How To Find a Job With Great Benefits

How do you find a job with great benefits? A good place to start is by understanding which benefits are possible, which of those matter to you, and which companies and industries offer them. Increasingly, employers let you pick and choose from a smorgasbord of options. 

Focus On Specific Companies and Industries

Many companies that offer great benefits packages are among the best places to work across the board, from salaries to advancement opportunities to a high-quality work environment. The best benefits generally accompany the higher-paid jobs, but even hourly part-timers can find jobs with great benefits if they focus on the right companies. If you search online for lists of "Best Places to Work" and "Companies with Best Benefits," you'll find much food for thought and some solid leads.

Focusing on the right industries is also important where benefits are concerned. Best areas to focus on for benefits packages include management, utilities, information and media, insurance, finance, manufacturing, professional services and health care. 

Consider Working in Sales

One way to find a job with great benefits — as well as potentially sky-high pay — is to work in a field that intimidates many people: sales. Every successful company needs good salespeople — they are always in short supply — and benefits packages can be generous.

Sales is not difficult and can be interesting and fun. You can acquire the skills to make an effective sales call in a short time and instantly create value for your company and for yourself.  

Sales jobs commonly offer the plus of a flexible schedule — letting you avoid rush hours and integrate your home and work lives — and also tangible benefits, such as a company car and top-notch professional training.

Know What You Want in a Benefits Package

When looking for "great" benefits, know what that means to you. If a company offers benefits you don't need, you may prefer to go elsewhere for a higher salary. Here are some key benefits to consider:

• Of course, you want excellent health insurance, and you want the employer to pay as much of the premium as possible — Rubicon pays 100%, a great number to aim for. Does your prospective employer offer the option of a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) together with a Health Savings Account (HSA) so that you can pay for coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles using pre-tax dollars? Does the health insurance package include dental and vision coverage? Some companies even offer health insurance for your pets.
• Is there disability insurance, both short-term and long-term? Life insurance? And what does the company's retirement plan, if any, have to offer you at this stage in your life?
• Will the employer contribute to your financial health with matching stock options, profit sharing and a matching 401(k) program? Financial counseling is increasingly part of benefits packages. Will the company help you repay your student loans? Will it contribute to your professional development with continuing education and tuition reimbursement?
• Paid time off is a significant benefit: How many vacation, sick and personal days does the employer offer? MongoDB offers unlimited vacation time. Are sabbaticals, paid or unpaid, an option?

Be Aware of the Full Range of Potential Benefits

If you're a parent, or want to be, you'll want flexible time off and generous parental leave policies. You might find on-site daycare or employer help with daycare costs to be compelling benefits.  Adoption and fertility assistance are fairly common benefits that might be worth a lot to you. 

Lifestyle-oriented benefits include the ability to work from home and/or with a flexible schedule, company help with costs and logistics of transportation, employee discounts and wellness programs. Benefits packages might include some voluntary items you can sign up for at greatly reduced cost, such as onsite gyms or athletic club memberships. Some companies provide catered lunches once or twice a week, kitchens with snacks, and vending machines with free soda, juice and even beer.  

Once you know what constitutes a great benefits package for you, you can use your research and networking skills to focus on the industries and jobs that will make it possible. If you really want the free vending machines, go for it.