People talk a lot about salary and benefits and convenience when it comes to finding a job, and with good reason. I mean, yeah, your paycheck matters. Especially if you have a love for wine that you need to fund, like some people I know. Namely, me. But if you’re comparing several job, all of which will allow you to buy as much Chardonnay as you little heart desires, don’t forget to consider the perks.

Because perks ROCK.

It might not seem like a big thing to get a small flex spending account when you travel or a free parking space or whatever, but it’s the little things that make a good job turn into a great job. Little crap that doesn’t even amount to much in terms of money could even justify giving up a better-paying job.

Point in case:

One of my many clients is BlogWorld Expo. I won’t say how much I make working for BlogWorld, but I will say that it is a little on the low-paying side, since they’re a pretty young conference still working on making a profit. Trust me, I’m not complaining, because even though working for BlogWorld means I have to pass up some higher-paying jobs, the perks are amazing.*

For example, the picture above was taken while at the conference itself, at a restaurant called Tender. The week before, I contacted one of Vegas’ restaurant PR companies and offered to review some restaurants in exchange for promotion to the BlogWorld audience. They were happy for the opportunity, and one of the places they took was was a restaurant called Tender. In all, the meal, drinks, etc probably set them back about $100 for me - and if you look at it that way, it isn’t’ much. I mean, if I didn’t work for BlogWorld, I probably could earn more than $100 extra working for another company.

But that’s not the point. While reviewing that restaurant, I was treated like a rock star. I had an amazing time with the PR rep and a friend they let me bring along. We drank wine. We compared life stories. We laughed.

That’s worth more than $100.

What perks come connected to your potential jobs? Do you get to travel with your company, seeing new cities or even new countries? Does the company have a softball league that you could join to play on weekends? Would you have flexible working hours so you could make your own schedule? Do you get discounts on company products or services?

It’s not always about the money. It’s about how much you love your job. And trust me, if you get to have free diner in Vegas with fabulous people, that’s so much better than a few extra bucks in your wallet.

*Also, I REALLY love the people who I work with and the company is doing things I think are awesome. Even without the perks, it is worth it, working for BlogWorld Expo. It’s pretty much a dream gig for a writer.