Part 6 (2/2)

Stability: the relative security of the company or organization because of its established nature and its long-standing role in an industry.

Status: the relative standing of the job in your industry, community, or some other group.

t.i.tle: the value of the descriptive name for the job you'd hold.

Tuition reimburs.e.m.e.nt: a stipend to pay the cost of further education that may or may not be specifically related to your job.

Unpaid time off: the opportunity for you to take time off work for professional or personal reasons and not hurt your job status.

Charting the Factors for Job Offers I've always found that writing things down helps focus decision making. Nowhere is that more true than in weighing competing job offers. Take out that pad you used for all your early exercises and during your job fis.h.i.+ng. Turn to a fresh page and divide it into columns that represent one more than the number of job offers you're weighing. In other words, if you have two offers to choose between, divide the page into three columns; if you have three offers, divide the page into four columns.

Label the first column Factors. Label the remaining columns with a word or phrase that describes each job offer. For example, if you've received two offers and one is an offer from a telecommunications company and the other is from a medical-research firm you might label the second column Telecom and the third Medical.

COMPARING JOB OFFERS.

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Go back to the first column, and move down the page writing a word or phrase that corresponds to each of the twenty factors, each on its own line. Skip one or two s.p.a.ces between each item. If you need to jump to a second page, just replicate the columns and their headings on the new page.

(While I'd prefer you invest a bit in the process and create your own chart, in the interests of convenience I've also provided a blank form on page 152 that you could also use for this purpose. But I'd suggest that, rather than filling in this form in the book, you photocopy it and work on the photocopy instead. After all, you're going to have so many offers coming in now that you've started job fis.h.i.+ng that you won't want to use up the chart on your first pair of offers.) Now, fill in details about each factor for each offer. For instance, if the Telecom job offer includes a company gym, write ”gym” on the amenities line in the Telecom column. If the Medical job offer includes free use of a company cafeteria, write ”meals” on the amenities line in the Medical column. Go down the list, providing as much information as you can about each offer.

After you've filled in all the blanks, consider each line individually. Which of the two job offers seems to provide the better deal in each factor? Does the Telecom job offer two weeks' paid vacation, while the Medical job offer provides three? Advantage Medical. Is the Telecom job located thirty minutes from your home while the Medical job is located sixty minutes away? Advantage Telecom. Place a large check mark on each line in the column of the job that provides the better deal.

Debbie O'Leary Charts the Factors for Her Two Job Offers After sitting with me for a about an hour, Debbie agreed not to react reflexively and instead compare the two job offers she'd received. If you recall, one was for a part-time deejay position at a rock station, and the other was for a jazz programming position at a satellite radio network. Using a legal pad, she drew up the chart I recommended in order to break each offer down into the twenty factors I'd outlined. (See the box on page 155: Debbie O'Leary's Offer Comparison Chart.) Amenities. The deejay position at the radio station offered no amenities. The satellite radio station gave employees a discounted rate at a health club located near its offices. Advantage: Satellite.

Auto. Neither job offered a company car, but the radio station would pay car expenses if Debbie had to travel to a remote location for a broadcast. Advantage: Radio.

Challenging. Because Debbie had been a rock deejay for her entire working life, the radio job offered no challenges for her. The satellite radio job presented a challenge because it meant Debbie would need to come up with playlists in a new genre and format. Advantage: Satellite.

Culture. The bohemian, free-spirited culture of the radio station was one that Debbie adored, having been part of similar cultures in the past. The satellite radio job, on the other hand, had a much more corporate culture. Advantage: Radio.

Disability insurance. Neither job offered disability insurance. No advantage.

Environment. The radio station's studio was located in a somewhat run-down old office building in midtown Manhattan. The satellite radio company was located in a brand-new facility in a corporate park in suburban New Jersey. Advantage: Satellite.

DEBBIE O'L O'LEARY'S O OFFER C COMPARISON C CHART [image]

Expense allowance. Neither job offered an expense allowance. No advantage.

Health insurance. The radio station did not provide health coverage for part-time employees until they worked for the company for more than two years. The satellite radio company offered a complete health insurance package. Advantage: Satellite.

Income. Because Debbie was a member of the union she would earn approximately $30,000 a year as a part-time deejay at the radio station. The full-time satellite radio job offered a salary of $75,000. Advantage: Satellite.

Life insurance. Neither job offered life insurance. No advantage.

Opportunity for advancement. The radio job gave Debbie the chance to move eventually into a full-time deejay job with a regular air s.h.i.+ft. The structure of the satellite radio company seemed to provide little chance for upward movement for programmers. Instead, there would be lateral movement to other genres. Advantage: Radio.

Opportunity for learning. Debbie could do the radio job in her sleep. The satellite job would require her to learn the dynamics of a new segment of the radio business, and a new musical genre. Advantage: Satellite.

Paid time off. The radio job gave no paid vacation or personal days to part-timers. As a fill-in, Debbie would probably be working many if not all holidays. The satellite job offered two weeks' paid vacation and four paid personal days each year. Advantage: Satellite. The radio job gave no paid vacation or personal days to part-timers. As a fill-in, Debbie would probably be working many if not all holidays. The satellite job offered two weeks' paid vacation and four paid personal days each year. Advantage: Satellite.

Proximity. The radio job was a thirty-minute subway ride each way from Debbie's apartment. The satellite job was a forty-five minute combined subway and commuter train trip each way. Advantage: Radio.

Retirement plan. The radio station had no retirement plan for part-timers. The satellite job offered a 401(k) plan and matched annual contributions up to a certain amount. Advantage: Satellite.

Stability. While radio wasn't a secure industry, the station where Debbie would be working had been one of the two top FM rock radio stations in the New York market for more than a decade. The satellite radio company was a start-up in a new industry. Advantage: Radio.

Status. Being a programmer for a satellite radio network didn't have anywhere near the status of being an on-air personality in America's largest media market. Advantage: Radio.

t.i.tle. The t.i.tle of deejay carried no particular weight - what mattered were the size of the market and the ratings. Program director was a more advanced t.i.tle in the business, implying a step up the management hierarchy. Advantage: Satellite.

Tuition reimburs.e.m.e.nt. Neither job offered tuition reimburs.e.m.e.nt. No advantage.

Unpaid time off. Because it was a part-time job, the deejay position didn't provide lots of unpaid time off. The satellite job offered ten days' unpaid parental leave. Advantage: Radio. Because it was a part-time job, the deejay position didn't provide lots of unpaid time off. The satellite job offered ten days' unpaid parental leave. Advantage: Radio.

a.n.a.lyzing the offers in this manner convinced Debbie her husband and I were probably right in discouraging her from reflexively grabbing the deejay job. However, it also showed neither job offer was perfect.

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