Good afternoon, friends. it's Rohan with the latest edition of Coached — your personal mentorship email that takes a few minutes to read, but speeds up your career by years. |
In today's Mentor's Corner, we're tackling a key part of career growth that's often oversimplified: how do you compare two jobs? |
It's a scenario many of us face, whether we're weighing the pros and cons of leaving our current job for a new opportunity or choosing between two new roles. Often, the first thing we look at is the salary. But is more money = better? |
To my loyal readers: I've been much more active on LinkedIn lately, sharing bite-sized, candid career advice for quick boosts throughout your week. It's an easy way to stay motivated and keep your career on track. So if you like my writing, follow me on LinkedIn and say hi! |
Estimated read time: 5 minutes 12 seconds |
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📈 Mentor's Corner Insights put together by me or coaches who usually charge $750+/hour and mentor senior execs. One practical lesson a week that will make a measurable impact on your career, delivered right to you — for $0. |
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How do you evaluate a job or move? |
"Height…" my friend declares, with a mischievous smile. |
I glance nervously at the measly 35 cm 'Wild Cat' in my hand. |
"260 cm!" he shouts in triumph, and shows the Polar Bear card. He wins. |
This was Top Trumps - a game I used to play as a kid. The goal was simple: |
Choose a category of your card's animal (height, weight, intelligence, killer rating etc) that'd beat the other person's. Winner takes both. |
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Very fun, extremely annoying, and also, forced you to weigh up the strengths and weaknesses unique to each card. |
I recall this now because we all play a similar 'game' when evaluating new jobs or roles in our careers. |
It's the age-old question, how do I compare two jobs? Which one's better? |
When we look at a job, there are a ton of different categories we should be evaluating. |
But we're taught to fixate on one category only: |
Money. |
Sure, sometimes better salary = better career. |
But not always. |
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So, today, I'd like to break down some other factors we should be using to evaluate a job/position when we're playing Top Trumps with our career. |
🧎🏻 People > money. |
A wise man once noted, "the most important thing in life is almost always other humans." |
Because not only can people be the biggest source of our happiness, but often our unhappiness too. Working in a tight-knit team is an amazing feeling. But nothing's worse than a boss you can't stand. |
=> Working with people you genuinely enjoy being around can have a more meaningful impact than a salary bump. |
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🗽 Autonomy > money |
Autonomy - the freedom to do the job the way you see fit - is a huge indicator of career satisfaction. |
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Sure, a role with a new company might pay less, but if it gives you the reins to do things as you'd like, it might be worthwhile. |
A concrete example: |
Company A: You're a cog in the machine. When you suggest a new tool to automate tasks, you're met with, "No, this is how we've always done it." Your ideas feel stifled. Company B: You're encouraged to innovate and you're trusted. Propose the same tool, and they're all ears, eager to see if it can improve efficiency. Here, your ideas matter.
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A role like Company B can give you more 'control' over your career, even if it might pay a few percent less in the short-term. |
😵💫 The Pay-Crazy Matrix |
Floating around the Internet is the tongue-in-cheek 'Hot-Crazy matrix", which guys use to evaluate women. (Women have one for guys too - the "Cute-Rich" matrix). |
And that got me thinking… could I design a matrix for careers? |
Here it is, which I'm dubbing the "Pay-Crazy" matrix: |
 | (try to minimize the 'crazy' in your job) |
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Having a high paying job is great, but if you're constantly stressed, and snapping at family when you get home… is it making your life better? |
Maybe not. |
| | | | …by the way, if you use LinkedIn, go to my profile and hit the 'Follow' button. I share a mix of practical career strategy and mid-week motivation — stuff that makes it easy to keep your career on track.
Topics coming up this week: negotiation hacks (not just for your career), how to get people to do what you want (without coming across as bossy or manipulative) + more. See you there. | alright, let's get back to my essay… |
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🚉 Killing the Commute > higher pay |
In the US, on average we spend 1 hour commuting every day. |
That means every month, you're working an extra 20 hours - 2 ½ days - without pay. |
That's a lot of unpaid time, especially when you add fuel, car maintenance, or rail card costs. |
So although WFH, or working closer to home, might mean a lower salary, factoring in your commute, you might come out better off. |
 | (If it's ever come to this, the job isn't right for you) |
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📍 Location, location, location > higher pay |
Some of us like the mountains, some of us like the beach, and some us live for the big city buzz. |
Either way, it's something I'd think about when looking for or comparing jobs: do I actually want to live there? |
💡 Earning vs learning |
Sometimes, you earn and learn at the same time. |
But often, it's a trade off. Will your new position level up your skills, making you more valuable in the future? |
If a role is giving you the responsibility you won't get elsewhere, or equipping you with high-value skills that'll serve your career, it is likely worth a lot more than its salary. |
 | so true |
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Consider the dilemma faced by a reader, Janice. |
She was torn between staying at her current company or moving to a new one offering a 15% salary increase. At her current company, she: |
Was trusted, had autonomy, and had been promoted twice in the last three years, meaning another raise wasn't imminent. Saw significant growth potential in her role.
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Which is better? What I told her to ponder: |
There is no right answer. Both have their merits, and the decision depends on what you value. Consider the other factors mentioned earlier, like location, and how important they are to you. Think beyond the immediate salary increase. The experiences you gain now could offer much greater rewards in 2 years. Imagine your resume two years from now. Which option will add more value to your story? What does your gut tell you?
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👁️ Keep your eye on the prize |
Ultimately, it comes down to a simple question: |
What's your goal? |
Earn six-figures? Start a family? Work-life balance? |
You can have anything you want, but not everything. Knowing what you want to do with your life is key when it comes to evaluating a move. |
It's okay if money is your main focus—there's nothing wrong with following the pay, and, honestly, the later you are in your career, it's smart to prioritize financial security and stability. |
Alternatively, while a job should pay you in more than just money, but don't let non-financial factors blind you from the value of your time. |
I hope that gives you a way to think about how to evaluate a job the next time you need to. You can also use the criteria above to evaluate your current job too — if it's lacking in a certain element, know that it can be improved. |
If you found this useful, please do any of the following: |
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It really helps! |
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 | (related: here's a short post I wrote on LinkedIn on how to say no at work) |
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🔎 Speed Up Your Job Search One actionable piece of advice to help you hack your job search. |
How to write an executive or senior-level resume |
Read the full article here. |
If you're a senior job seeker — or an executive — you'll find this especially useful. Even if you aren't, skim through it anyway since a couple of these learnings apply to resumes at all stages. |
Hiring managers expect different things from senior-level candidates than they do from mid- or junior-level applicants. Here are three examples: |
🗣️ Highlight leadership and management experience. Tell hiring managers about the teams you led or how many direct reports you have. "Directed team of 5 to ..." can be a good phrase to use. |
🧐 Leave off your graduation dates if they're 12+ years old to avoid age discrimination. Plus, leave off outdated software or skills (e.g. Windows XP). |
📈 Emphasize promotions, particularly in your job titles. Bold titles that show obvious progression, like Vice President -> Director -> Managing Director. |
🎯 You should also use a tool like Score My Resume to find out if your resume is effective enough — at any career level — including senior, mid and entry-level. It'll tell you if you've overlooked any mistakes that hiring managers look out for. Try it now. |
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If you're new here, let's get the intros out of the way. |
I'm Rohan. Six years ago, I found myself frustrated with the sea of misleading career advice online, so I started Resume Worded. The goal was simple: provide guidance that actually works. |
But resumes were only the tip of the iceberg. There was a lot of clichéd, generic career advice out there. So, I started this email series, Coached. Each week, I talk about real career strategy, informed not only by my experiences but by my conversations with industry leaders, senior coaches who train CEOs, and people with way more experience than I have. |
Every email you receive is written by me, not a ghostwriter. I'm here, on the other end, reading your replies. |
Until next time, |
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Rohan @ Resume Worded |
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What'd you think of today's edition? |
👍 I loved it. |
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🤢 You didn't bring enough value. |
Here's a review of last week's email — I appreciate you sticking around, Hebah! I promise I'll make the time you spend reading this worth it. Leave one here. |
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P. S. To make sure your career never goes off the rails, don't miss my future emails. A simple way to make sure you get each email is: |
If you're using Gmail, hit the 3 dots at the top-right corner, and choose Move to -> Primary. Or drag this email to Primary if you're on your computer. If you're using Apple Mail, tap on our email address at the top of this email (next to "From:" on mobile) and click "Add to VIPs.".
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