MM Lee said recently that Singaporeans are currently living in a Golden Age. Property prices are rising, stock portfolios have appreciated exponentially and job opportunities seem to be aplenty. Is it really that good for job seekers today?

First a word of caution – the umpteenth headhunter who called you today about another new and exciting job opportunity may actually be referring to the same job opening as the other headhunters who called yesterday. In good times, good talent is scarce and companies often resort to using more than one headhunter for any given opening.

Hence, be extra careful how you allow your CV to be floated – you may inadvertently give the impression that you are “desperate” to move on when you are not. Verify that there is indeed a real opportunity and engage the headhunter closely and actively throughout the entire search process.

Second, pay special attention to the notion of choice. After you have engaged the headhunter closely and have worked towards a real job alternative – take a PAUSE! Go back & look at your original assumption of WHY you were looking out for a new opportunity in the first place. Is it still valid?

Often in good times, candidates are so blinded by compensation considerations that little else seems to matter. If the original motivation to move is still valid, then you need to have a logical process of how to decide whether to stay or move on. Candidates often make the mistake of cultivating only one new option and are then faced with the choice of taking the new offer or continuing with the status quo.

The number one golden rule in good times is to cultivate more than two real options AND to ensure that one of these options is with your current company. Why – because your current company knows all about your strengths and weaknesses. It is often easier to craft out a fulfilling change of role within your current company than it is with a new employer, and the risks are much smaller too.

Once you have more than two real options – for example: stay put; move to ABC company; or start my own business – it is time to do a proper choice analysis. Most candidates simply compare and contrast the pros and cons of each option. This is fine, but do also include items that are nice to have – say travel if you are the adventurous sort.

Before you decide though, have a mitigation step: that is, go back to the choice you are leaning toward and see which items you have marked as cons. Go back to your prospective new employer or headhunter and negotiate for a better deal on those items before the final decision. Do also inject a COS (coefficient of success) step: ask yourself which role you are most likely to succeed. Top executives use career changes like a step leader to reach their ultimate career objectives. So without success in your new position, you would not have the track record to show your next employer the next time good times come rolling in again.