AVIAN Media Network
Culture & Careers Blog Post

The Guide to Benefits

Benefits. They may be the most confusing part of a new job.

What are you supposed to look for?

What do all the words mean?

What do they do for you?

It's time to talk about benefits lightly.

The most common benefit questions candidates ask about are healthcare and paid time off. Candidates need to know what's being offered to figure out if the benefits fit their needs now and in the future. It comes down to cost for some people, and for others, it comes down to how many visits you have with a doctor or dentist.

Each person has to figure out how to color everything they need inside the lines of their benefits. The biggest mistake a candidate can make is not asking. Recruiters are more than happy to help an employee color inside the lines.

On the flip side, the questions recruiters don't get asked include common and uncommon insurance. Some companies offer extended dental plans for adult orthodontia and/or insurance on fur babies. Discovering those hidden gems or faulty ones weighs your choice. Be sure to read all the details to understand how benefits get spun because every company offers something different.

Additionally, when understanding benefits, some will be pre-taxed, and others won't. This is where pre-taxed benefits tell you what you can and cannot do within your plan/ network. When everything is uncovered, finding out what you need and want becomes clear.

The same idea goes for paid time off (PTO). If you have military experience or previous professional experience, then there are potentially more days off from the start. The more experience you have, the higher the PTO tier you can potentially get. However, it's not guaranteed. It depends on the company's criteria.

AVIAN and many other companies benchmark their benefits to get the best of the best. Benchmarking means companies compare their benefit offerings to other companies that are similar to them. This establishes a baseline, defines best practices, and identifies improvements. The baseline improves employees' opportunity to get new benefits while keeping the most liked.


Reading through every page of your benefits will prevent a headache waiting to happen. If you read through a section or the whole benefits guide and still don’t know what was said, ask for clarification. Your company will always give you the answer that way, everyone can save some money.


Find more information on what different plans mean and what other awesome benefits AVIAN offers its employees. Learn the details if you dare! Entering your first job may be less of a scare!


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