The three major reasons to make a job change are opportunity, money and location. It’s critical that you understand their importance and never forget their consequences upon your career decision to change jobs. Always stay focused on opportunity during the interview. These three reasons must be accepted as gospel because they’re proven through many years of experience.
1. OPPORTUNITY
Opportunity should be your prime reason to accept a new job and override all other reasons. This should be 60 percent of your consideration. When considering a job change the #1 rule in the selection process is opportunity, opportunity, opportunity. It should not be money or location. If the opportunity’s not right, the rest doesn’t matter. The key questions to evaluate the opportunity are: does the company believe in…commitment to building brand equity; an entrepreneurial environment; a culture that values risk-taking; commitment to pushing the decision-making down? And when it comes to the IT industry in India, consider asking, if you are going to be allocated to a project or you are part of mass intake for their pipeline projects. To know this, most of the projects have client rounds too, if you are having an additional client round of interview also, consider it as half done, you might be absorbed into a project directly. Else, spend your time in free pool/Bench pool and waste your valuable time and knowledge.
2. MONEY
Money means the money package. This consists of the base salary, incentives, bonuses, commissions, stock options, stock grants, health benefits, savings plan, a company car, a car allowance, an entertainment allowance, club memberships, relocation allowance and retirement programs.
The money and benefits should not be your first reason for acceptance. Don’t let money get in your way of accepting a truly exceptional opportunity. Money should be about 20 percent of your consideration.
3. LOCATION
Accepting a job because of its location is the weakest reason. It should be about 10 percent of your consideration. Choosing location is choosing for your lifestyle preferences, not for your career equity. Before you interview with any company, you must accept the home-office location. Even if the opening doesn’t require relocation, you must be willing to relocate to the home-office city in the future. If you are unwilling to relocate to the home office, your career will be limited. In order to stay in your current location and to move up, you will have to change companies.
In the early stages of your career, opportunity must override your desires for more money and a better lifestyle. In your middle years, job movement just for the money can make sense. Taking a lateral position for a bigger paycheck can be a smart move. During your later years, choosing a location for a stable lifestyle can be the best choice.
The pitfalls of career building can be choosing money or location too early in your career. Poor decisions can lead to job-hopping to stay in one location or to increase your income. In a very short time, your career progress will appear weak. During an interview, you say that you are relocatable, but you don’t get a job offer because you were not believable. The location of the job and future locations must be accepted by you. Companies can change the job title, increase the money package, but they cannot change their home-office location. If you are unwilling to relocate there, why bother with a short-term career move?
1. OPPORTUNITY
Opportunity should be your prime reason to accept a new job and override all other reasons. This should be 60 percent of your consideration. When considering a job change the #1 rule in the selection process is opportunity, opportunity, opportunity. It should not be money or location. If the opportunity’s not right, the rest doesn’t matter. The key questions to evaluate the opportunity are: does the company believe in…commitment to building brand equity; an entrepreneurial environment; a culture that values risk-taking; commitment to pushing the decision-making down? And when it comes to the IT industry in India, consider asking, if you are going to be allocated to a project or you are part of mass intake for their pipeline projects. To know this, most of the projects have client rounds too, if you are having an additional client round of interview also, consider it as half done, you might be absorbed into a project directly. Else, spend your time in free pool/Bench pool and waste your valuable time and knowledge.
2. MONEY
Money means the money package. This consists of the base salary, incentives, bonuses, commissions, stock options, stock grants, health benefits, savings plan, a company car, a car allowance, an entertainment allowance, club memberships, relocation allowance and retirement programs.
The money and benefits should not be your first reason for acceptance. Don’t let money get in your way of accepting a truly exceptional opportunity. Money should be about 20 percent of your consideration.
3. LOCATION
Accepting a job because of its location is the weakest reason. It should be about 10 percent of your consideration. Choosing location is choosing for your lifestyle preferences, not for your career equity. Before you interview with any company, you must accept the home-office location. Even if the opening doesn’t require relocation, you must be willing to relocate to the home-office city in the future. If you are unwilling to relocate to the home office, your career will be limited. In order to stay in your current location and to move up, you will have to change companies.
In the early stages of your career, opportunity must override your desires for more money and a better lifestyle. In your middle years, job movement just for the money can make sense. Taking a lateral position for a bigger paycheck can be a smart move. During your later years, choosing a location for a stable lifestyle can be the best choice.
The pitfalls of career building can be choosing money or location too early in your career. Poor decisions can lead to job-hopping to stay in one location or to increase your income. In a very short time, your career progress will appear weak. During an interview, you say that you are relocatable, but you don’t get a job offer because you were not believable. The location of the job and future locations must be accepted by you. Companies can change the job title, increase the money package, but they cannot change their home-office location. If you are unwilling to relocate there, why bother with a short-term career move?