Evaluating job opportunities: Which job offer is best for you? Here are some points to consider when faced with a decision - Getting Hired

Your days of temporary or part-time work for minimum pay are finally over. No more flipping U hamburgers for you. No more chasing carts at the grocery store. No more clerking at the discount store. You are about to enter the world of real work at your first real job.

You did your homework, prepared yourself, and performed brilliantly at the interviews. But now you find yourself with a problem. Fortunately, it's a good problem to have--you have two job offers.

High salary, but poor location. Great boss, but not much money. Resume builder, but no health insurance. How can you make the right decision about which offer to accept?

You have three options when they call to offer you the job: accept, decline, or negotiate. As you work toward a decision, most experts recommend considering a number of factors. Joyce Lain Kennedy, a national careers expert, says to ask yourself some important questions: Is the job a good one? Is the company a good choice? Is the pay enough?

Working Hard for the Money

Since you'll be spending at least 40 hours a week there, it's important to think about the day-to-day reality of the job. What exactly does the work involve? How long will it take you to really learn your duties? Will the work be challenging or overwhelming? Does the company offer opportunities for additional training? Do they have a policy of promoting from within so that there is a career path from your entry-level job? What's your work space like?

Heather White, a chemical engineer with a chemical manufacturing company in Arkansas, had a good sense of what her job would involve since she'd worked with the company in a co-op program while she was in college. "I co-oped at another company too, and after that, I knew where I wanted to work."

The Company You Keep

Think about how much satisfaction, both personal and professional, this job will provide. The interview is the place to get the facts, but hopefully you also get a feeling for what it would be like to work at the company. What's the boss's management style? What are the co-workers like? The closer the fit between your expectations and what they would expect from you, the happier you'll all be.

Another intangible you might want to consider is the company's reputation. Some companies are better places to work than others. (You can check out annual surveys in magazines like Fortune and Working Woman.)

The company's reputation will affect you in other ways too. Having worked for a certain company may make you a more attractive candidate for a move to another company.

Show Me the Money

Julie King, author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Interviewing and Salary Negotiation, says that she accepted a job that paid her 30 percent less than her co-workers. Why? She didn't do her homework, and she was desperate for a new job. She cautions job seekers to consider not just salary, but the total compensation package. This includes base pay, other opportunities for pay, benefits, and the policy for raises. You should weigh the package against your minimum requirements and any additional expenses that you might incur in taking the job.

To get base pay that represents the fair market value of your talents, do some research ahead of time to determine what the going salary is for that type of job. The most current salary data is on-line. (One source is salary. corn.) Another source of information is anyone you know in the field. White says that all the engineering students exchanged salary information, so she knew whether or not a company's offer was fair.

Salary also may be negotiable. This depends on the industry and the company. It also depends on your ability to negotiate for the items you've decided are important.

In addition to base salary, look at other pay opportunities. These include bonuses and raises. Be aware, however, that raises are generally from 3 to 5 percent of the base, so the base amount is important. Ask how often your performance is reviewed and what system is used for review.

Basic benefit packages usually include a retirement contribution and some sort of health insurance. Other benefits include paid vacations and sick leave, so ask how many days you accrue per pay period. Some companies offer additional perks such as health club memberships, parking, or tuition reimbursement programs.

White acknowledges that she probably didn't examine the benefits enough when she accepted her offer. "I assumed they were all about the same, but I didn't even know what a 401(k) was and didn't even know to ask." It's hard to think about retirement when you're considering your first job, but a small difference in your retirement contributions over a 45-year career can add up to a huge difference in your retirement income.

Weighing In

When you've evaluated the basic package, weigh it against your budget and any additional expenses you'll have. If you'll be relocating, you should base your budget on costs at the new location so you'll know how much money you'll need. "Students don't realize how important location is," says White. "[My company] paid for me to relocate, but not all companies do." Cost of living also changes your budget needs. For example, to match the buying power of $25,000 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, you'd need a salary of $29,643 in Dallas, Texas. You can also compare locations by state and local tax rates, property costs and taxes, auto insurance costs, and so on. (See monster.com for a handy location comparison calculator.)

Location can influence more than your pocketbook. Relocating can mean a change in many aspects of your life. You may be moving away from friends, family, and nearly everything familiar to you. "If I'd been single at the time, I would've made a different decision," says White. Lifestyle satisfaction can have an impact on your overall job satisfaction.

Now that you've thought through the offer, call the company with your decision. If you decline, do so graciously. If you accept, do so with enthusiasm.

It's hard to predict whether the job is the perfect one for you, but thoughtful consideration before saying yes or no can help you sleep easier.

RELATED ARTICLE: What Tops Your List?

Here are 10 statements to help you decide your criteria for evaluating a job offer. Only you can decide what's most important to you, so there are no "right" answers. Just sort through the statements and rank them in order of importance to you.

__I want people to be impressed when I tell them where I work.

__I want to make a lot of money.

__I want to live in a big city.

__I need a quiet corner where no one bothers me, so I can do my best work.

__I like to run the show.

__I can work for anyone.

__I want my co-workers to respect and admire me.

__I don't mind doing the same thing day after day.

__My home life is more important to me than the work I do.

__I need time to get some exercise outdoors every day.

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