This is the fourth in a series of eight posts, each linked to one of eight categories in the Career Resumes blog. These posts sum up the best pieces of advice, tips, direction, insights, and answers discovered and shared on the blog by Allen Voivod, Chief Blogger for Career-Resumes.com from October 2006 to September 2008.

Originally posted as part of a tip about salary negotiation (33 things to think about when negotiating your executive compensation), these things are essentially a laundry list of the kinds of job benefits you could see as part of your employment package:

* 401K eligibility requirements
* Bonus structure
* Business travel
* Car/Allowance
* Cell phone, PDA, laptop, etc
* Child care
* Club memberships
* Competitive work clauses
* Dental
* Disability
* Educational reimbursement
* Equity
* Flexibility and influence in hiring decisions
* Funding for research, start-ups or other discretionary projects
* Hours or work schedule
* Insurance coverage
* Job functions
* Life Insurance
* Location of work
* Medical
* Office or contents of office
* Optical
* Parking
* Pensions (if applicable)
* Profit sharing
* Relocation assistance
* Retirement provisions
* Salary
* Support structure (e.g. administrative support)
* Termination clauses and terms
* Title
* Training programs or mentoring
* Vacation time

This list can be a bit overwhelming, so as we get to the three things to take with you, let’s start by knocking out the overwhelm, and:

1. Rank them. Not 1-33, heaven forfend. Break them up into three categories: “Must have,” “Nice to have,” and “Don’t really care.” Don’t be rigid about putting 11 in each category. It’s better to be honest with yourself and really think about what matters to you, so you can make well-informed job search decisions.

2. Consider the bigger picture. Job benefits contribute significantly to both your “total compensation” as well as your work/life balance and job satisfaction. For example, would you take a modest reduction in salary in order to telecommute two days a week, saving gas and giving you extra time with your family? For some professionals, that’s a slam-dunk yes. How about you?

3. Don’t limit yourself. As we noted in a previous post, “Every year, in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For issue, they review the benefits offered by the listed companies. And the one of the best sections every year is their ‘Unusual Perks’ list.” Though the list above covers the most common benefits you could encounter, it’s not the be-all, end-all. And some of those unusual options might be enough to propel a company up to the top of your targeted job search list.

Weak job market. Rising gas, food, and energy prices. Slumping stock market.

Suddenly, salary questions are getting a bit more complicated.

If ever there was a time to consider the broader job offer package and what it delivers, this is it. From flexible work hours to telecommuting, 401(k) matching to stock options, the base salary you get from your employer (or the one you offer to a prospective job candidate) is becoming less of a factor in the job decision these days.

Don’t get me wrong – base salary isn’t becoming irrelevant by any stretch of the imagination. I’m simply pointing out the fact that, in previous job surveys, quality of life plays a much higher role in job satisfaction than salary alone.

You probably knew that, but did you take it to the next level? Considering what’s going on in our economy, and knowing how expensive it is to find and recruit new talent, isn’t it that much more important to look at the whole pay package now?

And how much more satisfied will people be if their companies take into account the current economic situation when crafting job offers and reviewing best practices for benefits to existing employees?

Look at gas prices alone. Employees can literally save hundreds of dollars a month if they have a 9/80 or 4/40 work schedule; if the company promotes carpooling, vanpooling, or public transportation options; and if employees are allowed to telecommute one or two days a week.

Telecommuting still isn’t what you’d call “widely available” to people, but it could be with one simple tweak to expectations. Just set a goal. Say, “I’ll let you stay home to work today, but I want X, Y, and Z done to show for it.”

Check out this CNNMoney.com story to learn more about how folks are feeling in this economy….

Now that tax season is upon us, here are a couple of questions for you to consider regarding executive benefits at your company:

1. Do you get them at all?
2. If so, does your company contribute to them?
3. Are you contributing to them?
4. What are your tax implications?

As forehead-smackingly dumb as Question #1 may seem, not every company offers executive benefits. But “in 2007, with new requirements from the Securities and Exchange Commission mandating that companies disclose the value and change in value of their executive benefits plans, it will be even more important to know where a company’s benefits practices stand in relation to those who the company competes with for key talent,” said [Ward] Russell, [President of The Todd Organization], an executive benefits consulting firm.

The Todd Organization “reviewed proxies and other financial disclosure documents to determine the prevalence of executive benefits at 276 publicly-held companies which are headquartered in the United States. All of these companies were selected as America’s Most Admired companies by Fortune Magazine in 2006.” And here’s what they found:

92% of companies offer one or more nonqualified benefit plans

86% of companies offer voluntary deferred compensation programs

81% make at least one company contribution to a nonqualified benefit plan

64% offer one or more supplemental executive retirement plans (SERP)

And it’s a safe bet the number decreases as you get off the Most Admired list.

Now, to the final questions: What are you contributing, and what are your tax implications? Check with your tax professional to be sure – that’s the advice I have to give, regardless of the fact that I’m about to spout off some tax-related advice – but you still have time to make contributions to your retirement plans for the 2007 calendar year. Where do you put your money? In a Roth, a SERP, or some other fund?

The answer’s going to depend on the number you want to appear on your 1040 – or the number you want to get below, in order to hit a different tax bracket. Pay for a tax pro. Speaking from experience, it’s the best thing I did for the last eight years or so.

And if you’re not getting those executive benefits? Russell’s quote suggests you could do well if you started discreetly looking for a new opportunity.

Donald Rumsfeld said it best:

As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.

And when it comes to job benefits, many people either know there’s something out there they’d like to have as a benefit, which they’re not getting at their current company. Like child care assistance, for example. I never worked at a company that offered it, but I knew of companies that did.

Or they don’t know it’s even possible to get a certain thing as a job benefit. I’m not talking about perks like free sodas and a company ping pong table. I’m talking about big things like adoption assistance. That’s a new one on me, and apparently it’s accessible to 11% of corporate employees nationwide.

At least, that’s what the National Compensation Survey:  Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2007 says. The results of this survey were released in August, and if you want to check it out, it’s a breezy 39-page, table-filled read in PDF right here.

The result of a penny or two of your tax dollars, this Bureau of Labor Statistics survey offers a comprehensive overview of one of the main drivers of employee satisfaction in our country. Considering that competition for qualified talent is heating up, the ball is in your court as a professional, executive, or manager to find the position that suits your needs right down to the ground.

Actually, that ball was in your court all along, but the Robert Half/Career Builder study linked in the previous paragraph just goes to show the odds of you getting what you want have improved over the past couple of years.

Check out this previous blog post for another list of potential benefits you could be getting, and as you polish your resume for your job search, don’t limit yourself to considering what the perfect job looks like – why not try to get closer to your perfect lifestyle?

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.

And by sleep, I’m talking figuratively, though some folks do wake up with the blinding realization of what to do with their careers…

No, what I’m talking about is how many of us (yes, I’ve been guilty of this a lot of the years) just accept what’s offered to us in our work and our lives, rather than actively living by a set of values and choosing to accept or decline based on those values - or to go out and get something for yourself when the choices you’re offered don’t work for you.

I took some time to go over the Work Values Checklist from Monster.com today, and found it to be a simple and powerful tool for getting your values up into your conscious thinking level - which is a great start, because the more you’re aware of those values, the better chance you have of making decisions in line with them. And that leads to a more satisfying work life (and life life).

The one thing that didn’t quite ring true for me was the “golden handcuffs” description of the Extrinsic Values. Sure, people use certain qualities of their work as excuses to stay in a position. But if those qualities are of importance, then you need to know that to be able to find the right job elsewhere, especially if your current position fails you on the Intrinsic and Lifestyle Values.

(Maybe I’m just being fussy, but I would’ve liked to see a greater acknowledgment of their importance.)

If you set aside 15 minutes or so to go through it, I think you’ll be pretty pleased with what it reveals. And if you’re not sure how this will help you in your executive job search, consider this quote from the end of the article:

Finally, write two or three sentences describing or summarizing how your values will translate into your ideal job. Knowing what’s important will help you prepare for your next interview or help you find increased satisfaction with the job you have.

It’ll also help with your resume preparation, I daresay.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.

It’s still 13 months away, and yet the presidential race is dominating the news. Of course, the primaries are a lot closer…

One of the biggest issues you’re going to hear about this political season is health care, and I just came across some collected information at The Huffington Post about the various candidates, which compares their positions on health care.

Unfortunately, the areas on workforce-related health care issues aren’t competed, so you may have to keep an eye on the individual candidates. Helpfully, the post linked above has links to the campaign websites for each of the candidates, some directly to their position statements about healthcare.

Now, why is this such a big issue? And why does it matter to your executive career - in your current position and any future one? Well, regardless of your political affiliation, the candidates within each party all have different views from their competitors. And all of their plans will have different effects on your pocketbook.

It’s a slippery slope. Health benefits are one of the biggest employee expenditures, outside of payroll and payroll taxes. So whatever happens will affect your company’s bottom line, which affects the health benefit they offer their employees, which then affects the deductible you elect, with affects how much you’ll spend, and as your family grows and you get older…

You see where this is going.

Long story short: There are bigger issues than health care in the world today, ones perhaps more deserving of attention when deciding for whom you should vote. But health care is the one that will hit home hardest for everyone in America. So maybe, just maybe, it’s worth a closer look come election time.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.

I’m going to have a baby. Or rather, my wife is.

We’ve been talking in depth about what to do regarding our health insurance once the baby comes. I’m on a catastrophic plan, as is our 5-year-old son. My wife’s on the same plan, as well as a separate plan which provides much better benefits.

So when our next child comes, we can:

1. Add him to the catastrophic plan, which means we pay through the nose with all the doctor visits we’re sure to make in the first year.

2. Add him to the separate, better benefits plan, which adds a couple hundred more dollars a month, but then we can add our 5-year-old to that plan as well at no additional cost.

3. Drop my wife from the catastrophic plan, and then I’m the only one on it, which makes that plan a couple hundred less per month.

4. Tear our collective hair out, because the options are just “lesser of all evil” options.

And this is indicative of the kinds of choices you may face in your new job search. Thousands of dollars per year ride on the health care benefits offered by your company, the company of your spouse/partner, and your family planning.

In fact, the Kaiser Family Foundation released a report last month examining how “the average growth in health spending exceeded the growth of the economy as a whole by an average of 2.5 percentage points.”

According to their website, the report “also examines the impact of health care costs on families, with insurance premiums rising 87% between 2000 and 2006, more than four times the growth in wages.”

With this kind of expense growth – and considering the senior care issues you may be about to face with your aging parents – it may turn out that a lower salary offer paired with a great health plan may be the better choice for you.

So before you leap at the big number, take a careful look at the health benefit situation – and don’t forget to factor in the vision and dental as well.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today. Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®.

Whether you’re job hunting for a new and challenging executive career step, or you’re in a management job you love, one of the best career strategies for developing a palatable work / life balance is telecommuting.

We’ve crossed a bit of a milestone - more than 30 million employees or entrepreneurs in the United States now telecommute, which is 10% of the population (and it’s a higher percentage if you’re only counting the working population). They might be road warriors. They might be office employees who take their weekly or monthly reports to their kitchen table once a week or twice a month. They can even be mid- or C-level executives like you.

The one thing employees and employers have in common with telecommuting is that it makes both groups happy. The difference is in the reasons why.

From the employee side, the change came about primarily because employees wanted an improved work / life balance. They wanted to cut down their traveling time, and save gas money to boot. They may have followed their spouses to new jobs in new cities and wanted to keep their own jobs. They needed the flexibility in their lives to work non-traditional hours due to family concerns.

From the employer side, the work still gets done, and it costs them less in overhead. Reduced office space needs, and lower costs for related utilities and supplies are part of the perks. On the less-readily-quantified side of things, telecommuters provide a bit of disaster recovery support by keeping company files off-site. And it makes employees happier, which leads to longer retention and lower HR recruiting costs.

Do you have the personality and management skills to make telecommuting work? Self motivation, ambition, the ability to work alone for extended periods without loneliness, and with the ability to keep distractions to a minimum are the key ingredients in using telecommuting to resolve work / life balance issues.

If you do, and if you think telecommuting would make you a happier executive, then make telecommuting a reality in your company – or find a company that offers it, and start writing your résumé to make the switch.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today! Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®!

Vacations, sick time, 401(k)s…boooooring!

When you start looking at new career options for your executive ascent, and the benefits packages they offer, don’t limit yourself to thinking about the same old perks you’ve been offered in previous positions.

Every year, in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For issue, they review the benefits offered by the listed companies. And the one of the best sections every year is their “Unusual Perks” list. Here’s 2007’s from them:

Methodist Hospital System (Rank: 9) - Need fuel? Every employee got a $250 gas card in ‘06.

Quicken Loans (Rank: 17) - LeBron James fans, rejoice! Workers in Michigan can hop on company-sponsored buses to see the Cavaliers play ball (CEO Dan Gilbert owns the team).

Arnold & Porter (Rank: 26) - Know any whiz kids? The law firms offer referral fees of $15,000 if you recommend an employee they end up hiring.

Goldman Sachs (Rank: 36) - Who says bankers work all the time? Employees who get married or register a domestic partnership are given an extra week of vacation.

Microsoft (Rank: 50) - The tech giant piles on perks like free grocery delivery, valet parking, and a dollar-for-dollar match of employee charitable contributions up to $12,000.

AstraZeneca (Rank: 71) - Working here might actually be good for your health: All prescription drugs made by the company are free to employees.

Okay, so a couple of these may seem frivolous (though try telling that to die-hard Cleveland Cavaliers fans). The point is, you have the luxury of choosing not just a job, but a lifestyle, at your level of the game. The “benefits” are exactly that: Things to help you enjoy the fruits of your labor, as well as things to help you when times get trying.

Broaden your thoughts about what’s possible. Start with something little, like a benefit. Then expand it to your next management job hunt. That’s progress for you.

Don’t gamble with your résumé. Get a free résumé critique from Career-Resumes.com® today! Peter Newfield, President of Career-Resumes.com® and the résumé expert for BlueSteps.com, The Ladders, and former expert for Spencer Stuart Talent Network, leads a crack team of résumé writers with over 100 years of combined experience. Invest in your executive career at Career-Resumes.com®!

I’ve heard of executives and managers who couldn’t be bothered with the question of job benefits. Every company offers some sort of medical, some sort of dental, some sort of vacation and some sort of sick time, and who cares? It’s all about the work, the challenge, the responsibility of the position, the profit potential, and the audiences being served.

Usually, I just absorb this sort of talk without offering the alternative viewpoint. I’d rather get the unfiltered opinion without exposing my own proclivities. Kind of like listening to people express their political opinions without sharing your own.

But today, I’m dropping the silent act and coming out squarely in favor of making job benefits a significant part of your job search decision making. After all, you want to find the compensation package that offers you the best deal for your time and efforts. Remember: You’re giving up part of your life in order to make some money. Any job you send your resume out for would ultimately pay more if they didn’t give you the job benefits they also offer, so don’t ignore it - consider it part of your compensation.

And on the softer side of things, you’ll never get back the time you spend working. So if you’re going to exchange a portion of your most valuable possession, don’t take the first offer that comes your way. Find the best deal you can find, and factor job benefits into that equation.

How does this translate when you’re writing your executive resume? Well, can you tie a specific benefit the company gave you into a value-generating statement? For example, maybe you took an industry seminar that your company paid for, which got you networked to a strategic partner for your company. Suddenly, millions of dollars in new business are attributable to the career education benefits provided by the company. Not too shabby.

It doesn’t have to show up in your resume, though. It just has to be something you consider carefully before making your job hunt decisions. As long as you know what’s important to you, you’ll have the tools to make the right job search decisions.