Wednesday, October 06, 2021
15 Questions to Ask About Perks and Benefits During the Job Process
www.businessinsider.com: Once you've found a job and company that you're really excited about, salary might top your list of priorities. But while salary is important, it's only part of the overall offer. To get the full scope of what you'll really earn at a job, you need to factor in the perks and benefits that a company offers, too.
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As young people who are just starting our careers, I feel as though this isn't something that we think about enough. Well, I guess I can only speak for myself, but even based off of conversations with peers... I don't think that I have ever had a conversation with a friend about job perks. Starting out, the main thing on our mind tends to be the company that we're working for and the experience that we will gain, rightfully so. That's the most important thing. Then, as we start to develop in our careers and work enough places, we start to think more about our value in terms of how we are being paid. This also loops in with us transitioning into young adults and having more financial responsibilities, so we finally understand the importance of a decent paying job. For me personally, it wasn't until I turned 26 and was faced with being knocked off of my Dad's health insurance that I actually started thinking about perks and benefits that come along with jobs. I guess that's how life works, though. Everything within its right time. I can't imagine being an 18 year old on my first paying job and thinking about the job benefits and retirement plans...
I really appreciated this article especially considering that I will hopefully be applying jobs in the industry soon. These are not things I have ever had to ask before because I usually didn’t qualify for any of these benefits because I was under 18. Especially going forward into the technical theatre industry, these are things that I need to think about and which of them are really make or break for me as well as how to appropriately ask about them in an interview. The one that really stuck out to me was number 13, education benefits. I didn’t even know this was something that offered and now that I have heard about it, I will investigate it more, especially because of the financial burden of CMU. The other one was number 12, Wellness Programs. This is also something that I thought would never be offered by a job. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how many jobs do not offer any services for employees struggling with mental health issues. That is, at the least, disappointing.
I think articles like this are really helpful because as we graduate and apply for jobs, I fear for myself (and others) that we might be too willing to accept whatever job we get because we are scared going into the real world, so we might forget to actually look at if this job is giving us what we want, and more so what we need. Some of the things in this article are the thinks that in theory we should all know and all do, and hopefully they will tell us anyway like health insurance and 401(k). But some things I had not even considered like Flexible spending account, and mentor programs, and remote work options (although maybe that’s on me for not thinking about remote work after the last year and a half…). I think this is really good advice and hopefully I’ll remember it in a couple months when I actually have to start applying for jobs.
I love seeing articles like this on the green page because it's so important for us, especially for undergrads, to know how to navigate benefits. Speaking at least for myself, I've never had a job that came with anything but a paycheck so going into a "real" job one day I appreciate the preparation for things I can inquire about. Some of the perks were benefits I didn't know existed such as FSA, educational, and mentor benefits. A big failing of the K-12 school system is not teaching this kind of information to everyone. (That and doing your taxes, basic first aid, and fixing your home and car.) Although I feel like this doesn't pertain as much to our field, it's good to hear that remote work is going to be better utilized in the post-pandemic workforce. The flexibility of hours and physical place has proven to be very beneficial for many, especially those with multiple jobs or kids.
I am always interested to read articles like these. As someone who will very soon be entering the workforce and looking for a job, these trips, tricks, and things to look out for are invaluable. On top of this, with the state of the world over the last 18 months of the pandemic, these are going to be even more important as we have missed out on some general knowledge like this. Unfortunately, a lot of this article may be things that people do not learn until they are applying to their third or fourth job. With some benefits, this may be too late to fully reap the benefits of them. Things like retirement savings only fully come to fruition if you start early. With something like this, more time just means more money as it continues to compound. I absolutely will be looking to keep this advice in the back of my head as I begin to apply for jobs in the near future.
This is something that my high school theatre director focused on a lot when it came to college auditions. She thought it was just as valuable for me to interview them as it was for them to get to know me. And I have to agree with her. This concept is just as important in job interviews. You have to know what you’re getting into job-wise. If you don’t you might be stuck in a job that doesn’t have what you need from it. Many of the things mentioned in this article surround money which I agree is valuable but I also think there is something to be said about asking them the right questions about what employee they are looking for. That way you can be sure you are able to achieve their standards or decline if it is not something you can see yourself doing. Always go into an interview ready to ask questions. It will prove that you are actually interested and that you did your research.
These articles are good and they’re useful reminders, but for so many of us, this almost just doesn’t apply. If you’re working as a freelancer, or, just as likely, if you’re misclassified by your employer and working in jobs that are blatantly in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, most of these benefits are not going to be offered by your employer. Especially things like paid time off and flexible schedules are just not a thing unless you’re in a full-time position. Even basic things like 401(k)a can be tricky as a freelancer, and on a single show contract you’re unlikely to get something like dental insurance. If you’re part of a union, some of these benefits should be offered through that union (AEA health insurance, for example), but very few of them are going to be actually offered by employers for designers, stage managers, or other freelance or contract based workers.
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