3 Most Important Factors to Review in a Job Search
As a job candidate who has invested a great deal of money and time in your education, you want your investment to pay off! It’s time to bring all your problem-solving skills into an assessment of your potential employer.
We’ve created a simple three-point checklist to help you begin this process as there are many factors you should consider, and most of them are driven by what you want in an employer. Here are the 3 most important factors to review in a job search:
- Basic Compensation. Obviously, you will consider salary and benefits, but what is not immediately apparent is the value of a benefit. In 2018, on average, employers were paying over 80 percent of health insurance coverage for a single person. This percentage roughly translates into $6,000 per year as the employer’s share of each employee’s basic healthcare.
You’ll also want to review other compensatory items, such as paid vacation, stock options, and performance bonuses.
Further, ask yourself what fair valuation is in compensation for those four, six, or more years you invested in your education. - Other Compensation or Benefits. We just mentioned your investment in education, and over the past few years, many employers began offering unconventional opportunities to help employees pay off student loans. Using paid time off (PTO), some employers have provided a unique way to help employees pay down student loans.
If you are starting a family, paid leave may be a priority. Paid parental leave has been increasing at an average rate of 2% over the past two years.
Flexible working conditions maybe something else you consider high on your list of perks. Many large employers, and some medium or small employers, are offering telecommuting, compressed workweeks, and flextime for their workers. - Company Profile. When you discover what seems to be a great career opportunity, one of the first things you should do is educate yourself about the employer. Review the company’s history, business practices or ethics, and reputation. Start with their website but branch out your research where you can.
You may not have access to information about a company’s work culture until they employ you or land an interview, but don’t feel hampered by this. If the company is large and has job opportunities on a continuing basis, consider arranging an informational interview. This exposes you to the company, and the company to you, before a job interview.
An informational interview is an informal conversation between you and another person at the company. See this article from the University of California, Berkeley, for more information and ideas on how it could benefit you with your job search. In general, many new job seekers will want to know if the company they’re applying to will make their career a priority, create a pleasant environment, and is known as a great employer.
Do you have any questions for us? Do you need some expert advice? Please give one of our experts at a call at (248) 421-7360, or fill out our easy to use webform.
