You also need to understand what these so-called "benefits" cost you. Sure to work at Google means I can take one of their shuttles, but it also means I would have to live a lifestyle I dread: being someone who lives in a great city and commutes to a soulless suburb.
My favorite was always the companies who try to convince you to work later by offering you some half-assed dinner. I worked at a "Netscape startup" (because in the valley we like to brag what failed company our founders come from), and every night for 6 months they ordered some awful thai food for dinner, in order to try and convince everybody to put in an extra 2 hours.
And then you need to ask existing employees if the benefits are real. I had lunch with three of my friends in Google's SRE when GOOG was trying to convince me to work with them. Their response on the benefits:
- Daycare: bullshit, 1-2 year waiting list
- Shuttle: Only if you don't mind working a crazy schedule and being at the whim of the shuttle schedule
- 20% time: too over-worked to take advantage of it
- Google tech talks: So what, they're free on Google Video
Valuating an offer is a complicated process. That's where "Show me the money" or "fuck you, pay me" is an effective mentality when a future employer is trying to con you into taking less than market rate. It's a sale, you convince them why you're worth the number you write on the piece of paper, or they convince you why you're not.
Do you want to work for an employee who thinks your work is worth less than you believe it's value to be?
By the time you get to this part of the hiring, you should have already decided if you want to work for the company. What you're doing here is working out what it's going to cost them to have you.
Good point about "real" benefits. You should certainly do some research to learn how good they really are. The company "workout room" might be a well appointed sports club, or it might be a basement closet with only a worn out old treadmill.
My favorite was always the companies who try to convince you to work later by offering you some half-assed dinner. I worked at a "Netscape startup" (because in the valley we like to brag what failed company our founders come from), and every night for 6 months they ordered some awful thai food for dinner, in order to try and convince everybody to put in an extra 2 hours.
And then you need to ask existing employees if the benefits are real. I had lunch with three of my friends in Google's SRE when GOOG was trying to convince me to work with them. Their response on the benefits:
- Daycare: bullshit, 1-2 year waiting list - Shuttle: Only if you don't mind working a crazy schedule and being at the whim of the shuttle schedule - 20% time: too over-worked to take advantage of it - Google tech talks: So what, they're free on Google Video
Valuating an offer is a complicated process. That's where "Show me the money" or "fuck you, pay me" is an effective mentality when a future employer is trying to con you into taking less than market rate. It's a sale, you convince them why you're worth the number you write on the piece of paper, or they convince you why you're not.
Do you want to work for an employee who thinks your work is worth less than you believe it's value to be?