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Its more than a Salary

It is important to remember that salary should not be the sole deciding factor in your job decisions. Carefully consider the entire picture of compensation. Total compensation includes salary, bonuses, and perks such as health care, retirement programs, and critically to job happiness is the job environment and opportunities for growth.

The whole picture

Some important factors for your consideration should be:

Varied Experiences - Does the job have a rotation program for you to experience the various functions the firm performs ?

Professional Engineer License - does the firm have personnel who are licensed and can provide needed recommendations for applying for the registration exam ? If you plan on taking the registration exam you will need letters from them.

Training - continuing education is not only smart, it is required in some states to maintain your engineering license. Will they assist ?

Flextime - does the firm provide some flexibility for office hours to deal with life issues such as dropping your child off at school ?

Telecommuting possibilities - does the company allow some flexibility to avoid some commuting costs ?

Child care - does the firm have on site or contract child care services for their employees.

Fitness - does the firm have a program to promote fitness or provide gym facilities ?

Vacation time - we all need some time off. What do they provide ?

Medical Benefits - many employers have group health plans. Group plans are typically less exclusionary than seeking individual health insurance. Preexisting medical conditions may not be a barrier if the perspective employer has a group plan. Some people cannot get health insurance any other way making this a huge factor in deciding where to get hired.

Location - cost of living like housing, food, and lifestyle are obvious considerations.

Equipment allowance - does the job require safety boots or protective gear, and how much does the employer provide ?

Ambiance - this means different things to different people, but generally it includes work facilities, location, and management philosophy.

So be careful when looking just at the salary offered and consider the entire picture.

Get answers, do the research

Engineer.net has partnered with Salary.com to bring you detailed salary reports that go beyond the competition. You can get a FREE report, and buy a detailed report for the engineering discipline and location you are considering at a very low cost. Since a hiring decision is a major choice in life it makes sense to invest a little to choose the RIGHT job and location.

Salary reports offer a window into what OTHERS are receiving, and in a way to gauge these other variables in a qualitative manner.