Finding the right opportunity for yourself is not something that stops at any point in your job search. It starts with you having an understanding of the types of roles you’d be interested in (and why), finding career opportunities that align, applying, interviewing, and making a final decision.
Although deciding on which job you want to take when considering multiple offers may seem like the easy part of your job search, there is still much to be considered. When making a decision on moving forward with a career opportunity, it is essential to consider the elements of the opportunity through and through. This includes, but is not limited to culture, career growth trajectory, and holistic compensation analysis. These components of an offering are ones that will aid you in understanding which opportunity best aligns with what you want past mutual interest between the firm and yourself.
Culture is a fundamental part of any organization of people. It is the commonalities and differences amongst people and how they each ebb and flow. The culture of a company should align with a culture that you uphold for yourself and be something that you see yourself naturally being a part of. Mentorship, interaction and connection with the team, and values and ethics are points to consider. Mentorship at any point in your career is something that will assist in your development. As you are or were interviewing, consider your conversations with members of the team; did they make you feel comfortable and welcome? It is important to ensure that you align with the values and ethics within the organization; you want the values and ethics they have in place to be ones that don’t stretch your moral compass, uncomfortably. Culture is something that people and organizations pride themselves on; you want to be a part of something that you are proud of and that is complementary to who you are.
Considering your professional and personal future and what you envision this is an additional way to compare and contrast opportunities. Does the available opportunity outline what your path may look like over the course of the next year, three years, five years? Additionally, what kind of growth (if any) does the organization anticipate for itself? Acknowledging that you and the firm both have a future is the first step, and the second step is assessing if the projections of the future align with, and involve one another.
Compensation and benefits are often the primary decision-maker when it comes to deciding on career opportunities. Though it is important, it should be one of the latter items to consider because if the culture and growth do not align, superior compensation alone does not do it for most job seekers. Aside from monetary compensation, you want to pay attention to the other benefits too. Fringe benefits are benefits that are offered in addition to monetary compensation and can include things like health insurance, retirement plans and contributions, travel, technology, and continuing education benefits. Flexibility regarding scheduling and overall flexibility of management is an additional benefit to consider that adds high value to an offering. Fringe benefits offer additional value to parts of your life outside of work. They should be considered subject to what is most important to you and your life.
Ultimately, making a sound decision regarding career opportunities has several components. There is no one right answer when it comes to making a decision on career opportunities. Most importantly, you should look past your ability to complete the work and also consider how you will fit into the team, mentorship availability, growth potential, and holistic compensation. Take into consideration any additional intangibles that you may not find elsewhere. Weighing your options upfront will serve you well regarding your long-term development and happiness in your new career opportunity.
