Currently, it's flexibility (full time student), but mainly "investment_in_future" value, i.e. I want a job that will teach me things I'll need for my dream job and that will look good on my CV once I apply for that dream job;)

You're a fortunate one to be able to turn down multiple job offers because of the interviewers. I live in an area where sometimes you just have to take what you can get. I've had to take several jobs I completely hated just because I needed them that bad. Fortunately, I didn't have to work them long, and now I like my job. The people are great, it's fun and challenging, and the pay is commensurate with my performance.

It's pretty much a combo of all of them in my opinion - money ebing on the top of the list though.
I wanted a job that was salary based, but I could still bank hours, and I wanted one where I had lots of vaction days and sick days (and I could still take them!) and also a job that wasn't the same thing everyday and challenging!
And I got it

I have to agree with Terry about turning down jobs. I know friends that have quit or turned down something for the most insignificant reasons, and I just don't get it. I take what I can get, but the main items I factor in are: salary, potential and location.

Although salary is important, people is definitley most important. People make your work REALLY worth it!

I think salary is the first consideration. We all have taken jobs we weren't interested in because we know there's a minimum monthly income needed to cover mortgage, food, utilities etc. You can go without a lot of things utility wise but, electricity is key. If the furnace breaks you'll have to get by with space heaters until the repairman can pay a visit. You can cut the food buget by eating rice and pasta and peanut butter sandwiches. But who wants to be underemployed and live like that? So once the bare minimum is offered then everything else is a trade-off. I think the people are the next most important factor. Everyone should remind you of you, i.e. roughly the same values, goals, lifestyle, wardrobe etc. You want to work with people who get your sense of humor, enjoy their lives and don't expect to be best friends but keep the co-worker relationships on a professional-intimate suface level. I like working with people who have full lives of their own after they leave work. It's fun to socialze but you have to be careful. Lotsa people are already married or in serious commitments.

It's a combo of all of it for me. Benefit package, salary, challenges, great people, & flexibility. I am fortunate enough to have found all of that. I am well aware of how lucky I am.

I just want it simple---a job that I love doing

i have been looking for a job that has good salary of course! and GREAT perks!... and sicks days and PAID vacation! and i have to say i was sucessful in finding one!.. the job i have now has stock options bonus every 6 months.. and many other amazing perks to it!.. im totally stoked for it!! its awesome!.. i have a TON of opportunity within the company and as i grow i can change my postion which is also important!

People!

All of the jobs that I've had that I loved, it was because of my coworkers.

A sh*tty job can still be tolerable if you have good friends there to support you.

And a great job can get really boring and lonely if you dont have people that you like to share the time with.

I agree that people are the most important, but it's a hard thing to tell from the outside.

I look for a good feeling place that has growth opportunities and decent salary and benefits. I don't have to be rolling in dough, but I have to make enough to live on!

A combo of all of the above but I mean you need the right amount of $$ to survive.

Sometimes I wish I had cared a bit more about salary in the past - I might have chosen a more lucrative career than the one I'm in and could reach my financial goals more quickly. However, it has huge perks in the life/balance department, great vacation & benefits, so it somewhat evens out.

I am an associate at a BigLaw firm in a major US city. There is pretty much no such thing as a "work-life balanace" (although Chicago is better than New York). However, I am 25 years old and make a six figure salary. Not many people can say that. Even if I end up hating being an attorney, I will have built up a great financial cushion to do something else. Generally, I think jobs are work. I don't kid myself into thinking I should be doing something I love. I think even if I was paid to read gossip blogs all day it would still feel like work because it is something I would *have* to be doign for a specified amoutn of time. Salary is the most important thing by far. It gives me freedom to pursue things I really do love (travel, real estate, louboutins...), and the peace of mind that comes with not having to worry about money.

Well with my current job it's all about location (I'm living in one of the largest cities in the world), salary, but most importantly flexibility and convenience as it's all about travelling for me.

Otherwise I think something that is creative and fulfilling would have to top my list, although I'd need a decent salary to match it!

It has to be something I enjoy and that is challenging while paying my rent.
Right now i have been at my job for 2 1/2 years, the people are great, the salary is good, the benefits are great, but it takes me an hour and half each way to work and it is no longer challenging!
I wouldnt take a job for less than what im making now so money is important, but i need to actually look forward to going to work a little bit.

jkat, i think i see it in the opposite view as you
you spend such a big percentage of your life AT WORK, so whats the point of doing something you dont like, just for the money. I think i would prefer to do something I adore and make decent money, than do something i dont enjoy much just to make MORE money.

all of the above

I look for a job that focuses on a topic or issue that I'm passionate about.

I'm very lucky that I found a lot of these qualities in my new job. I work with AMAZING people. My boss in particular is very supportive and a great mentor. I also have a position that challenges me and forces me to think and be on top of my game at all times -- and will allow me to grow.

A sense of purpose. My job helps a lot of people.

It's kind of a combination of all those factors. Salary is probably at the top of my list, but I'd be willing to sacrifice a little bit of money for a good atmosphere.

My job now has AMAZING people, a casual atmosphere, and is all around a cool place to work. I could probably make a little bit more money somewhere else, but I'd rather be able to work with fun people and wear jeans every day.

Now, if it was a matter of ten grand or more a year, then I'd leave. But not for just a few thou.

One time I turned down a great job offer because the commute was too far, though.

Primarily, a job I'll enjoy doing. Secondary: $$$

All of the above.

I need to feel like I'm doing something to make the world a better place. And not in that far-fetched "well, my job will help this person's life easier" in some way... but like feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, bringing down evil dictators, that sort of thing.

What about all of the above?

I didn't mean to imply I don't like being an attorney. I like it enough - for work. My point was simply that anything that I have to do 8-14 hours a day 5-7 days a week is not going to seem less than enjoyable at times. I personally don't have a "passion" that I would choose as a career. It wouldn't be lucrative enough, and it would probably (for me) take the "passion" out of it, turing it into work.

As long as it pays me enough to pay my student loans and the thousand dollars of interest they gain every month,

I choose jobs based on the mission of the organization. In the non-profit world this is actually kind of tricky, some "good" groups are actually not so good after all.

I'm a teacher and what's important to me in a teaching job is: what grade-level the job is in, type of school, the town the school is in, resources I'd have available to me, how I "click" with the principal (my boss), the contract details between the teachers' union and the town. And of course the salary and benefits...some schools I've worked for in the past pay horribly, but my current school district pays well above the average salary for a teacher in Mass.

I agree that the people you work with have a great affect on whether I find a job worth sticking with. I'm a fun loving person, so if I can't get along with or joke around with my co-workers, I'm most likely not going to enjoy my work. Another important thing for me is flexibility. As a college student, my schedule is constantly changing from semester to semester, so being able to find a job that allows me to work within my available times is crucial. And of course, a nice salary always goes a long way, but that isn't make or break for me.

I'm extremely picky when it comes to jobs. I want it all, to some extent. I want to do work that I enjoy, and be surrounded by people I like. I want to work for a company/organization that's compassionate. I want a cool company culture. I want decent hours, so I can have a life (I've been fortunate enough to be able to pick my own 8 hour time blocks at my last two jobs; I'm currently working 7:15 AM to 3:45 PM). Salary is somewhat important, of course, but it's not on the top of my list. After living on $800 a month as a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer, I learned how to survive on very little money. I've also turned down a few jobs because either I didn't like the interviewers or I simply didn't feel right about the job/company.

All I want is a job that I enjoy doing.

Convenience and Flexibility is the most important to me at this point in my life.

I want it all!

all of the above!

I'm not gonna lie to sound good and get all the "warm guzzies" out or look like the "entrepreneur wanna-be." I flat out want a job in my field that is the highest paying that requires the least amount of work...period.

timely question. today is my last day at my current job. i have a wk off and then im starting at a new job. why did i pick the new job? compensation, quality of life issues, opportunity for growth. the other reason, which is not exactly a reason for me to change jobs, more like an added benefit is the opportunity for change. I took this job because it moved me closer to my family. unfortunately in the process of moving, many things happened in my life and i ended up getting a divorce from my husband. I spent the last year recovering emotionally, and many things about this current position makes it hard to move on. I need a clean break, a new lease (to borrow some cliche phrases)..i think its for the best and im looking forward to the future:)

Since if I got a job, it'd only be a part-time job for extra money, the most important aspect to me would be that I liked it and the people I worked with. I wouldn't be committed enough to stress out about it, so if it wasn't working for me, I'd quit.