LooseSuits

I think whether you're looking to take on a job, career, freelance client, new hobby, friendship, spouse...whatever, it all boils down to your ROI or return on investment.

Honestly, it doesn't matter what influences us as it does what influences you. What are looking for at this stage of your life?

Your job search won't get any easier by seeking the influences of others, you've got to really think about what's important to you in the long run. What, when it's all said and done for you and your life here, will make you say "that was time well spent".

It's true that what you need from a job or career is different in different stages. For instance, I used to work at a Crisis Hotline from 11pm to 8am. Then I became a young mother and those hours no longer met the needs of my lifestyle. If I worked in a school, we'd have the same hours and the same days off. Now I am primarily concerned with medical insurance when I retire. It's just the stage I'm in. Friends and family might have ideas but it is you alone who decides what you need in a job / career.

For me it's the people at the [potential] job. I like to know that I'll be able to mesh with the team. The pay is also a big factor for obvious reasons. I also have to feel comfortable in the environment. I wouldn't want to work at some dry, boring place. That sucks all of the creativity out of me, which I've experienced in the past.

1- the company's potential
2- my team and the management
3- workload (max 6/8 hrs per day)
4- location (must be max 10/15 minutes from home)
5- stock options/warrants
6- salary/bonus/benefits

There are varied reasons that people take a job, and each time, it might not include the same reason/s as the times before. It often depends on circumstances in one's life, at the time.

Salary, health insurance, commute, benefits, all factor into it, for me.

What about you, avuee?

For me, I was looking at the same position at four companies and the (only) selling point was the people.

But, again, I had already decided that the pay, benefits, commute, travel, experience, and workload would be largely the same across all four.

Unfortunately, a little research on a company's website and an interview or two can't tell you half of what you'll want to know (if you'll be happy, if you enjoy the culture, if you find the work fulfilling) so, the best thing I've found is just to try jobs until you fit.

If it is in a field I want to work in and if it will relate to my graduate school studies. Location as well.

I've not had that many jobs though.

I'll tell you, commute should really factor into your decision. I once took a job with a long commute, which I thought would be outweighed by the learning experience. I was wrong, and commuting an hour to work each day was costing me about $3k a year in gas expenses alone (and I drive a pretty efficient car.) So in that regard it was almost like taking a pay cut as well.

For me, one of the most significant factors in whether or not I take a job is the culture/environment of the workplace and the people I'll be working with - basically, the overall "feel" I get from the company. I'm still in the stage of my life where the jobs I accept are only short term (4 month long internship positions, since I'm a university student), but I still put a lot of emphasis on factors other than the pay and the actual job description. The people I'm working with have the power to turn an average job into something fabulous, or to take an otherwise excellent position and turn it into something akin to torture. I've experienced both extremes over the past few years.

I also take things like task variety (I'd rather not be bored to death doing the exact same thing day in and day out), location, workload, and parking cost (it can get insanely expensive to park in my city, particularly for a student) into consideration.