By Kristi L. Gustafson © 2006 Albany Times Union

Local branch of national nonprofit agency seeking a candidate who will direct all regional income development and education activities including management of human and financial resources. Requirements: willing to take a cut in health benefits, retirement contribution and pay; work harder.

"You get to a certain point in your life and you just wonder if there's more you could do to help people," says Carpenter-Palumbo. "You think of family and balance and commitment to your community. It's more than just salary."

Such a classified ad may send many people running for the safety of their oh-so-tactfully decorated office spaces, but a similar proposal drew Karen Carpenter-Palumbo away from her position with a local health maintenance organization to her current job at the American Cancer Society.

She just hit the two-year mark as regional vice president there and even though she took a 30 percent cut in pay and benefits when she switched jobs, she hasn't felt a nanosecond of regret.

"You get to a certain point in your life and you just wonder if there's more you could do to help people," says Carpenter-Palumbo. "You think of family and balance and commitment to your community. It's more than just salary."

Nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of all employees have changed jobs since mid-2004, according to a recent MetLife study of employee benefit trends. But what should employees consider before moving from one office space to another?

A job switch is not as simple as going to a company with a better reputation or bigger name, or one offering a juicier paycheck. Before packing those family photos, Rolodex and handmade pencil cup away in boxes to cart to your next office, consider the meat of the new position.

"People often make job change decisions with their emotions rather than with logic," says Lynda Ford, president of the Ford Group, a management and human resource consultant firm in Rome, N.Y., and author of "Transform Your Workplace."

"There are a wide range of tangible and intangible factors to consider when changing jobs, and none more important than your state of mind."

Will your new company allow you to skip out midday to attend your son's soccer game? How are those health and dental benefits? When will your new benefits kick in? Will there be a time when you're tempting fate by being uninsured or having to shell out for health insurance?

There's also vacation time and sick days and the financial implications that extend beyond base salary - like stock options, 401(k), pension and other retirement options - to consider. If you aren't fully vested at your current job, how much do you stand to lose from your employer's contributions to your 401(k) by bolting?

The questions the savvy job jumper must ask him- or herself don't stop there. The inbox fills with things to consider, including factors that are perhaps less quantifiable.

"A new job with more pay may seem like a no-brainer, but that is not always the case," says Roberta Chinsky Matuson of Human Resources Solutions, based in Northampton, Mass. "When starting a new job you must often work extra hours until you are a known commodity."

There goes slipping out early on a gorgeous day and making it up by sticking around when the weather is awful. Also, what if you have a newborn or your spouse is starting a new business that will require your assistance? Your present employer knows you, and your work, so it may allow for the flexible schedule you need to balance your personal commitments. A new employer, most likely, isn't going to bend so easily early on.

"Before changing jobs, make sure you are able to commit the time and dedication it will take to be successful in your new role," says Matuson.

When Chris Wessell of Colonie, N.Y., changed jobs six months ago, it wasn't without a lot of thoughtful consideration. Or what he calls asking every nitpicking question.

At his new job as a recruiter with Yoh HR Solutions in Albany, his health benefits cost him about half what they did at his old job. He also gets a few more days vacation now and a more defined contribution to his 401(k). With his first company, the 401(k) contribution was based on a profit-sharing format. It was variable and a one-time thing. Now it's more structured.

"A lot of regular commission is variable in this business, so it's nice to have your retirement stuff be more stable," says Wessell, who places IT employees at various companies around the region. "You don't want to take risks with the future, but it's OK with commission checks."

So, making a rash decision to leave an old job for what you hope will be a better position is not unlike firing out a caustic e-mail without first thinking through the pros and cons. Haste, and acting with blinders on to the full magnitude of the switch, are the biggest mistakes people make in such a situation.

If you do ultimately decide that making a change would be in your best interest, once you're at a new place of employment, give yourself time to settle in and establish yourself as part of a new team. Remember, too, that no workplace is without struggles. But just because everything may not be ideal at the new place, don't restart the whole "to move or not to move" debate too quickly.

"You should always keep your eyes open for better opportunities, but don't become a job-hopper," says Susan Vobejda, vice president and career expert with Yahoo! HotJobs. "Employers like to see stability."