Considerations When Changing Jobs

Years ago, I spent some time looking for a fairly definitive list of such considerations and was left largely disappointed. I've decided to post these in an effort to help. Priorities will depend on you - your personality, attitude, skills, experiences, socio-economic scenario and so on. If possible, don't let your current situation blindly dictate your next role! Better you bide your time until you find the fit for you.

PRIMARY

Experience Gained & Career Opportunity / Progression. Important when looking for a challenge, starting out a career, looking to move sideways in a career or, most important for me, needing a place to grow and develop. Experience is rarely gained in companies with stagnant technologies & processes or those which includes cronyism and dull future vision. Is this role for you and does it give you the level of career progression and opportunities you require? Who are you reporting to and where applicable, leading / managing? Startup style companies can be exciting where diverse experience can be quickly gained, the downside being the potential for more unpaid work. Larger companies can be the exact opposite. Do your research.

Salary. Unless there is a good strategic reason, you should make more money than your current role. Examples of strategic reasons include a change of career or leaving your current role to spare your mental health. Large recruitment firms publish yearly salary surveys which I have found both useful and accurate. There are other sites such as Glassdoor which can be of some use to better understand salaries in context with organisations, especially larger ones. For some roles, such as those in sales, remuneration may comprise in part of commission.

Culture & Work Ethic. Not to be underestimated. People make a company and great people make great companies. While hard to judge at the interview, knowing somebody at the company or knowing somebody whose friend works there can be helpful. Some companies host events which you can attend. Check social media too as there is plenty of information online about the larger companies and how they function. If possible, ask to be shown around the office to get a better feel of how things hang together. What evidence is there of the company living values / ethics you connect with? There's no one size fits all but a friendly, can-do attitude is an essential place to start.

Eligibility to Work. Can you legally work for this company and in the country? Do you have the correct visa / stamp? Is the company required to sponsor you and if so, will they agree to that in writing as part of the contract?

SECONDARY

Title. Important to some, less so to others I believe this counts as it is one of the simplest gauges for a hiring manager to glimpse your role suitability, career progress and level of seniority.

Job Security. Try to gain a solid understanding of the value of company and it's product / service and the team you are working on as well as where that sector stands in the current locale and market. Is there an upcoming merger or acquisition? Is the company in the courts? Are the products / services been undercut by the competition? Is it in a risky sector easily affected by economic factors? What is the current word in the media / social media?

Socialising. A company which has a sports and social committee with vibrant, diverse and well attended events is generally a good sign. Smaller companies may be more hit and miss when it comes to this.

Location. Check in detail where the company is based and if it is convenient to get to and socialise from. Check too for places of interest nearby such as eateries, parks, shops, crèches etc.

Working hours. Usually between 37.5 to 40 hours for much of the IT sector. It is important to find out if it will be expected to work overtime and if so, what the compensations is - money, days in lieu or nothing at all. I've found that the corporate culture and work ethic have quite a role to play in this too. This can be a hidden cost if you're moving for a 37.5 to 40 hour work week or are expected to work overtime not just in terms of money but time.

Working Remotely. Good for a change of pace, to save a long commute, to quell distracting working conditions and for more familial reasons. For me, at a minimum, a hybrid model of this is now a basic requirement for most IT related jobs. Be sure the company has a competent process to deal with remote working and be aware of its regional time zones if any!

Holidays. The number of days leave per annum, and number of additional days per years of service if available. Are there mandatory days to take such as at Christmas? Is there an option to work up or buy leave or perhaps take unpaid leave? While losing holidays when changing jobs does not equate to a lot of money financially, it still equates to missed paid time off.

Quality of Executive Leadership. The buck stops with them! Investigate their track records. Moving to a company with lacklustre, underperforming or irresponsible leadership is always a poor choice, especially if the company is on the young / small side as it will not bode well for future plans, especially around credibility and funding.

Hardware / Software. Having proper tools for the job is vital. Nobody wants to be handed a hammer and told to cut a board the same way no C# developer wants to use Notepad to develop an enterprise application.

PERKS

Personal Healthcare. A valuable perk. If included, and you already have private healthcare, be sure you know the coverage compared with your existing plan including procedures, excess and refunds as the change could be a hidden cost.

Pension. Most of us will get old and probably live longer than the current life expectancy so pensions are important! Remember that if moving from a company with a pension to a company without or with a lesser contribution, that could be a hidden cost!

Family Benefits. Family oriented benefits past the legal minimum such as additional days off for dads, an on-site crèche, inclusive healthcare, opportunity to negotiate taking a day off a week for several months while rearing children - these are all very convenient. A free / subsidised crèche is a huge boon!

Flexitime. Useful to have, especially with regard to a family oriented lifestyle or for carers.

Others. Include free travel, free or subsidised food, and a plethora of bonus types such as a Christmas bonus, company performance bonus, etc.

CONTRACTUAL FINE PRINT

Personal projects. Can the company lay claim to any project you work on outside of office hours?

Notice and term. The standard notice period is usually 1 month but I've seen longer. Be sure you are aware! If you hand in your notice, do you have to work out your notice period or are you automatically put on Garden Leave? Is the notice in the contract at odds with the employment laws of the land?

Social Media. How does the company's policy affect your ability to express yourself on social media, both while representing the company and privately?

Probation. How long is probation and after passing, what do you qualify for? A pension is an example of a benefit the company usually does not pay until after the probationary period.

Non-Compete / Anti-Compete / Covenant-Not-To-Complete Clause. Some companies don't want you leaving with the secret sauce in your head only to set up your own shop or add that value to a competitor. While such contracts may benefit the company, they may be unnecessarily restrictive to you, dictating who you cannot work for and for what period of time potentially hurting your future career prospects.

Whistleblowing. A topic gaining more traction as the years pass. Some companies have policies, others do not. If you work in a particularly sensitive sector, know your legal entitlements.

NOTIFICATION OF EXISTING PLANS

Pre-booked absence with your current employer. Incudes holidays / medical / paternal, special requirements etc. It's important to be up-front about these ahead of signing the contract so the new company is aware and in agreement with no surprises.

FINALLY...

If possible, take some time to be aware of your national legal rights as an employee of your current country. It is not unknown of some companies to try to enforce items in a contract that contradict the local employment laws. Such instances are a sign of ignorance or opportunism, neither of which are admirable traits in your prospective suitor. Where possible, ensure that you receive copies of all the documentation you are to sign up-front, before you hand in your notice if currently employed and sign their main contract. Don't allow a company to put the cart-before-the-horse such that you only find out about awkward contractual arrangements after you've handed in your notice! And last but not least, do thoroughly read everything you sign. Time is the most important thing you can generally give an organisation so ensure you do your due diligence by investing a little time here so you don't squander it later!

References: my own blog post from 2012

Recommendations: What Color Is Your Parachute 202x, Richard Nelson Bolles. Liz Ryan also has some excellent articles across LinkedIn and Forbes.

Article photo kindly credited to Martha Nelson under the CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 licence.