Whether you’re a recent public relations graduate entering the field or an experienced PR professional looking for your fifth job, it is likely that one thing is at the forefront of your mind during the job search process—a nice salary.
While six-figure jobs with fancy titles may look nice, the truth is that high-salary jobs don’t always translate to high-quality experiences. Therefore, it is important to remember that there may be more than meets the eye when it comes to choosing the company and work benefits that are most suitable for you. Aside from salary, there are a few other things you should keep in mind during your job hunt.
Financial benefits
Many companies, like Google, offer financial incentives in addition to salary, such as tuition reimbursement. Tuition reimbursement brings great flexibility and financial security to employees by allowing them to further their education while they are working. In addition, it provides an opportunity for companies to show their commitment to employees’ growth and success.
While tuition reimbursement may sound enticing enough, some companies offer even more financial perks to save their employees money. A growing number of companies now provide wardrobe allowances and transportation reimbursement. Wardrobe allowances are extremely important for higher-level and C-suite executives, as they ensure that employees are dressing to impress and representing the organization well. Additionally, covering transportation costs allows companies to show care for employees by making sure they don’t break the bank paying for gas or public transportation.
Office perks
It’s usually safe to say that most professionals seek organizations with unique and inviting company cultures. From free food and workshops to social events and exercise classes, companies have become increasingly competitive with the in-house benefits they provide.
Reebok and adidas are just two examples of companies that provide employees with state-of-the-art gyms they can use during the workday. This benefit shows both potential and current employees that the company is willing to invest in their health and well-being in addition to simply just providing them with a place to work.
Additionally, some companies have taken workplace benefits a step further by offering free on-site meals to employees. There’s nothing more difficult than getting ready and out the door early in the morning to ensure that you’re on time to work. However, this task is made a lot easier when you don’t have to stop and pack food for the workday.
At Google and Facebook, packing a lunch is a thing of the past for their thousands of employees. Both companies provide employees with three free, yes free, meals each day. Meals are prepared by gourmet chefs and served all day to ensure that employees remain happy, healthy and productive. After all, who doesn’t want to work for a company that treats you well and feeds you well?
Personal development
Fostering personal development in employees can often be just as important as encouraging professional development. As more and more companies have started to realize the importance of investing in employees, they have begun to offer a variety of personal enrichment opportunities.
New York Life provides its employees with what it calls “employee resource groups.” The groups aim to embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace and offer many benefits to employees, such as mentors, networking events and personal development classes designed to help employees achieve their full potential.
Some companies also have fun and unusual personal development classes. Who knew that personal development doesn’t have to be boring and serious? Etsy chooses to take a different approach when it comes to encouraging personal development by offering “classes on a wide range of topics like tap dancing or how to navigate a difficult conversation” for its employees. These classes not only give employees breaks from monotonous work days, but they also generally lead to happier and more satisfied employees.
Although this is not an exhaustive list of the benefits offered by companies, it is easy to see that there are many things to consider other than salary when scoping out the perfect job. A high salary may be nice in some cases, but in others, unique benefits may prove to be far more valuable for an employee. Be sure to look beyond the numbers and explore all of the amenities that a company has to offer.
