I changed my job a month ago, and this is my third job in 6 years. A few weeks ago, one of my best friends just went through the process of job hunting too and got a few job offers. This was her first time changing her job after working at the same company for three years. She asked me how I chose my job every time after I got job offers. And I gave her some advice which she found very workable and practical. She then analyzed the offers she got and accepted the best one she thought for her.
I would like to share with you my thoughts about how to choose the right job offer. Hope you can have some takeaways and be more confident when changing a new job!
很久沒來部落格了，最近一個月換了新工作，而這也是我六年來第三家公司。剛好在幾個月前，我一位很要好的朋友在同一家公司工作了好幾年之後，也想轉換跑道，歷經幾週的面試，她也順利得到幾份 offer，由於他是第一次換工作，便跟我問起選擇工作的考量跟 decision making 的過程，我給了她幾點建議，她覺得相當實用，經過幾天思考後，選了自己覺得最佳的 offer，上班至今也覺得相當滿意新工作。
今天就跟你們分享我選擇工作的幾項考量與思考方式，若是你也有考慮轉換跑道或是換工作，希望可以幫助到你們喔！
Prioritize Your Wishlist
After working for one or two years, everyone has their wishlist for a new job. Some people might want a fancy office in a fancy building with good facilities. Some people might want a good package and welfare. Everyone wants something better than their old jobs, however, there is no perfect job and you can hardly have everything at once. Therefore, the most critical thing is: what do you want the most?
I remember my friend was struggling with her choices because she thought every one of her offers had something better and worse than another. So I told her what I do when I am looking for a new job every time: prioritize your wishlist.
There are many factors we care about a job and the first thing is to list all of them down. For example: job location, commuting time, job title, salary, welfare, facility, daily tasks, supervisor, management style, potential to grow, company scale, company reputation….etc. No matter how small of a factor is, just list it down so you can have a full picture of what you are facing.
After listing down the factors, prioritize them to know which are the most important things you are looking for in a new job. For example, my list was: location, job title, salary, supervisor, potential to grow. For me, I like to work in the big city where I can commute by the subway so location is the first thing that I will never compromise. As for job title, I see this is important at this phase of my career because job title means I have taken my career to a higher level after working in the industry for 5 years. Then I want a better salary, and then a manager whom I can learn from too.
The more top on the list is the more valuable factor to you when you choose for a job. For example, if you think location is the top priority, it’s better for you to choose a job located where you like, instead of choosing another job with a better salary but located somewhere you hate. And if you prioritize salary on the top of your list, you should take it seriously instead of choosing a fancy office with a package below your expectation.
排序你的願望清單
在職場工作一兩年後，相信你跟我一樣，會對工作有不同的要求跟許願 (笑)。有些人喜歡在豪華的辦公大樓裡新穎的辦公空間跟設施；有些人想要優渥的薪資跟福利；每個人想希望新的工作在各方面都比舊的好，但是，世界上沒有完美的工作，也沒辦法一次滿足願望清單，所以，最重要的是：哪些願望對你最重要？
我的朋友當時也為了這件事為難，因為幾個拿到的offer裡，每個都有各自的優點跟缺點，所以我建議她：寫下自己心目中的願望清單並且排序。
寫下願望清單並且排序之後，你就會清楚知道自己對新工作的期待跟要求。例如我的願望清單跟優先序是：地點、職位、薪資、主管風格、職涯發展。
首先我知道自己喜歡在大都市工作、坐捷運通勤，這是我首要且不能妥協的願望；其次是職位，這會影響我對工作內容所承擔的責任跟職涯計畫；再其次，我也希望有好的薪資跟可以溝通跟學習的主管。
被排序在願望清單越前面，表示你對這項要素越為重視且難以妥協。例如，若是你像我一樣，把地點放在第一位，那你應該選擇所在地點適當的工作，而不是高薪資卻必須通勤三小時甚至搬遷居住地點的工作；而若是你把薪資放在第一位，你就必須好好考量薪資而不是衝動選擇豪華的辦公室卻薪水差強人意的工作。
Weigh the Opportunity Cost
After having this priority list, we now understand what we see as the most important thing and expect a new job. Now we need to understand what we might not gain in the new job by weighting the opportunity cost.
For example, having a job with good location and salary might cost us commuting time because the office might be in the city center far from where you live. A job in a startup with a fancy office and good salary might cost us a complete management system where you might find yourself working without guidance. I remember in my second job where I worked in a stable company with a stable package. I worked regularly from 9 to 6 without pressure, however, I had no sense of achievement and I could learn nothing from the team and supervisors. So I left after one and half years and then went to the giant tech company where I made my career to a higher level.
In my example, you can choose to work in a stable environment or a challenging environment. Both of them have their pros and cons. Just weigh your opportunity cost carefully and have the right mindset.
考量機會成本
在排序願望清單之後，我們會了解選擇工作時最重要的考量，也大概知道我們對新工作的期待。現在，我們也必須考慮那些我們可能因此放棄的好處，事先為這些機會成本做好心理準備。
例如：選擇一份地點跟薪資都讓人滿意的工作可能會帶來較長的通勤時間，因為辦公室可能在離你的居住地較遠的市中心；在一家新創公司工作可能會有時髦的辦公空間跟高於平均水準的薪資，但是你可能會因為公司沒有完善的分工而造成每天忙碌加班。
我記得我的第二份工作就是在一家穩定的中型公司，我每天準時九點上班、六點下班，但是我無法從工作獲得任何成就感，也無法從當時的主管跟團隊學習到任何能力，於是我待了一年半便離職加入另一間大型科技公司，雖然通勤時間較長，工作壓力也變大，但是這項轉換對我當時的職涯無疑是一大進步。
從我的親身經歷，你或許可以發現，一個穩定的環境跟一個充滿挑戰的環境各有利弊，只要你謹慎選擇，並做好接受機會成本的心理準備，便可以較順利的做職涯轉換。
Choose the Right Offer for you
When my friend asked me for advice, she told me she had received advice from other people too. She thought every piece of advice was right and she had a hard time dealing with so many voices. And all I told her was how I would do: prioritize the wishlist, weigh the opportunity cost and choose the right offer. And the “Right” offer means the “Right” for “Yourself”.
Building a career path could be stressful, struggling and horrifying because it means to end a previous job and start a new life when working takes at least one third of the day.
No matter what you choose, you are the only person who will really feel the sense of achievement, or be responsible for an unsatisfying choice. So instead of listening to other people’s suggestions, just take a deep breath and start with focusing on yourself. Think of what are the most important factors to you, and understand your cost of making the choice. And you will choose the Right Offer from all the choices for Yourself.
What is your wishlist for a job and how do you choose the right offer when you have more than one choices? Share your thoughts with me by commenting and I look forward to reading them!
Read about having a coffee chat: Talk About A Coffee Chat (And Its Do’s And Don’ts)
做出對你最好的選擇
當我的好友向我詢問建議時，她說她同時接收到許多人給她的許多建議，她覺得每個建議都滿有道理而她因此很難下決定。而我告訴她：排序願望清單、考量機會成本、做出最好的選擇。而這裡 “最好的” 選擇，是指對 “你自己” 最好的選擇。
職涯規劃已經是一件頗有壓力、讓人畏懼且掙扎的事情，因為那代表你要結束過去習慣的生活模式，然後接受一個新的生活環境跟面對新的問題，畢竟工作佔據一天至少1/3甚至更多的時間。
所以不管你的最終選擇是什麼，你都是要獨自面對新工作帶來的成就感，或是承擔新工作的不滿足。因此，先把別人的意見暫放一邊、深吸一口氣，把精神放在自己身上，思考什麼是自己在工作上最重視的要素，並且了解做選擇的機會成本，你才會找到自己的最佳解。
希望我的經驗你會覺得有趣或實用！
不知道你們在找工作時最在乎什麼呢？你有像我這樣列下願望清單嗎？或是你有自己的一套決策方式？歡迎留言跟我分享喔！
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