How to Decide Your Deal Breakers Before a Job Move
This article is part of the Pay, Package and Work-Life Balance guide.
A deal breaker is a condition that would make you decline a role regardless of how strong everything else is. Every candidate has them. Writing them down before you enter a recruitment process is one of the most effective ways to protect your decision-making when enthusiasm and pressure are high. Use them as a first filter on every opportunity.
A deal breaker is a condition that would make you decline a role regardless of how strong everything else is. Every candidate has them. Many candidates have not written them down, which means they are at risk of bending them under pressure.
Why do deal breakers need to be explicit?
When you are in a live recruitment process (with a recruiter enthusiastic about the role, an employer making a compelling pitch, and the excitement of a potential change in the air) it is easy to rationalise away a concern that would normally be a clear no.
Written deal breakers are harder to rationalise. They exist before the pressure arrives, and they anchor your decision-making when that pressure builds.
How do you identify your deal breakers?
Work through each major dimension of a role and ask: is there a threshold below which I will not go, regardless of other factors?
- Salary: Is there a minimum below which the move makes no financial sense?
- On-call: Is there a frequency of on-call that is simply not compatible with your life right now?
- Travel: Is there a patch size or commute distance that is genuinely unworkable?
- Hours: Are there shift patterns you will not work?
- Employer type: Are there sectors, employer sizes or business models you will not join?
The answers to these questions are your deal breakers. Write them down. Share them with Optio. Use them as a first filter on every opportunity. Candidates registered with Optio can record deal breakers as structured preferences so no unsuitable roles are surfaced. See how Optio works for more on how candidate criteria are used in matching.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a deal breaker and a preference?
A deal breaker is non-negotiable: you would decline the role regardless of other strengths. A preference is something you want but could accept without, given sufficient compensation elsewhere. Being clear on which is which prevents you from treating preferences as deal breakers (and being inflexible) or treating real deal breakers as preferences (and making a decision you regret).
Should I share my deal breakers with a recruiter?
Yes. Sharing them clearly at the start of a process saves time for both sides. A recruiter who understands your deal breakers will not put you forward for roles that cannot meet them. Optio specifically captures these as structured criteria so the filtering happens before roles are surfaced to you.
What if my deal breakers change during a process?
They can change, but the change should be deliberate, not pressure-driven. If a deal breaker genuinely no longer applies because your circumstances have changed, update it consciously. If you are reconsidering it because of enthusiasm for a specific role, pause and ask whether the underlying reason for the deal breaker has actually changed.
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