For First-Time Job Hunters, Pay Shouldn’t Be Top Priority

Young people searching for their first jobs out of college are often steered toward professions that pay well and industries that are expected to be hiring and expanding.

That’s advice that many professional counselors now say is best forgotten -- or at least put low on the list of priorities.

“These kids are only told about the salary, but there are all these other things that are so much more important,” said Lisa Patten, director in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ human resources group.

Although getting a competitive salary -- or at least a livable wage -- is worth fighting for, some employment experts say, choosing a career that suits the graduate’s lifestyle is a more valuable focus.

“You can throw money at people, but if it’s the wrong job, it becomes like ransom money,” said Michael O’Connor, founder of a career counseling firm called Life Associates Inc. in Naples, Fla. “The employee is miserable and the company has to pay them more and more to keep them. Nobody should be sentenced to lifetime employment.”

As millions of recent graduates weigh their career options, here’s what experts advise, in descending order of importance.

Tie your profession to your passions.

You graduated with a business degree, but you spend every spare hour that you’re awake finding and listening to the latest bands? Then look for a job at a nightclub, studio, record label or entertainment conglomerate, not a bank.

“You’ll never get ahead by polishing your deficiencies. Follow your strengths,” said E. James Brennan, senior associate at ERI Economic Research Institute in Redmond, Wash. “You are usually best at what you enjoy the most. The ideal is to find something where you can be well reimbursed for doing something that you love.”

Finding a way to match your interests with a paying profession can require some imagination and research, Brennan acknowledged. Those who have difficulty coming up with a reasonable list of companies and positions to pursue might be wise to visit a career counselor.

“That’s what they live for,” he said. “They’re going to take a look at your interests and skill set and say, ‘You match these 12 areas, this is what these jobs pay, this is how you get into these fields.’

“You need to know what’s out there before you throw yourself into a channel.”

Focus on the right kind of company.

Graduates have a tendency to jump at offers from brand-name companies, but they need to look closely at what those companies will have them doing, said Patten.

“I’ll talk to kids who say, I’m going to be working for so-and-so brand-name company. But when I ask them what they’ll be doing, they say that they’ll be fetching coffee for the bigwigs for the first year,” she said. “And then they’ll mention that they also got another offer, from a smaller company where they’d be the director of something.”

There’s no pat answer for which is the better choice, she added. But graduates need to consider what their long-term goal is. If it’s to work the rest of their lives at the big-name company, that may be the place to go. But, if it’s to learn a profession, they may want to consider the smaller firm that’s likely to give them more responsibility and a better chance to grow.

“You have to ask yourself which job will best serve your ultimate aim,” she said. “Take the job that will best position you for the job that you ultimately want.”

Choose your location carefully.

The best time to relocate for work is when you’re young and have fewer ties -- such as children in school -- holding you down, experts add. That makes it an ideal time to consider the best city to pursue a career.

There are three things to consider, Brennan said. They are: the number of job opportunities in your chosen profession; whether the salary levels are competitive, particularly when compared with the cost of living in that community; and how well the location suits your lifestyle.

You don’t have to move to the Silicon Valley to get a job in technology, he added. But, focusing on areas where there are multiple employers and an array of opportunities in your field is wise. Being the only programmer in a rural area could leave you in the lurch if your employer happens to go under, downsize or move once you’re settled in the community.

Location also can have a big effect on wages, he said. Entry-level accountants, for example, command about $40,000 on average, but earn just $37,000 in Sarasota, Fla., and more than $48,000 in Stamford, Conn. To be sure, it’s also more costly to live in Stamford than Sarasota, but the difference in their living costs is only about 6%, while the difference in those salaries is 30%. The bottom line: The Sarasota accountant will have a lower standard of living.

If lifestyle considerations make up for that -- all of your family is in Florida, for example, or your favorite surf spot is nearby -- that may be a trade-off worth making. But be aware of the trade-off, he added.

Know what you’re worth.

The Internet provides a vast array of easily accessible information about entry-level salaries for a wide range of professions -- sometimes for specific companies within a field. In addition, most professions have trade associations that do salary surveys for their members, Patten said. Graduates should do their homework before they go on interviews so they have a clear idea of what to expect.

Pay -- particularly entry-level pay -- shouldn’t be the first consideration, these experts agree. But if a profession will never pay enough to support what you consider to be a reasonable lifestyle, it may be time to reconsider your choices, Patten said. Furthermore, the information should prove useful when evaluating job offers.

If a company is offering significantly less -- or significantly more -- than the average pay for the position you’re applying for, it would be wise to find out why.

Some companies are simply exploitive, Patten said. They have a big enough name and enough glamour that they can get away with paying less than the norm. Others may pay way more than average, but expect employees to work long hours in rotten conditions.

“You are always within your rights to ask questions,” Patten said. “So often, particularly in a tight labor market, people are so grateful to get a job that they’re reluctant to ask. But if you wait you may realize that the answer is not good -- and you’re now months into the job and it’s too late to change things. The best time to find out is when they’re wooing you, not after you’ve started work.”

Pay attention to all the benefits.

Most prospective employees know to ask about health insurance and whether there’s a retirement plan, Patten said. But companies are increasingly offering a wider spectrum of benefits -- such as on-site access to volleyball, basketball or soccer games or concierge services that can get you tickets to a play or pick up your dry cleaning.

Hotel chains and airlines may offer free or discounted rates to employees, just as retailers often offer discounts on their clothing. Many firms also will help defray education costs if their workers want to go back to school to get an advanced degree.

Patten, who has two children, said she wanted to know about flexible work arrangements -- working part-time or from home, when she went on her job search. All of these are important considerations in a job search and are questions worth asking in an interview if the answers aren’t already clear.

“Don’t be arrogant and ask for the moon, but consider what lifestyle you want and what’s going to make you happy,” she said. “Your best negotiating time is when they really want you and you haven’t accepted yet. If you want to leave work every day at 4 to take a class, the time to ask is now.”

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