10 Tips for Choosing the Best Job for You

10 Tips for Choosing the Best Job for You10 Tips for Choosing the Best Job for YouIts always exciting when you havejob options to choose from, even though it can be stressful to decide which position to accept. As the job market shifts to a candidate-driven atmosphere, you could find yourself in a position to be selective about your next job. Job seekers who are in high-demand fields and employees who have a strong track record of career success are often in the enviable position of being able to choose their next job from multiple opportunities. If you have the rightskill setand experience, you can afford to be picky. You will be able to leverage your advantage to land a job thats closest to your ideal position. Youll also be able to choose a job which is the best fit for your personal circumstances and career goals. You dont have to take the firstjob offeryou get, unless youre aya its the perfect position for the next stage of your career. Rather, take your time and make sure your next job is exactly what youre looking for. Heres how to optimize your chances of choosing the best possible job when you have the upper hand. 10 Tips for Choosing a Job in a Job Seekers Market 1.Stay in job search mode.Keep yourself in continuousjob searchmode so youre ready for opportunities as they arise. Keep all your job search documents up to date, especially yourLinkedIn profile. Document your successes in your current job on at least a monthly basis and incorporate them into your resume. If your skills are in high demand, employers will often come after you, so be ready to respond to appealing options. 2. Create a profile of your ideal job and employer.This will help you to identify attractive positions and pass on other jobs that you dont think would be a good fit. Considerwhat type of employer would be perfect for your personality and work style. To do this, think about the elements of your current and past jobs that you have enjoyed the most and write them down. Ask y ourselfWhich activities are most satisfying about your current job? What might you like to avoid in your next job? What do you want in terms of work-life balance? What is yourideal company culture? Whichjobs would be most satisfying for you to work at? 3. What else would you like in a job?You should also consider what might be missing from your current job. For example, if you enjoy planning events, are you doing enough event planning in your current role?Perhaps your current job offers insufficient opportunities for advancement, or your boss is too autocratic and youd like more freedom to make decisions and plan your workflow. 4.Consider your perfect job.Take some onlinecareer assessmentsto help you to identify other values, interests, or personality traits that you might want to tap in your ideal job. You might also want to enlist the help of acareer counselorif you are struggling to identify key aspects of your ideal career. If you have a dream company youd love to work for, now might bethe time to connect with them. 5. Know your worth. One of the advantages of being in high demand is the opportunity to upgrade your compensation. Research the going rate for your job throughsalary sourcesonline, surveys by your professional organization, and informal networkingwith fellow professionals. Review these tips fordetermining how much youre worth. 6.Do you want more money?If you think you should be making more, considerasking for a raiseor target other jobs that have higher compensation. Many employers will match an offer from anotherorganization. In some cases, a competing offer or changing jobs may be the only way to secure a substantial increase in pay. Be careful that you dont issue an ultimatum to your current employer if you arent ready to change jobs. You dont want to lose the job you have before youre ready to move on. 7. Get more skills. If the next job youd love to haverequires skills or knowledgethat you dont fully possess, or you want to expand your cur rent responsibilities into new areas, explore whether you can incorporate or build upon these skills in your position. Your employer may be more flexible than you think in modifying your job if you are a highly valued employee, and they dont want to lose you. Also, investigateclasses and training opportunitiesto acquire the right background for your next job. Your employer might even agree to pay. 8. Help recruiters find you.When there are worker shortages, employers become more proactive in recruitingpassive candidates. They will be more likely to utilize search firms to fish for candidates and mine prospects from LinkedIn. Considerutilizing a recruiterto help you find yourideal job, but make sure that you dont let them redefine your goals to meet the supply of jobs that they are promoting. Develop a completeLinkedIn profile, keep it up to date, and your next job might find you before you find it. 9.Its okay to say, No thanks. Dont be afraid to turn down a job offer that seems less than ideal. If you are in high demand, other offers will come your way. You might be better off staying in your current job until you find something very appealing. Excessivejob hoppingcan be a red flag on a resume, even for workers in high demand. Hereshow to turn down a job offer. 10. Tap your connections.Reach out to contacts for information, advice, and suggestions about jobs. Share your profile for an ideal job and ask them to recommend positions within their sector. During worker shortages, companies often pay employees a bonus for candidate referrals recommendations from current staff are usually given careful consideration under any circumstances. How to Decide Which Job to Take It can actually be harder to make a decision when you have more jobs to choose from. You may have tojuggle multiple job offers, which can be stressful. Take the time toevaluate each offerand to carefullycompare employee benefit packages. Its not all about the money the benefits and perks youre being offered are important too, and someperks can be negotiated in a job offer. When youre job hunting in a buyers market, youre in the drivers seat, and you can pick and choose between jobs to find the one thats the best match. Dont rush into a decision. Take the time to carefully consider all options. Forget about the ones you didnt take once your decision is made instead, focus on the future andget ready to departure your new job.