Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Some guidelines when choosing a job - 2007

Was talking with a friend about career options the other day, and was discussing what factors influences one's decision to choose a job over another. He sent me a SMS with the following guidelines, which I found to be an easy guide to follow. Shall keep it in mind.

Knowledge

What skills and qualifications do I need/have?
What kind of knowledge and training can I get (can be technical, managerial etc)?
Does the company encourage a culture of learning and knowledge sharing?
Exposure

What other aspects of the company's business will I be exposed to?
What opportunities are there to explore beyond my core capabilities?
Are there opportunities to venture overseas?

Money

Besides the monthly or annual salary, also look at other components like bonuses, leave, medical benefits, insurance or other kinds of flexible benefits scheme.
Power

Who will I be reporting to?
Who will be reporting to me?
What is the power structure like?
What sort of decision can I make on my own?
What kind of impact can I make?
Environment

Where is the workplace located?
What are the working hours like?
What is the working culture like (is it family-friendly, does it encourage work-life balance, etc) ?
What kind of people am I working with?

Well, Straits Times published some articles about Singapore's IT sector booming. Hope that a rising tide lifts all boats, including mine. Anyway, found this tool by MOM. It lets you do sort of a wage search. Overly simplistic in my view. If you really want to see the sort of wages people are earning, you can find some of the reports here. It's a bit dated, but I think you can factor in a 10-15% increase if you decide to use it as an anchor for salary discussions.

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