Dear Rachel,
I’m in a pickle. I started a new job a month ago and now an offer has come in for the job I really wanted, with more money at a big-name agency and in a city where I’ve always wanted to live. What should I do? The people where I’m working for now are very pleasant and I could imagine staying here, but my heart belongs to the offer that’s on the table. Sign me -- Tempted.

Dear Tempted,
Geez, I’ve got to say I’m a hardliner on this one. If you take a job, you should stay. To get up and quit when a better job comes along is just plain lousy. You don’t do it, period.

If you really didn’t want the job, you shouldn’t have taken it in the first place.

If you’re out looking and offers start to come in, you need to hold off until they’re all on the table and then make your choice. If in the meantime, as you’re waiting on word about the job you want the most, one or more of those jobs go to other candidates, well, that’s life. Suck it up.

Now I have to confess that some time back I was in your exact situation and I chose to jump. I left a job after five weeks.

I still regret it. The job I went to wasn’t nearly as good as the one I left, and the people weren’t as good either.

When you’re taking a job, it’s not just about money and title and city. It’s about the people and agency you’re making a pact with, and you need to be thinking of it as a long-term investment. Those people are investing in you, as you are investing in them. You owe them something.

That’s where I stand, but to balance out this discussion I turned to three of my regular contributors to this column, all well-regarded recruiters in media: Kurt O'Hare of New York's O'Hare & Associates, Pat Sklar, president of the Chicago recruiting firm Sklar and Associates, and Karen Katz, a principal in the Forum Group of New York.

Here’s what O'Hare has to say:

“If you like the job enough to accept it in the first place, you should stay. Your employer is already honoring their commitment to you, and to tell them you were ‘just kidding’ isn't ethical or fair.

“I remind people that the most important factor in their career is credibility. Telling a company yes only to tell them a few weeks later no is looked on even less favorably in the workforce than in the U.S. Congress. In this business, your reputation is key. And besides, everyone knows everyone.”

O'Hare advises his media clients that once they’ve accepted a job they should notify the agencies they’ve interviewed with that they've accepted a position. It’s a professional courtesy, and they will be respected for it.

Sklar largely echoes O'Hare’s advice.

“In any situation there are always extenuating circumstances but I would say 99.9 percent of the time, it’s a lousy thing to do--accept and then leave in a month.

“If this person wants to maintain a good reputation in media and advertising, he/she should think about the long-term effect of leaving.”

Katz takes a less black-and-white view. Conscience certainly plays a part, but she says there are other considerations.

“There are many factors that need careful consideration including but not limited to long- and short-term career potential, visibility, experience and job gratification,” she says. “One has to weigh the benefits of the second position against the possible damages and upset caused to the initial employer. One must keep in mind the potential impact of their actions on their professional reputation.

“Like life itself, careers are journeys and professional paths often cross. Each situation needs be considered extensively but ultimately the decision remains with the individual’s belief in what is best for themselves today, tomorrow and down the road.”