How do I choose between two job opportunities?

How do I choose between two job opportunities?

I come from Australia, and my wife and I are about to start working in the United States with excitement. The job offers are from San Francisco and Portland.

The question I want to ask is: In Australia, I know some questions that will be asked in my new job. For example, "Would you like to work overtime?" Or "What's your long vacation plan?" Almost, but I don't know what America is like, and I don't know which question is wise to ask in order to distinguish good employers from bad employers.

For example, I think I should ask them about the employee medical insurance scheme, because I think I can make a choice, but I don't really know the situation. Anyway, I wonder if you, or your readers, can give me some advice on what wise questions to ask when comparing different job opportunities in the United States.

I congratulate you on getting a new job opportunity. You have to be very good to get job opportunities in two different companies and be willing to let you work half a world away.

When I came to work from another country, things became very different. However, the questions you should ask are still the questions that everyone should ask when considering job opportunities. For the content of the following argument, I will assume that the basic salary of two jobs is the same, and your decision will not be based on this. When comparing job opportunities, we need to consider the following 10 questions:

1, paid vacation. Compared with other countries, the United States has very different policies on holidays. Two to three weeks' vacation time is a standardized requirement for a certain level of senior positions. There will also be some very good four-week vacation time. The rules for sick leave and holidays (when the company is closed for rest) are also different. Some companies calculate sick leave and vacation time separately. Some companies will count everything together and call it paid vacation (PTO). Personally, I don't support paid holidays, because it means that if you catch a cold and take a week off, you may have to cancel your plan to go to Disney. This is depressing.

2. Bonuses. Many companies will say, "Our bonus is 15%!" Oh yeah! But what does this mean? What do you need to do to get these bonuses? How to allocate when the company achieves its performance goals, and how to allocate when employees achieve their personal performance goals? When will the whole 15% bonus be paid? What happens if you resign (or get fired) in the middle of the year? If the bonus is calculated and collected according to the calendar year, but it is to be paid in February, do you need to work in February to receive it?

3. Work overtime. I don't know about Australia, but in the United States, employees are divided into two categories: tax-exempt employees and non-tax-exempt employees. Exempted employees are paid according to the work they do, not according to the working hours. Therefore, your salary will be the same every week, whether you work 40 hours or 80 hours. As an exempt employee, you need to meet certain qualification requirements, such as independent job responsibilities, managing others or managing multiple tasks. I can almost guarantee that you won't get overtime pay, and people won't classify an employee recruited from abroad as a non-exempt employee. Non-tax-exempt employees work more than 40 hours a week and get half-price wages on time.

4. Expected working hours. In some companies, the parking lot is empty at 5: 00 pm15. Others, at 7 pm, are still full. When I was working in a pharmaceutical factory, the parking lot next to the laboratory was full at 6: 30 in the morning. I guess those scientists like to get up early and start work early in the morning. Or, their boss likes it. The point I'm talking about is that in some companies (and some departments), "routine" is to work 40 hours a week, while in other places, "routine" is to work 60 hours a week. You need to know what your "routine" is.

5. Living expenses. San Francisco is expensive, expensive, expensive. I don't know what the cost of living in Portland will be. However, in the United States, the situation is very different between States and cities. Not only do you need to refer to housing prices, transportation costs and general living costs, but you also need to look at tax rates. Yes, the federal tax rate is the same wherever you go, but every state, county and city has its own tax. Asset tax, sales tax, income tax. Tax, tax, tax. Friend, which of us likes to pay taxes? Seriously study this aspect.

6. Medical insurance. This is an important thing, but you already know it. What you need to know is: the expenses beyond your salary, the out-of-pocket part, the amount and limit of * * *, is there any restriction on choosing a doctor/hospital? Do you need a primary care doctor (HMO) or a preferred provider organization (PPO) to coordinate all your medical insurance plans? Is there a maximum premium requirement? how much is it? Are there any items that are not covered by insurance, such as dentistry and ophthalmology? This is complicated! In every company, it is required to talk to the employee welfare coordinator and carefully check the details of the welfare plan. This is complicated enough for Americans who grew up under this system, not to mention people from other countries.

7. Overall economic environment. If your spouse gives up his job and moves here with you and needs to find a job, what kind of job opportunities does your spouse have? If your spouse is a professional, one city may be much better for her than another. Ask and have a look.

8. Public schools. In the United States, the schools your children attend are divided according to where they live. There are some exceptions, such as some elite schools, but this is usually the case. Areas with good schools are usually more expensive than areas with poor schools. (Although, this is almost global. ) In different teaching systems, even teaching concepts may vary widely. If public schools are not good, then you need to spend all your money to send your little baby to private schools, which is a big problem.

9. What aspects does the job transfer guarantee include? The coverage of job transfer security varies from company to company. For example, will they pay for transporting your car, or do you need to sell and buy a new car? Do they pay the real estate transaction fee or provide temporary housing? Because you immigrated from another country, the cost of immigration is huge. Will they pay for all this? Is it possible to ensure that your spouse can work legally? If something goes wrong, who will be responsible and who will handle it?

10, Other benefits: Will this job involve a business trip? Who will get passenger points? Can you deduct the points earned from air tickets and hotel accommodation from your American Express card, or will all their bills be paid directly by your company? Do you want a single office, a multi-person office, a workstation, or a laptop computer where you can find power as long as there are seats? ;