How to Choose the Right Job – 5 Quick Tips

How to Choose the Right Job – 5 Quick Tips

Helpful tips for the career-bound engineer

BY JEFFREY BAUSCH

When searching for a job, it can be hard to not jump at the first offer made (especially in this economy). Here are five quick tips to help ensure that you make the right choice for your career:

Choosing the right job can be a daunting task for engineers. (Credit: studydiscussions.com)

The size of the company doesn’t matter. (Seriously.)

It can be kind of hard to not be swayed by all of the glitz and glamour that comes with working for a big-name corporation. Before you sign along the dotted line, though, research its reputation from the inside out. Don’t develop an opinion of a company based on news clips or the fact that you’ve seen their advertisements in your favorite magazines.

First, find out if the company supports professional development. You’d be surprised by how many employers expect their engineers to come in, perform their daily tasks, and then call it a day. If you’re dedicating your talents to the success of this company, you want to make sure that they’re going to do everything they can to ensure that you grow, too. How much do they support research projects? Are they willing to send you to industry conferences? These are important considerations when choosing a new job.

How do you find these things out? Well, you could ask once the position has been offered. Another option is you can reach out to those currently working within the company or those who’ve worked there in the past. While a phone call might be a little awkward, sending an email or reaching out via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. are all perfectly acceptable in today’s increasingly socially media-savvy world. Explain that you are being considered for a position with the company and that you have a few basic questions about what it’s like to work there. Is teamwork encouraged? Are they often there after hours? Are they happy with the company’s benefits package? Answers to these questions can save you a ton of personal headaches.

Sometimes, extra dollars don’t make the most sense.

Don’t jump at an offer just because it has a nice salary tied to it. Consider the turnover rate of the position. Is it a high-reward position because the job is considered high-risk? If so, do you want to work in a high-pressure environment like this?

Furthermore, consider whether you can see yourself holding the same position down the road. Many engineers get paid handsomely; however, some come to the unfortunate realization a pink-slip-too-late that the best place to work is not necessarily the one that has the highest salary tied to it.

Don’t be so quick to pass up an internship or an offer to do co-op work.

It’s pretty obvious that the economy is suffering right now and there’s not a lot of opportunity out there. If you find yourself jobless for some time and happen to receive an offer to be hired as an intern or do co-op work, you might want to consider accepting the role simply as a means for keeping your skills and knowledge up-to-date until a full-time offer comes along.

Accepting the position could provide you the opportunity to experience a different work environment (depending on where you’ve worked in the past), whether it be a corporate office, research lab, manufacturing plant, etc. It’ll help keep your interpersonal skills sharp, too. You will be fresher from this experience, rather than dull from weeks or months spent at home on your computer sending out resumes and cover letters.

Make sure to match the company’s needs to your strengths.

Some engineers gloss over a company’s needs without fully considering how their skills will be applied to the position that they’re accepting. Don’t make this mistake. Consider the responsibilities involved with the job and what it takes to be successful there. For example, does the job require that you publish articles regularly? If so, do you have a strong background in writing? You don’t want to be in the same position years from now wishing that you were somewhere else (or worse yet, without a position at all.)

Also, consider the direction that the company wants to go in. Are they looking to simply keep their head above water by relaunching the same product each year with minor annual “updates” so that they can rename it “Version 2.0,” “Version 3.0,” etc. until the market gets tired of it, or do they want to be on the cutting-edge of technology developments? As an engineer, it’s important that your skills stay finely tuned. If the job requires that you do the same thing day-in and day-out, consider how much you’ll benefit professionally by accepting their offer.

Where you want to be 10 years down the road?

Is this position going to take you where you want to go in your career? If not, you might want to reconsider accepting it just for the sake of having a job. You worked hard for your degree don’t let it go to waste by accepting the first opportunity that comes your way. Write down your ideal career path and consider whether this job serves as an avenue or road block to achieving your goals.

While being offered a position is a great thing, there’s a lot that an engineer needs to take into account before formally accepting the position. Taking time to review all of these five factors will allow you to make a sound decision, one that you’re less likely to regret. ■