Congratulations! You’ve successfully secured a job offer in your allied health profession. Perhaps you’ve even secured multiple offers. While this is certainly something worth celebrating, you still have a few things to consider when comparing job offers.
5 Steps for Comparing Job Offers
1. Plan out your budget
Sure, salary is an extremely important factor when considering job offers from two or more companies. However, you must consider your salary relative to your expenses. For example, if you have been offered one job in an expensive city that pays slightly more than another job in a less urban area, you may be able to have more money in your pocket at the end of the day by accepting the second job. With the growing cost of living in cities around the country, your salary may not go as far living in these areas. That said, you will likely have some constant costs as well, like student loans. Whatever your situation may be, it is important that you carefully consider your budget and compare it to the salaries you gave been offered. Then you will be able to better determine which job works for you.
2. Write out your dream job wish list
We all have certain things that we are looking for in our careers. Do you prefer to come in early, stay late, or even work during the weekends so that your workweek is not so busy? Would you rather work in an environment where you have regular interaction with coworkers or do you prefer to keep to yourself? Whatever you are looking for, it is likely that the jobs you are comparing check off some of the boxes and not others. By writing out a precise list of what you are looking for when comparing job offers, it may be easier for you to weigh the pros and cons of your unique offers. Things to include on your list can range from location to level of patient interaction.
3. Get to know the company culture
Every company is unique. This is true of healthcare just as much as any other industry. While it may be difficult (even impossible) to spend time with every employee before making a decision, you can get a feel for what the company is like by conscientiously doing your research. This begins by thinking back to your interview. What kinds of questions did your interviewer ask you? How did they respond to questions you asked of them? This was likely the longest period of time you’ve spent with an employee of the company. Use the interviewer as a representative of what the company culture is like. Additionally, in the internet age, you can probably find some information about the company online as well that will be useful when comparing job offers.
4. Think about your long term goals
Job offers are exciting, but it is likely that this will not be your last career move. The average person will work 10 different jobs before the age of forty. Thus, before accepting a job today, you should think about where you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, and even 10 years. Ask yourself, “will this opportunity help me to reach my long term goals?” If the answer is no, it may be worth keeping your job search going or considering your other job offer(s) more seriously. Not every job you take has to be the perfect stepping stone for your career, but if a job is completely unrelated to your goals, it is worth thinking critically about.
5. Trust your instincts
Nobody is better suited to tell you whether or not a job is right for you than you are. Obviously, when considering job offers you should work down the list and think analytically. However, if you have a strong gut reaction to a job offer, there is probably a good reason. Trust yourself. A healthy balance of logic and instincts can go a long way towards helping you find the perfect fit for you.
If you’re not quite at the point of considering job offers but you’re ready to get there, check out job listings here. Using AlliedTravelCareers.com you’ll surely be working through these steps in no time.
