Is Money the Most Important Factor in Choosing Your Next Career?

After conducting more than 420 phone interviews in the last three years as part of IQMS’ hiring team, I have found that salary does seem to be the No. 1 factor for individuals in their next career move. It’s not by any means a landslide – location is definitely a close second, followed by job security.

Maybe I, who bases my decision off career growth, location and happiness, am a little naive in respects to this, but do you see where I get to live? You just can’t put a price on the beautiful Central Coast of California! And for anyone who has ever lived here or visited, you know exactly what I’m talking about. In fact, some of our customers will choose to do their training in our brand new training facility in California, although they may be geographically closer to our Rolling Meadows (Chicago) office.

Throughout my interviews, I have spoken with all types of backgrounds, from recent college graduates to individuals with 30-plus years’ work experience. They both have their great qualities, but when discussing with them what they want in their next career move, they do differ. A recent college graduate may just be looking for the big bucks straight out of college, but then may not realize that the salary may be based off the type of career and the cost of living in the area as well. An individual with 30-plus years’ work experience may want the same big salary that they have earned over their career, but then may not realize that starting a new career with a new company may mean you have to begin toward the bottom and work your way up.

With the diversity of backgrounds and educations, I typically have to adjust my interviews accordingly. With college graduates, I tend to explain the cost of living on the Central Coast as compared to Los Angeles or San Francisco. There is definitely a dramatic difference. I also discuss the commute. Here, if you live 30 miles from our office, it takes you 30 minutes to get to work. In LA or San Francisco, a 30 mile commute to work could mean two hours in traffic or worse, in this bloggers opinion, you could have to deal with the hustle and bustle of public transportation.

With experienced individuals it is more difficult, at least for me. Here at IQMS a majority of our positions start on the bottom and you work your way up, in accordance with our “promote from within” strategy. Some (not all) experienced individuals do find it difficult that they can’t start in management here.

I can say that after explaining other benefits to working at IQMS, other than salary (although we are still very generous in that regards), I have swayed individuals to choose IQMS over a company that may offer them a little more in the salary range area initially. We have a full insurance package, employee incentives (such as a referral program and get togethers once a month), a great location where employees can live from Santa Maria to San Miguel and, most importantly, a great product.

In life, money is very important, but it doesn’t have to be the only deciding factor in choosing your next career.

“That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.” – Henry David Thoreau