When looking for the financial stability of a good job, many people turn to professional recruiting services to aid them in their search. This is a great place to start, since top-notch professional recruiting services help qualified candidates find solid, well-compensated positions with secure, stable companies.

That said, many job hunters are concerned with more than just a steady paycheck. There is also the existential need that all employees have: personal and professional satisfaction at work, and the opportunity for professional growth. In other words, while financial stability is an important factor when considering any position, there is more than just money on the table.

That’s why simply choosing the position with the strongest financial offer is often a bad idea. As people who work for professional recruiting agencies will tell you, the placement of an executive is far more complex than simply weighing financials.

The following thought experiment illustrates the point: one job seeker takes a high-paid position, but one with few intellectual challenges and little opportunity for promotion. A second job seeker accepts a position with numerous interesting challenges, a vibrant work culture, and the chance to grow with the company. However, the second job seeker accepts lower (but not unfair) compensation when accepting his position. To the uninitiated, it might seem that in such a situation, each job seeker got something and gave up something: the former got more money and a more secure financial future, while the latter got more job satisfaction. But, as those who work in professional recruiting services will tell you time and again, the trade-off is often not one-to-one.

To continue the thought experiment, fast-forward five years: which of the two above job seekers will have built his skills, accumulated an impressive list of achievements, and received a steady string of promotions? Which of the two job seekers will have found the past five years of work repetitive and uninteresting, despite an excellent salary? The answer is obvious: it’s hard to deny that the job seeker who took his position with an eye towards other factors is the one who comes out on top. Good professional recruiting services will help job seekers see this. After all, after fast-forwarding five years, which of the two above job seekers is now better positioned to make an upward move with a new company?

In other words, compensation is an important consideration, but it can’t be the only consideration. Professional recruiting services that tell job seekers otherwise do the seekers a disservice. Think of it this way: if compensation is the only consideration, you may end up shooting yourself in the foot – you get more money, but you may get significantly less of everything else.

The best professional recruiting services know this – they look for a match in terms of personality, ambition, abilities, and financials. And that’s what a savvy job seeker does as well – he knows himself, what he needs in a work environment, and what type of financial compensation he is worth. By keeping this balance in mind, a successful job seeker will find a job that will propel his career to even further heights.