Imagine that youre in the job market, with offers in hand from three firms. All three are attractive -- the type of opportunities youve been looking for with competitive compensation packages.

You decide to meet with each firm one more time, specifically to talk about what your entry experience might like -- what to expect in your first six months on the job. Heres what representatives from the three companies say. Which job will you take?

Company One: Actually, your first three months will be a probationary period in which youll get to know and work closely with your assigned teammates. Theyll see how well you work with the group and contribute to its success. At the end of that period, your teammates -- your peers -- will vote on whether or not you will get to stay in the organization.

Company Two: We cant tell you what your exact role will be or who youll be working with. For the first three months, youll be in our fishbowl, performing a series of weekly challenges, perhaps designing new products or marketing campaigns, under the close scrutiny of our CEO and other senior executives. At the end of the time, depending on what we observe, well help you find the right position for your skills.

Company Three: Your first three months will be spent learning our way of doing business. We have a specific way of operating, and we expect you to follow our processes closely. Were convinced that the ways weve outlined are the most productive and successful. After an extensive training program, youll get a chance to apprentice with one of our strongest performers.

If youre like most people, these three ways of starting work at a new company are not equally appealing. In fact, depending on your personality and preferences -- depending on how you view work and the role you want it to play in your life -- youll probably have a distinct preference for one over the others.

If social relationships at work are important to you, if teamwork is something you enjoy and believe you excel at, the first offer will probably sound pretty good. The entry process certainly drives home the point that this is a company that puts a high priority on team behavior!

If you love the challenge of creating new things and see work as a platform to express yourself -- and if you have a high tolerance for ambiguity -- the second company might be for you. Again, the entry process sets a clear tone -- intense challenge, high visibility, and chance to show what you can do.

If clarity and definition are important to you -- if you want a well-defined path to succeed at work -- the third company probably sounds like a dream come true. Clearly they have thought about how to do well -- and are prepared to invest significant time and resources in helping you learn the ropes.

As Lynda Gratton and I discussed more fully back in March in a Harvard Business Review article, "What It Means to Work Here, getting it right -- finding a work experience that matches your personality and preferences -- is key to your ultimate enjoyment of your work. In the end, the realistic demands of the job need to be in line with the role youre prepared for work to play in your life. By choosing the company that is best suited to your needs and priorities, the more likely you are to be highly engaged in your work.

Organizations differ widely along these important components of the work experience. Some companies have risk-based compensation (options, bonuses), while others have predictable cost-of-living salary structures. Some organizations set up highly flexible, self-scheduling work groups; others take a pretty intense all hands on deck approach most of the time. Some reflect an underlying philosophy of paternalism; others a virtually complete contractor-like hands-off attitude. As you think about what you want to do next, its as important to think about your preferences for these experience factors as it is to consider the actual objective of the work youll be performing. If you dont get this right, no matter how much you intellectually like the idea of what youre working on, you wont really be engaged.

What elements of the work experience do you find most engaging, and how could companies make those even stronger?

Next week Ill share some of the major engagement drivers, or what Ive come to call your Lifes Lure. And we'll post a quiz to find out which Lure is most important to you.

But for now ... which of the three job offers would you accept?

HARVARD BUSINESS ONLINE RECOMMENDS:
A Note on Analyzing and Choosing a Job Offer (Case)
The Seasoned Executive's Decision-Making Style (HBR Article)
Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career (Paperback)