评估工作机会

How in the world do you decide whether a particular job offer is right for you? Here are a few of the main factors to consider:

• 自己: 明显的? 也许.  But it's too easy to fall into the trap of basing your accept/don't accept decision on someone else's desires.  This is not the time to take a job 因为 you think you're supposed to or 因为 your parents want you to.  This is the time when you have to consider your own wants and needs first, 因为, 最终, you will be the one who has to invest your time and effort in the job.

• 工资福利: 这似乎也是显而易见的, but many new college graduates have only a vague idea of what they want and need in terms of the money they'll earn in their first job.  Now is the time when you need to define your ideas about what is a good or acceptable offer, both in terms of salary and benefits.

• 工作职责: Does the job you've been offered honestly sound interesting to you?  Will it challenge you, or will it bore you to tears in short order?  Will you be able to apply some of the experiences and skills you've learned in your courses and internships?  You'll likely be spending more than 2,000 hours a year (assuming you'll be working full-time) on the job.  Certainly you want that time to be stimulating and fun.

• 公司文化: What is this company or organization really like?  For instance, do employees in the organization seem to like each other and work well together?  不可否认, this is very difficult to judge when you're still on the outside, but you've no doubt developed at least some sense of the corporate culture from your on-site interviews.  如果你的头, heart or gut keeps whispering words of warning to you about the company culture, it's a very good idea to pay attention.

• 发展机会: Will this job give you a chance to experience things you haven't experienced and learn things you don't already know?  Are there any opportunities for you to receive additional training so you can learn a new software program, 例如, or an up-and-coming approach to Internet marketing?  And does there seem to be a good chance that you'll be able to move up in the company or organization over time?

• 你的老板: Your direct supervisor has the power to make your first job a 美妙的 experience or an exercise in misery.  If you have a sense that you'll be able to talk to your supervisor and learn from him or her, 美妙的. But if you feel your supervisor is likely to be distant and unaccommodating, beware.  If you and your supervisor aren't on the same page (most of the time, 无论如何), you might be in for a rough time.

• 公司地点: Will you be working in a busy city even though your heart yearns to work in a smaller area?  Will this new job force you to endure a long, dicey commute each day?  如果是这样，你觉得可以吗?

These are just some of the many factors you'll need to consider in deciding on an offer. If you find yourself overwhelmed, you're not alone.  That's why it's a good idea to work with a 职业顾问 in the Career Center as much as possible.  But if you carefully examine these factors and others that are important to you and then, 最关键的是, make sure you remain truthful with yourself, you will make the most informed decision you can.

Quick Clip: Juggling Job Offers