What makes one job more attractive than another?

As you graduate from university, you may soon be stepping into your first career job – a role in your chosen field that hinges on the skills and qualifications you have developed.

It is the end of one journey and the beginning of another. With that, there can be excitement and trepidation. You might be moving to a new area, taking on different responsibilities and stepping outside of your comfort zone. Some graduates will have different opportunities in front of them and will have to consider what role fits them best.

Certain aspects of a job – such as salary, benefits and location – are easier to weigh up. Some are less tangible, like the scope for career growth, work-life balance or the culture of a company.

Clare Finegan is a lecturer in education, guidance and counselling at Maynooth University. She advises graduating students to look at a new job as the first step of many. “Unless there is a workplace experience as part of your degree, you will more than likely learn your trade on the job,” Dr Finegan says. “Every job has something to offer. While interest is what sustains us for the most part, some jobs are just that – a job. Not your dream job or your forever job, but your start for where you are at that moment in time.

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“You can practice your skills and acquire new skills in communication, teamwork, etc. The list is endless, and they are all transferable whenever the next opportunity arises, whether it’s promotion in the same job or a move to a new job altogether. It may give you some financial independence to do what you love as a hobby or just pay the bills so you can survive while you are upskilling.”

It is difficult to get a sense of a company before you are in there, but Dr Finegan says it can help to trust your instincts. Beyond that, it is always worth reaching out to people who work or have worked in the place you are applying for, or in a similar role elsewhere. “You can do your research and certainly know what the company has to offer. What the company has to offer you is as important as what you have to offer it. Even just attending an interview will inform you about that and you’ll get a sense of your employers and a sense of the place.

“It’s like when they visited universities. You do get an intuitive sense about whether a place fits for you or doesn’t. It’s those first impressions that can really be very informative. Then it’s talking to people, doing your research and finding out as much as you can about the culture of the place and if people are happy there.”

There is nothing wrong with prioritising money when deciding on a job, but the best fit may not always be the most lucrative, depending on what you want.

Dr Finegan is a proponent of career moves with learning opportunities that can benefit graduates further down the line. “Travel offers you the best learning and the best life skills,” she says. “I have found that students can be more open to travelling abroad than travelling down the country, whatever that’s about. Travelling to the unfamiliar and being open to different ways of doing things and to new cultures and perspectives – that’s the real learning journey.

“Whether it’s paid or not, it’s giving you all those skills. An [unpaid] internship – grab it if it’s something you’re interested in and see it as a learning opportunity. It’s also going to open doors for you, and you can always earn your money doing more menial jobs on the side.”