How To Choose The Right Career Opportunity

How Can I Decide Which Career Is Right For Me?

We highly recommend creating a rating matrix so that you can evaluate potential roles in an objective and thorough manner. We’ve listed some common parameters for thought below but the possibilities are endless. Identify what’s important to you before you receive an offer and then you can evaluate offers in a methodical way that can also be shared with others. The simple task of writing things down can help you get clarity on what’s important to you.

Your Career Evaluation Matrix

The Company

• What type of company(s) have you worked with during your career? For example: General Contractor, Subcontractor, Consultancy, Client-side, self employed or a variety.
• Have you enjoyed working with this type of employer(s) and what would be your preference moving forward?
• Evaluating your company preference can help you determine some of the types of roles which you would consider.

The Role

Here are questions you can ask yourself about the role to determine if it’s right for you:

• Does the role excite you?
• Have you held this title in your career so far, are you ready for the transition?
• Can it keep you engaged long term (2-3 years minimum)?
• If not, is there a clear transition outlined that is acceptable to you?
• Will the role challenge you sufficiently for 2-3 years?
• What does career progression look like in the role? Does the company have a vision for you?

Projects

When it comes to your day-to-day workload, consider:

• If applicable, what type of projects will you be working on?
• What level of competency does the firm have in delivering these projects?
• Can this type of project keep you engaged?

Your Manager / Supervisor

If you and your manager or supervisor are aligned on your career goals and expectations, it’s more likely that your career will move in the right direction. Here’s what to think about:

• What kind of rapport do you have with your direct report?
• How secure is his/her role within the company?
• Has he/she managed employees before?
• Are his/her expectations of you clear?

Before you accept any job offer is best the time to determine alignment between you and the person you will spend the most time with daily.

Mentorship

We all need mentors no matter what level we operate at. If you’re considering taking on a new position, query what level of mentoring will you get from your direct supervisor and other members of staff.

Training & Development

Continuous learning is key to ongoing job satisfaction for many, if not all, candidates. If you’re learning, it’s likely that you feel competent, valued, and confident – which is great for job performance and job satisfaction. Since this is likely important to you, consider:

• What does the first 3 – 6 months in the role look like?
• Does the company have formal internal training programs?
• Can they offer a budget for external training courses?

Culture

How does the company culture resonate with you? All companies think they have a great culture, so this is a particular topic where it may be best to take both internal and external feedback on.

Consider:

• Do the employees you have met “walk the walk”?
• Have you looked at Glassdoor reviews? Remember to take reviews with a pinch of salt, whether positive or negative, and always try to validate any issues.
• How long do employees typically stay? You can use LinkedIn to see if other employees have been with the company long term.

Location

• What is the location of work?
• Does the company offer work-from-home arrangements?
• How long is your daily commute from your home?

These are important questions to understand before accepting a new role, especially if you are relocating and unfamiliar with some of the parameters.

Compensation (Salary + Benefits)

Since salary can be such a sticking point, we’re going to dig into it in more detail:

All horses start a race at the same point. This is why we ask candidates not to obsess over starting salary but to focus on salary trajectory. When you join a new company, they are hiring you for your potential based on past experience. When you join the company, you have a chance to adapt well and demonstrate your ability, so don’t be shy about betting on yourself.

Obsessing over salary is ego-driven behavior, so try to focus on how best you can provide value for your future employer – consider:

• What milestones do I need to be achieving in {insert time period} to achieve a salary of X?
• What does typical career progression and remuneration look like for someone in this role?
• If I can do X for you, how will my salary change over time?

Determining that your employer is open to further negotiation on salary if you deliver value should be the most important thing. Especially since over-negotiation initially could jade your future employer and result in a higher salary initially but fewer gains over a 2-3 year period. This critical point is worth thinking about: try not to make it all about you and your starting salary; make it about your contribution/performance in the role.

The Dangers Of Salary Over-Negotiation

Remember when you over-negotiate salary or inflate your salary requests, you are making a trade-off between salary and support provided and raising expectations for yourself. It may be more prudent to come in with maximum support and then negotiate on salary after 3-6 months when you have settled into the role.

Too often, we see companies cut back on support for candidates given they overvalued themselves and didn’t factor in the fact that they would need mentorship and training. For example, you are an Intermediate Project Manager and push hard on salary. Instead of having direct access to a Senior PM, the company may leave you to your own devices, potentially leading to success or failure. Is it really worth pricing yourself out of support for extra money?

There is no such thing as a free lunch, so think carefully when you set your salary expectations and don’t make it a one-way street in terms of demanding more and not being willing to offer more (effort).

Remember, it is not just about the base salary. Many companies offer lucrative benefits in addition to salary, so it’s important to weigh up the cost of each benefit so you realize the overall offering. Examples include RRSP/DPSP matching, employee ownership stocks, company profit-sharing, bonus, personal benefits such as wellness allowance, etc.