Beyond the Paycheck: What I Look For in a Job
As told by a recovering corporate ladder climber
When I was first starting my career in the corporate world, there was one thing and one thing only that I looked for when I applied to jobs: how much would I be getting paid?
For my first job, and the next two after that, money was my sole motivator. Sure, being interested in the job’s functionality was also important (like you wouldn’t catch me in Accounting or Risk), but being a quick learner meant I did pretty well no matter which department I joined. With most things in life, I think you can really “learn on the job”.
In recent years, I’ve started to change my tune. Part of that comes from having separated my identity from my job, and part of it comes from having achieved my desired salary - and realizing there’s more to it.
Here are the things I’d look for if I was job searching today:
A good boss
Ok, there’s nothing you can really do during your job search to guarantee you’ll end up with a good boss – but this has quickly become my most valued factor when it comes to how much I love my job. The difference between a bad boss and a good one, or even a so-so boss and a good one is instrumental in determining my quality of life. I am so, so, so lucky to have the best boss right now and it has made me loyal to my job.
One thing you could do to determine who your boss could be during a job search is to request an interview with them during the hiring process. I honestly don’t know how helpful this would be though, because from my experience it’s hard to get a good read on someone from interviews alone.Flex work and work-life balance culture
How did I ever commute an hour+ each way to work 5 days a week? That version of me is gone, may she rest in the much needed peace she deserved.
One silver lining of COVID is the shift to remote working. I can’t tell you how much my mental health has improved when I can work from home – the time I get back goes into working out, or doing the chores I would have otherwise been cramming in on the weekends. I feel like I’m just starting to live my life to the fullest now that I can choose to work remotely when I need to.
With that being said, fully remote work has led a lot of people to feeling burnt out. It’s important for me to work for a team that prioritizes working smarter not harder, and taking breaks and paid time off. I still don’t manage to take all my vacation days, but it means a lot to me that I work on a team that encourages me to prioritize my personal life.Networking opportunities/Mentorship/Career development
Does the company have a formal mentorship program? Are there events held to encourage networking? Are there employee resource groups and committees to help foster relationships across different teams? These are all things I’ve participated in that not only helped me get ahead in my career, but also helped me make some of my best friends at work.Will the work make an impact?
Working in the corporate world or for a big organization can sometimes make it easy to forget why the day-to-day grind matters. I’ve had jobs where I’ve felt like my output is completely useless, and I’ve had jobs where I can look at what I’ve accomplished and feel proud. I’m not saving lives or anything, but without a doubt I will always choose a job where I feel like what I’m doing is making at least a little bit of a difference in someone’s life.
With all that being said – salary is still extremely important, and I encourage you (especially if you’re a woman) to negotiate and ask for a raise at every opportunity :)
I’ve been climbing the corporate ladder for a little while now, and I’m at the point in my career where I’m questioning whether or not I want to keep going at the pace I’ve set, if I want to chill on this rung, or if I want to get off the ladder all together. I think continuing to learn about what matters to me in the workplace will help me make my decision.
Thank you for reading!