Student Blog
Brought to you from your @GoogleStudents friends. From pre-university to PhD (and beyond), we got you.
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Understanding your benefits
November 17, 2011
Introduction: We've been featuring weekly
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
from Lead Engineering Recruiter
Jeff Moore
. We hope you've found his tips useful, whether you're looking for an internship, full-time position, or just looking to improve your resume. Today Jeff gives us his insight into the world of benefits.
This week we are going to talk about something really important: benefits. Companies offer a wide variety of benefits packages and they can really be a deciding factor when you are trying to decide on an offer. Here are a few things to consider when looking at employee benefits:
Health Benefits
- Health and wellness benefits are a critical component of any offer. Some companies offer multiple plans (HMO, PPO, HSA, etc.) and usually pick up a majority of the cost. You need to consider what type of plan works best for you and what it will cost you. Take time to read the details, there a lot of nuances to these plans and you’ll want to understand everything as well as you can to make the right decision.
Retirement Plans
- Planning for retirement might seem like a boring topic, but it’s something that you should be thinking about as soon as you get your first offer. You need to consider not only the type of retirement plan (402B, 401K or maybe a pension) but also what the organization contributes to your account, in addition to your own contribution. Once you’ve figured out the plan, determine how much you can afford to contribute. My advice is to stretch a bit and contribute as much as you can to your retirement. Short term sacrifice for long term gain.
Paid Time Off
- Everyone loves vacation. Vacation time, holidays and sick days are all things to consider as paid time off. Almost every organization does this differently so make sure you ask. Every plan has its pros and cons so I can’t offer much specific advice as it totally depends on the organization. Ideally, you’re looking for 2-3 weeks of vacation, standard holidays and a handful of sick days. More, of course, is better. Note: generally these plans are non-negotiable so recruiters don’t have flexibility to customize your package.
Perks
- Companies offer so many different perks nowadays it’s hard to compare; however, what you really want to see is that the company values their employees. I’ve seen perks like fresh cookies on Fridays, free breakfast, lunch, dinner, subsidized massage, acupuncture, movie tickets and even company cars. Generally, I think of perks as a bonus on top of the rest of the total package, and a way for you to help make the final decision.
That’s it this week! Don’t overlook the benefits package on those offers, the right benefits can make or break an offer and provide you with everything you need to start your career on the right foot.
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Post a Comment
Labels
A Day in the Life of a New Grad in Google Dublin
7
AdCamp
2
AdMob
11
Ambassador Program
14
APAC
7
Appy Trails
28
Back to School
4
Better Know a New Grad
1
Better Know an Intern
16
Better Know an Office
4
Black History Month
10
Caitlin Talks to an Engineer
9
Chrome Extensions
3
Chromebook
1
College Tips by Google
1
Community
14
Conferences
16
consortium
1
CSSI
5
Day in the Life
2
deSTEMber
1
Development Programs
1
Diary of a Business Associate Intern
1
Diary of a Summer Intern
41
Diary of a Summer Intern - Erika
9
Diary of a Summer Intern - Franklin
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Jess
3
Diary of a Summer intern - Luke
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Madelaine
4
Diary of a Summer Intern - Pablo
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Rio
4
Diary of a Summer Intern 2012
18
Diary of an MBA Intern
2
Education
19
EMEA
44
Europe
7
Events
13
Exploring Design at Google
4
GHC15
6
Going Green
6
Gone Google
2
Google Code University
1
Google Code-in
1
Google Games
3
Google Japan
1
Google Lime Scholarship
1
Google on campus
2
Google Online Marketing Challenge
10
Google Science Fair
2
Google.org
1
Google+
6
Googlers
14
Googlers Beta
11
Grace Hopper
11
GradTips
9
Hangouts On Air
21
Inside ITRP
6
Intern Insights
31
Intern Program
73
Interns Making an Impact
7
Interviews
1
Jobs
5
just for fun
30
K-12 (Pre-university)
14
LATAM
2
Life at Google
17
Middle East
1
My Path to Google
29
My Summer at Google
15
My Summer at Google 2012
10
North America
4
Office Environment
4
Open Source
9
PhD
7
Products
94
Programs and Competitions
116
Recruiter Tips and Tricks
15
Rice Plus
4
Scholarships
56
Search
1
STEM
2
STEP
1
Student Tips
15
Students
13
Summer of Code
1
Teach Parents Tech
10
Tech Students
3
Tips and Tricks
27
Women in Engineering
20
Young Innovators
10
YouTube
2
Archive
2018
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2017
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2016
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Feed
Google
on
Follow @GoogleStudents
Interested in opportunities and programs for students? Visit
google.com/students
.
