which culture do I like better between these two companies? How well would I work with each group with whom I met? Do I like one group better than the other?
• How do the hours look at each of these companies? Will I have any flexibility with my time? If so, how much of a difference does it make?
• If I had to rank all these preferences in order of priority, what would they be?
• Which priorities are must-haves and which are nice-to-haves?

Julie Q. Brush is the founder and author of The Lawyer Whisperer (www.thelawyerwhisperer.com), a career advice column for legal professionals, also found on LinkedIn. She is co-founder of Solutus Legal Search, a legal search/consulting boutique firm, serving as a strategic adviser to lawyers, law firms and corporations.