A Desirable Job Offer is More Than a Number
When applying for jobs, it is essential to be paid what your skills are worth, but it is also a good idea to acknowledge that other metrics should be considered when considering whether to accept a new job. One of the things that are worth considering is whether it is likely to be an improvement on your current job if you are leaving your current one to take it up.
There are many factors to consider when making a decision of this magnitude, and we have listed a few below for you. The kinds of perks that are offered to employees, whether or not there is a commute and how long it is.
Where do You Have to Work?
This would be a consideration when considering taking up a job offer usually, but even more so in the post-pandemic era. Some people don’t want to work in an office environment again for a few years after the pandemic as they just don’t feel safe any more in crowded corporate spaces.
Is There a Commute?
That there would be a commute was almost considered natural when thinking about jobs before the Covid pandemic. Now, for the first time in their lives, many people have seen the difference it makes to their work-life balance not to have to factor in 2-3 hours per day of travelling to and from work. It makes a difference both in terms of the cost that is saved and the energy that is free to use elsewhere in your life.
Eliminating a commute should be a major consideration, whether this means a working-from-home situation or simply accepting a job that is based much closer to where you live. There is no point in accepting a job that will pay you more if the increase is all eaten up in transport costs to and from work.
Can You Work From Home?
Is it possible to work from home in the new job, or do they expect you to be in the office constantly? A lack of flexibility with regard to this probably suggests that they may not be very flexible in other areas either, and some workers will treat an unwillingness to embrace working from home as a red flag on that basis.
If you can work from home, does the new job provide you with all the support you will require? Are they offering to help pay for your telephone calls and internet access? Are they talking about sending you an ergonomic office chair so that your posture doesn’t become adversely affected while working for them?
Will you have access to all of the same computer programs that those who are working in the office can use, or will you be slightly hampered in getting your work done by not having the correct tools at your disposal? This is all an essential part of the work-from-home package now that it is becoming a much more common thing to do.
If Not Fully Remote, is Hybrid Working an Option?
Some workplaces are not yet OK with giving employees the freedom to work entirely remotely, even with all the advantages in terms of productivity that it brings, and so they may offer a form of hybrid working instead that only requires you to be in the office on certain days of the week. This allows for in-person meetings to be coordinated while everyone is in the office simultaneously and allows you the freedom to take care of all the life maintenance tasks that remote working permits.
What Other Perks are Offered?
Quite a lot of the younger office staff clamour for team building days and weekends to practise problem-solving in a practical way and have fun, such as escape rooms or paintball. For many in Generation Z, a “workation” or the chance to spend some time in the sunshine is a popular perk. For some people, an offer of childcare while they are at work is a considerably larger perk than team building, and other people hate these kinds of perks altogether.
Decide how you feel about perks and determine if the company you are considering provides them. You can then choose where to go from there and whether the perks that are offered match your expectations.
How Well Placed Will You Be for Career Progression?
There is no point moving to a new company for a few thousand more per year in salary if the chances of career progression slow to a crawl. This is the classic trade-off and is often why other companies may pay better for your current role, as they may realise that it is unlikely to yield a promotion any time in the next 5-10 years.
This is a way of still encouraging excellent staff to work with them, despite the lack of promotion prospects. It is worth digging deeper if you see an above-average pay scale for a job. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious and protecting yourself from going down dead-end career cul-de-sacs, and it may well feel like this is what you are doing. Don’t be afraid to turn down the job offer on that basis.
Is the Company Well-Regarded in the Industry?
Are you considering moving to the market leader in your field, or at least a company with a good reputation that will enhance your CV by having worked with them? Reputational reasons are at least as important as financial reasons. A move to Google, Apple or their equivalent in your own field will help your career in immeasurable ways.
People who have previously worked at these companies, and there will be a lot of them, will sometimes look more kindly on someone’s application from their old company because they remember it with affection and understand the dedication it took to succeed there.
A move to one of the blue chip companies in your own industry is worth more than any pay rise you will ever get, and it is an opportunity not to be missed.
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