6 important factors of a great career opportunity
If you had a penny for every time you saw a job advert claiming to have ‘an exciting new job opportunity’ … well, let’s just say you’d have clocked an early retirement and would be lovingly doting over a fresh pina colada on the beach by now, wouldn’t you?!
But sadly, this isn’t the case. Instead, you’re still sifting through the latest job adverts with a chocolate digestive in your hand playing buzzword bingo.
In other words, today’s job adverts are full of companies claiming to have a ‘competitive package’ with lots of ‘company benefits’ and the most impressive ‘career development.’
And whilst that sounds lovely and all, it doesn’t actually help you to understand if a job is actually any good. Which begs the question: what are the most important factors that make a good career opportunity?
Well, after years of placing candidates into careers they love, the team here at The People Pod have put together a list of the most attractive features to look for in a career move.
1. Structured career progression
Career progression (or lack thereof) has historically been one of the most common factors behind people changing jobs. A great career opportunity provides lots of room to progress, and a structured path to get you from A to B.
No matter how desperate you are to leave your current job, make sure your next move is one that provides career progression otherwise you might find yourself tapping up your local recruiter sooner than you thought!
How to assess career progression
- Find out how many internal promotions there have been in recent years
- Make sure you understand the company’s career progression structure
- Find out whether or not your promotion would be dependent on somebody leaving the organisation, or based on your ability to perform
2. Continuous training and development
It’s no good having the career progression opportunities if you’re not going to receive the support that gets you there, is it? Enter training and development.
In today’s world, the phrase ‘training and development’ are thrown about in pretty much every job advert you see.
But a recent survey showed that 21% of UK employers don’t provide any ongoing training for their employees. So you want to make sure that the opportunity shows evidence of continued development for its long-term employees as well as for new starters.
How to consider training and development opportunities
- Make sure you firstly understand the training you’d receive during the onboarding phase
- Find out what leadership figures there are in the business that can provide training and mentorship
- Ask to hear about any courses, qualifications, training days or online programs that staff have recently undergone. Vague or fluffy answers could be a red flag!
3. High staff retention
Quite simply; if staff don’t enjoy working for a company, they’re not going to stick around for long. A good company will have a strong team of employees that have had long and prosperous careers within the organisation.
If there’s evidence to show that the company has a bad case of revolving door syndrome, you need to get to the bottom of why this is happening. After all, you don’t want to end up being one of those employees that gets churned out of the business within a few months.
How to investigate high staff turnover
- If you’re working with a recruiter, they might be able to fill in the blanks about what’s been happening internally
- Ask the employer during the interview process what the main reason is for the high staff turnover
- Look the company up on Glassdoor to see employee reviews for any feedback (but take a measured view here - a bad review doesn’t necessarily mean you need to write them off!)
4. Strong growth history and plans
When looking at a new career, the company’s performance history and growth plans are also important factors to consider. You want a company that’s going from strength to strength and can provide you with a stable, long-term career opportunity.
There are a number of different ways you can assess a company’s potential for growth.
How to judge company growth plans
- Look for an increase in headcount over recent years
- Check the company turnover has been steadily increasing
- Ask the company what their growth strategy is for the next 5-10 years
5. Engaged company culture
Company culture is perhaps one of the more difficult areas to assess when considering a new opportunity because there aren’t as many tangibles to measure it by. It’s more a feeling of inclusivity, positivity, and passion.
A strong company culture has high levels of engagement and a team who are all rowing in the same direction, being led by a strong leadership team.
A weak company culture might feel a little flat and hostile, as though everyone’s just constantly clock-watching, waiting to dash out the door at 5pm.
Tips for gauging company culture
- Ask about how the company recognises its employees for their achievements
- Look for companies that host socials
- Have a discussion about how the company encourages employee collaboration and employee engagement
- Dive into the values and discuss how the company implements them
6. Competitive recognition and rewards
And last but by no means least, a great career opportunity will include competitive company rewards and recognition… and that includes the salary.
But before you go marching into your interview ready to start probing around your package, we advise you to have this conversation with your recruiter instead, and let them do the negotiating for you.
Types of employee perks
- Generous annual leave policies
- Bonus / commission
- Employee discounts
- Remote working
- Company car
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free or subsidised travel
- Increased pension contributions
- Private healthcare
- Flexible working
- Gym membership
- Employee referral bonus
Looking for one of these great career opportunities?
Here at The People Pod, we consider ourselves rather gifted when it comes to understanding the nitty gritty details of our opportunities. Whilst we can’t guarantee that every role will knock your socks off, we can promise to give you an honest and detailed account of all our opportunities to help you find a new career that’ll set you up for life.
Let us take the headache out of your search. Get in touch with one of our consultants today by calling us on 01204 589 555 or by sending your CV to greatjobs@thepeoplepod.co.uk