With graduation fast approaching, many seniors find themselves brushing up their resume, job searching, and scheduling interviews. Salaries and benefit packages can be confusing, but understanding what a company has to offer can help the transition from student to employee to go smoothly.
The first detail to think through is how much do you expect to be paid? Do your research so that if you would be asked in an interview you would be able to come up with a reasonable amount. Career One Stop is a great place to start your research! You can search by occupation and location to see what is a practical asking salary. Some things to remember:
- The cost of living varies from city to city. You will need a higher salary in order to live in a place like San Francisco than you would to maintain the same standard of living in Kansas City.
- If you are planning on moving, look into different community resources to help get you settled such as voter registration, childcare providers, health care facilities, and ways to give back by volunteering.
Secondly, you should evaluate the benefits package provided by the employer. Employee benefits can be just as valuable as compensation, and will vary between employers. Health and life insurance, retirement benefits, gym membership, flexible spending accounts and tuition reimbursement are some of the possible benefits you might be offered. Make an appointment with a Peer Counselor at Powercat Financial Counseling to compare benefits so that you can make a well informed decision!
Jentry Samuelson Peer Counselor I Powercat Financial Counseling www.k-state.edu/pfc
