What to Consider When Finding a New Job?

There are several reasons to look for a new job. While career advancement and better pay are usually on the top of the list, they shouldn’t be the only thing to consider when finding a new job. You’d see that there are several other very crucial factors that can help you make a more informed decision in your job search. Today’s topic- What to Consider When Finding a New Job?

Work Hours

The hours you’ll be working at your new job are critical for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and fitting around other commitments.

Don’t simply assume that the new job for which you’re applying will be the traditional 9-to-5. Make sure you are aware of the hours you will be required to work, including extra work hours.

You might be applying for a job that requires you to stay an hour or two after work, or it could be a Monday-to-Friday job that requires you to come in on the weekends or on a regular basis. Make sure you check about this when applying or during interviews so you can get a complete picture of how the new job will affect your daily schedule.

It might be tough to estimate how much time your new job would need outside of core hours. It’s a good idea to speak with someone in the firm who has a comparable position to see what kind of workload you’ll be expected to handle and how much overtime you’ll be required to spend.

If you’re paid by the hour, the option to work overtime could be appealing. However, if you are paid on a monthly basis, you may come to dislike working for a firm that requires you to work 12 hours a day but only compensates you for eight. If your prospective employer requires you to work overtime with no pay, you could find yourself earning less per hour than you do at your current job. The issue of working hours should not be taken lightly as it can impact your overall quality of living. 

Salary & Benefits

Benefits can account for a significant portion of your total salary, so it’s important to consider this aspect of your contract carefully, as their value is often hidden behind the salary. Although the salary you’ve been offered may be larger than your current one, you may be worse off in the long run if your employer’s retirement plan contributions are smaller. A robust benefits package and retirement plan, on the other hand, can compensate for a lesser income.

Benefits vary per firm, so if your package’s specifics aren’t included in your offer letter, request a full summary of the contract conditions.

Here are some things you might want to consider when assessing the value of your benefits package:

• The allowance you get for vacations and medical treatments. 
• What are the stock options at the company? Are stock units provided as a bonus or do you need to have worked for the company for a specific amount of time to be eligible?
• Does the company invest in skills acquisition for their staff?
• Are incentives based on your personal achievements or the overall performance of the company?
• You’d want to know the insurance plans offered at the company. 
• How much money is the company set aside for your pension on a monthly basis? 
• Does the company share profits with employees?
• Does the company provide a car, cellphone, or computer? 
• Are other miscellaneous benefits such commuting, gym memberships, daycare, travel costs, sabbaticals, etc., included?

Savings and Expenses

Your commute is one of the most important costs to consider when assessing a job offer. Will your transport fare rise or fall?

It’s possible that your new work may force you to relocate. If this is the case, you’ll have to factor in relocation fees, changes in housing and state taxes, and adjustments in insurance prices.

We often overlook the hidden costs of a new job offer, such as a new wardrobe or insurance coverage, if you aren’t currently covered by the company’s insurance plan. If your new contract includes the option of working from home, you may save money by skipping the journey, but you may need to invest in a home office.

Company Values

When your professional objectives and your employer’s goals are in sync, work becomes less of a hassle. Compare your values to an organization’s mission statement, fundamental principles, and business model while researching possible employment. Many businesses also donate to charitable organizations or collaborate with community organizations. This may be a point to consider while looking for a career if you want your effort to benefit the wider world.

Here are some crucial company values you must consider:

•  Integrity and Ethics

Simply said, integrity and ethics are two concepts that reflect doing the responsible thing in an honest, fair, and sustainable manner.

Constructing a solid, trustworthy relationship with your workers, stakeholders, and customers is easier in a company that already has a foundation of honesty and integrity.

Collective integrity may help the firm build a strong reputation in the market, which is advantageous to everyone’s interests.

• Mutual Respect

You need to consider if the company respects individual human rights and privacy, as well as eradicating all types of discrimination, whether it is based on religion, belief, color, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or physical handicap. Furthermore, providing a safe and healthy work environment for all workers is a vital aspect of showing them respect.

Many companies across the world have adopted an approach in which the entire business communicates as if it were a close-knit family. Employees will feel more confident in such an environment, and they will feel like a vital, if not indispensable, part of the business. 

• Value for Innovation

You want to move to a company that values innovation and is continuously working to stay ahead of the competition and putting fresh ideas into the marketplace. This is highly crucial if a   firm wants to be a pioneer and provide new products and services that people like, this is critical.

Such a company encourages employees to be dynamic and to come up with creative ideas that may be turned into profitable goods. A company that limits its staff most of the time isn’t a progressive one.

• Drive to succeed

A company that values success is one that hardly relents when it attaining new heights.  Organizations that value this idea as one of their fundamental principles strive to create a dynamic platform for their workers to explore their creativity and talents and grow.

While it is vital to recognize and celebrate accomplishments, such businesses cannot afford to become complacent. Some organizations consistently perform successfully because they recognize that their most important resource is their employees.

Nothing beats a devoted employee who is ready to go the additional mile. This necessitates a firm cultivating an environment that encourages respect and discourages politics.

Work Culture

Make sure the work atmosphere is a good fit for you because you will be spending a lot of time there. Consider if you would want to work for a small or large firm. Examine the workstations and attempt to acquire a sense of the environment. A stimulating work environment might improve your job satisfaction and general happiness.

When you come in for an interview, observe workers while they work to determine whether they are pleased and the environment is pleasant. Check out how the staff is dressed, and if you have any questions, inquire about the company’s dress code.

Colleagues

Your prospective coworkers will play an important role in your life, so get to meet as many as you can before taking a job offer. Pay attention to how your employees communicate with one another and ask as many questions as you can about the workplace. Take notice of how management interacts with junior employees. A friend or family member who works at the firm can give helpful information about the work environment, stress level, and pace.

Here is some sign of good work culture you must look out for.

• Long-term employees: Employee retention is a good measure of the culture of a firm. Simply said, happy, engaged individuals who are given ongoing possibilities for advancement are more likely to stay at their current job.
• Properly conveyed mission and vision: A strong corporate culture does not emerge out of anywhere. It must first be developed and conveyed throughout the business before leadership and workers at all levels can live it out. Every employee in a strong business culture understands the ideals. The company’s principles and mission are easily accessible and branded throughout all internal and external communications.
• Not simply coworkers, but also friends: Genuine friendships flourish in a positive work atmosphere. You can be sure that the professional dynamic will be just as good when employees opt to spend time with each other outside of the workplace.
• Workplace involvement: Great corporate cultures encourage employee participation and create constructive, enjoyable methods for workers to come together for coaching and mentoring activities both during and outside of normal business hours. The amount of employee participation also indicates the effectiveness of the corporate culture. For instance, if the company holds an event like a fundraiser, which doesn’t entail compulsory attendance, and a good number of employees attend, you can trust that they are happy to be there.
• Transparency: Secrets and a general lack of communication from the top down generate an environment of uneasiness and mistrust. Positive workplace cultures promote openness so that every team member knows where they stand, where the firm is heading, and how they fit into the overall picture.
• Diversity: A red signal in terms of culture should be if everyone in a company falls into the same demographic. Great organizations and institutions value diversity in all aspects of their operations, including recruiting, thinking, and methods. This should be mirrored in the teams and people with whom you work every day.
• Recognition for achievements: Great organizations have clear and frequent systems in place for recognizing their employees’ accomplishments, at the very least once a month or once a week. This demonstrates that the company prioritizes performance recognition and publicizing the value its workers provide.

For a job well done, everyone enjoys praise and acknowledgment. Find out how potential companies foster growth and reward hard work when you’re searching for a job. Bonuses, yearly vacations, and prizes are all common performance rewards.

• Leaders are visible and accessible: Employees support and rely on leaders who are accessible, approachable, honest, and real. When a company’s executives take the lead and make themselves approachable to everyone, it generates a sense of togetherness and workers are far more likely to be enthusiastic about the goals they’re pursuing and the company’s mission.
• Conducive work environment: The sort of setting in which you work each day can have a significant impact on how you feel about your employment job and employer. Comfortable work environments with facilities and incentives that people care about have a major impact on employee morale.
• Absence of office politics: Gossip, backbiting, and politicking has no place in positive workplaces and healthy business cultures where each person feels appreciated, heard and recognized. While sniping occurs in every group environment, it is the exception rather than the rule in good business cultures.
• Opportunities for ongoing professional development: Employees’ job happiness is directly linked to their chances for growth, progress, learning, promotion, and skill expansion.

Career Path

If the work itself or the potential career advancement on offer appeals to you more than the income or perks, it’s especially crucial to think about how the position will serve you and help you achieve your professional objectives. Examine whether it will stretch you, introduce you to new experiences, and allow you to grow. If the work itself or the potential career advancement on offer appeals to you more than the income or perks, it’s especially crucial to think about how the position will serve you and help you achieve your professional objectives. Examine whether it will stretch you, introduce you to new experiences, and allow you to grow.

If the work itself or the potential career advancement on offer appeals to you more than the income or perks, it’s especially crucial to think about how the position will serve you and help you achieve your professional objectives. Examine whether it will stretch you, introduce you to new experiences, and allow you to grow.

Research the Role

Again, go over the job description and person requirements. You must be certain that the task is something you want to perform and will provide you with satisfaction.

It’s also crucial to know exactly what will be expected of you and whether or not those expectations are reasonable. If the job specification appears to be too lengthy, or if it does not match the job title, you may need to return to the human resource manager for further information.

If you’re concerned that your abilities don’t match those mentioned in the job description, a personal SWOT Analysis will help you determine how well your knowledge and experience fit the role’s criteria. If you know you exaggerated your talents during the interview, you risk failing your supervisor, missing deadlines, and becoming agitated. If you’ve cheapened them, on the other hand, you may grow bored and dissatisfied.

Opportunities for growth

Jobs that allow you to advance in your career are especially crucial in your early years. Earlier in your career, you may have worked in positions that paid less than minimum wage in return for the chance to build experience and advance to a full-time position.

Look for opportunities to learn new skills in your current work if you are farther along in your career. As part of your professional growth, many firms provide on-site training or pay for seminars. Look for a job that teaches you transferable skills, allows you to advance in your profession, or allows you to achieve bigger career ambitions.

Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate

Some offers are simply too wonderful to pass up. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and the new position will allow you to further your career in the areas that are important to you. Accepting the job may be the best option for you if this is the case.

However, the position may feel like a good fit, but the offer isn’t what you expected, or some of the contract clauses are concerning. In this situation, some wrangling could be necessary. People are frequently afraid of losing their job offer if they negotiate, but if your request is legitimate and the firm can accommodate your request, it should all pull through. 

If, after considering everything, the offer still falls short of your expectations, the wisest course of action is to decline it. Remember to do so in a courteous manner. It’s usually a good idea to keep in touch with former coworkers since you never know when another opportunity with the company will arise.

However, there are occasions when you may not have the option of saying no. If this is the case, look into other possibilities such as temporary work or taking the job while you search for a position that better fits your long-term professional objectives.

Here are some tips to up your negotiation power and decision-making while searching for a job.

• Don’t be too pushy

When dealing with a potential employer, be wary about being too stiff with your negotiation. If you’re not cautious, asking for too much might backfire. Make sure your demands are realistic, especially in terms of your wage expectations.

• Observe employees of the company when you go for an interview

As you go through the interview process, keep the eight assessment criteria discussed in this article in mind. While you’re at the location of the business, pay attention to the mood of the individuals you encounter and whether or not you’d get along with them.

• Convey your passion for providing value

During the interview, ask informed questions regarding the crucial considerations we’ve discussed above. Demonstrate that you’re more above providing value, and it’s not all about the money.

Conclusion

Finding a new job that offers more value than your current one is no easy task, but it is very achievable. You need to consider the points we’ve discussed and never make crucial new job decisions on a whim. Whatever considerations you decide to give the most priority, ensure that it’s in line with your ultimate goal of achieving a work-life balance. 

Frequently asked questions

Should I apply for a job even when my experience isn’t a perfect match?

Sure! It never hurts to apply for a job if you believe you can manage the criteria. Whether you have fewer years of experience than they require or lack one of the hard talents listed, you are not necessarily ruled out of running for the position. Skills may be taught on the job, and years of experience won’t matter in the end if you’re the best applicant. Simply put, don’t claim to have the qualifications when you don’t.

How long should I wait before following up?

If you don’t receive any feedback from an interviewer straight away, wait until the interviewer’s deadline has passed before contacting them again. If the deadline passes and you haven’t heard from the interviewer, email a quick follow-up to remind them of your credentials and interest in the position. You can follow up every 7-10 days for the next two follow-ups, for a total of three follow-ups. If you haven’t received a response, it’s time to move on.

What’s the best method to find a new job?

There are several job search alternatives available, and no one is totally superior to the others. Jobs may be found on large job boards such as Monster, Glassdoor, and Indeed, as well as smaller, specialty job sites tailored to your field. You may visit the company’s website or follow them on social media. Furthermore, employee referrals increase your chance of getting hired, so don’t overlook this in your search for a new job.