Whether you’re changing careers or looking for your first job after college, we can help you find a good job this year. InHerSight has plenty of resources for you to take advantage of while landing your next (or first!) great job.
When you’re ready to find a job you love, here’s what to do.
How to find a good job in 2022: do the prep
First you need to define “good.”
Maybe you already know what you want, but need help finding it—or maybe you’re new to your career and aren’t even sure what to look for.
For anyone who needs some ideas on what to look for in a “good” job, it has to start with what you like. Think about every aspect of a job and a company/organization:
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Boss
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Job location
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Products you work on
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Higher-than-average pay/salary satisfaction
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Growth or management opportunities
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Company reputation
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Company priorities
Next think about the benefits jobs typically offer and what might make you happy or make your life easier. If you’re new to work, check out this guide to benefits companies offer. Here are the big ones:
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Health care coverage
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Paid time off (vacation, sick, personal days)
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Family growth support (maternity/paternity/adoptive leave)
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Fertility (IVF, egg freezing) coverage
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Retirement plan contribution
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Bonuses
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Stock options
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Health-related perks like gym membership coverage and fitness classes
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Sabbatical
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Student loan debt help or tuition reimbursement
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Time off to volunteer
Remember that what a company offers in benefits can tell you a lot about their culture. A company known for lots of time off—both PTO and time off to volunteer—and allowing for sabbaticals and maybe flexible hours is going to have a different culture than one that’s known for standard time off policies, but might offer higher salaries and other financial benefits.
While having all the best benefits sounds dreamy, it’s also rare. Focus on 1–5 (try to stick to three) that matter most to you. If you’re facing a mountain of student loan debt, either a high salary or a company that can help you out might be priority one. If you have a lot of health care expenses, you’ll either want great insurance or the salary to cover your costs.
Also think about what you don’t want. If you don’t want to work in a physical office, you have to find somewhere that is remote-friendly. If you don’t want a company where everyone is still signed on at 6 p.m., you’ll have to ask around and make sure that’s not the case. If you don’t want to work at a company that’s in the news for questionable hiring practices or charging customers too much, make sure you give them a Google search before getting too far in the interview process.
Finally, get your resume ready. If you’re looking at a blank page, use our guide on how to write a resume to get started. Get someone to review, whether it’s your first resume or your fifth, and consider reaching out to a career coach, resume coach, or recruiter friend.
One important tip: Don’t write every single detail about your previous work experience. Stick to what matters most. Recruiter Megan Lipera told InHerSight in 2019 to make sure your resume is “clean, clear, and concise. I want to see something that I can scan quickly and get the gist of in about 30 seconds.” (Read Lipera’s expert insight on how to change careers here.)
How to find a good job in 2022: dive into research
You know what you want or at least what you think you want. Now it’s time to dig into which companies and jobs have the best chance of giving this to you.
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Talk to people who work at other companies. Ask around! Does your friend have a job they love? Ask questions to see if the company or a similar role could be a good fit for you.
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Connect to new people (or reconnect to those you’ve lost touch with). If you don’t already have a strong network to pull info from, start building one. Reach out via LinkedIn, ask a colleague to coffee, send an email to a former coworker or professor to see if you can pick their brain. So many people find a great new job because they talked to someone who said “You know, my company is hiring…”
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Look up company websites. Go right to the source of companies you know of and see what you think about their mission, their projects, their benefits. You’ll definitely want to gather info on them that’s not written by their own team, but at least from their website you’ll know if you like what they say they’re all about, and you can get an idea of the perks you might be offered.
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Check the InHerSight ratings. InHerSight’s list of the Best Companies to Work For is updated monthly, based on ratings by women who work/have worked at these companies. Check it out to get ideas of where to work or see what employees have to say about the company you have your eye on.
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Search for any recent news on any company you’re interested in. Just make sure there’s nothing scandalous that would make you hesitant to join the team—or see if there’s something wonderful you’ll be proud to say you’re a part of.
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Reach out to a career coach. When you’re determined to find a good job, why not bring in the professionals? Career coaches help people find what they want, ask for what they want, and have tough conversations when they’re getting what they want. Check out InHerSight’s guide to how career coaches work and how they can help you.
How to find a good job in 2022: nail the interview
Don’t forget when you’re interviewing, it’s not just about the company evaluating you. You’re there to find out if this is a job and a company where you can be your best work self. So it’s key to ask questions.
We have a complete list of questions to ask in an interview for you to prep with. Here are some that will help you determine if this is a “good” job for you:
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What would a normal workday look like for this hire?
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Why is this a great place to work/why should I work here?
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What do you like about this company?
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Tell me about the hiring manager.
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What do you like about the people you work with?
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What is the first project this hire would take on?
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What problems do you want this new hire to solve?
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How much travel is required for this role?
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Do you feel like your time outside work is respected?
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How do you ensure employees feel comfortable taking their PTO?
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How do you ensure women / people of color / people with disabilities / etc. are paid equally?
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How do you take care of your employees’ mental health / work-life balance?
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Do you expect employees to work outside work hours?
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Do you expect employees to work on nights and/or weekends?
If you leave the interview feeling unclear on any area, make sure to follow up. You don’t want to make an assumption that ends up hurting you in the future. Plus, more communication with the company will be a chance to get to know them better, and help you feel more confident in your decision.
How to find a good job in 2022: ask for what you deserve
Congrats—you have a job offer! Maybe the offer is even more generous than you imagined—amazing! Often, there is more conversation to have before you accept.
Salary negotiation can be stressful (for some people, terrifying), especially when it’s your first time. But one way to make sure you don’t make more money is to get nervous and say nothing. We put together 10 scenarios you might find yourself in when negotiating your salary, and the scripts to use to ask for what you want. They include when you’ve been lowballed, when you accepted the offer then changed your mind, and when you don’t have all the qualifications.
Then don’t forget to review your benefits and company perks and see if you have any questions. There is a chance to negotiate some of those (some are company-wide and non-negotiable), so again, speak up! Check out all of InHerSight’s Negotiation articles so you know what to say. We cover negotiating your start date, fair pay, flexible work hours, and pretty much everything you can think of.
Are you looking for a good job this year and still have questions? Sign up for a free InHerSight profile to use our Community feature, which enables you to ask questions and get insightful feedback from women like you.
