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4 essential considerations for job hunters

Published on: 8 Jan 2015

Woman thinking

Image ©iStock.com/Mari

If you're searching for a new job, or a whole new career, then you have a lot to consider. You'll need to think about what you'd like to do, where you're able to work and how much you expect to be paid, among other important pieces of information. 

Perhaps you have a specific employer in mind, or only want to work a certain number of hours each week.

Whatever your situation, here are four of the biggest things to think about:

Salary

Think about how much you'd like to be paid, but remember to be realistic.

You can find average salaries for various jobs online, and will also need to take your location into account. Someone in London, where jobs are in very high demand and living costs are high, will probably have access to higher paid jobs than someone living in the north-west of England.

As an example, the average salary for a fully-qualified small animal vet in the UK is just over £41k, although average salaries in various individual parts of the UK range from £31k to £69k, dependent on experience (source: SPVS Salaries Survey 2014).

Job satisfaction

Think about how satisfied you'll be with your job. This can include how happy you'll be about the hours you need to work.

Many people agree they'd be happy to have a lower salary if they enjoyed their job more, showing that a work-life balance is a particularly important consideration.

Employee benefits

Don't just think about how much you'll be paid in cold, hard cash – consider the other benefits of your job, which might include private health cover, bonuses, enhanced pensions or inclusive gym memberships.

In some cases these can increase your take-home pay or provide long-term financial rewards that can help you to accept a lower salary.

Location

Consider where each job is based. Take into account the costs of travel and how much of an impact they'll have on your disposable income. Don't be tempted by a higher salary if travelling to work each day would actually mean that you have less money to spend on yourself.

Also bear in mind that extended travel times may affect you emotionally, can leave you tired and may cut into time with your family – think about how long you're happy for your commute to take.