Getting the right job

This post is about how to find the job you will still like two years from now.

I have a friend that was recently sacked. The guy is sales person and in his new job he didn't live up to the expectations of the top management. Some of the reason was of course the recession but I believe much of it was a direct result of just choosing the best paid job without analyzing and weighting all the other things that matter.

Most people have a very simple approach to deciding the new job. If(newSalary > (oldSalary*1.3) {StartNewJob();} or something like that. Others just go by gut instinct.

I myself have for the two last occasions where I got a new job done a thorough analysis before starting a new job where I know I’m likely to be for the next years. Just starting somewhere because it sounded cool or the salary was good is not very smart when taking into consideration all the noise and problems that can come from choosing the wrong job.

So here's a To-Do list based on what I did before choosing my current employer Bouvet.

1) Write a list of all the things you look for in an employer.

2) Prioritize what things are the most important for you. Remember to take into consideration both short term and long term goals.

3) Investigate, find and learn about possible employers.

4) Try to get job offers from companies that seem to fit your list.

5) Create a matrix and give scores to each company based on information from job interviews, information you get from others and what you can find on the web.

.

	Weight	Company A	Company B
Knowledgeable co-workers
Salary, bonus
High spirit, positive environment, happy staff
Cool technology
Mixed workforce with diverse skills
Travel distance from home
Paid overtime
Possibility for travel
Stress
Cantina with good food
Not to much travel
Cantina with good food
Nice and interesting co-workers
Stable company economy
Competent co-workers
Long term career potentials
Short term ladder advancements possibilities
Managers are good role models
Ethical customer portfolio
Interesting projects and customers
Green environment
Nice premises/facilities
Other social benefits
Workout/health club
Possibilities to go on conferences and seminars
Possibilities to take expensive courses
Somewhere to relax in the office building
Not to much overtime
Flexibility (Don't have to be at work from 9 to 5)
Company style. Professional/informal

Fill in the table, replace the items with things that makes sense to you. Give points for each company and multiply with the weight column. At the bottom of the spreadsheet you'll see what company to choose.

And of course if you do not get any offers or know you are not going to get any offers. Go make yourself more valuable by learning new stuff, getting more relevant experience or getting a degree.