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When considering the career options, there are the obvious things people look for: good salary, company stability, the opportunity to advance. But there are other things — the extras — that you should also keep in mind.

Earlier this week, we talked about the opportunities available at small companies, especially a couple of those listed on the Great Place to Work list of Best Small Workplaces. These companies emphasize the importance of diversity, which can foster an innovative workforce.

Looking over the list of Best Medium Workplaces, I noticed a heavy emphasis on a different kind of workplace incentive: good, old-fashioned perks. At Colorado’s Rally Software, they provide “a game room, office scooters, nerf gun wars, and Friday afternoon happy hours.” Cirrus Logic, an electronics company, has access to VIP tickets to South by Southwest and hosts bake-offs. And at Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman, a business consulting firm, they work 11 months out of the year and give employees a $500 vacation stipend biannually.

And then there are the more serious extras, like tuition reimbursement, health coverage for the family, and extended maternity leaves that other companies offer.

By no means do we suggest that perks should make or break a decision to take or leave a job. But in the US, we work long hours. Oftentimes we’re on call when we leave the office. At the end of the year, it’s not uncommon for staffers to have vacation days that remain untaken.

According to the recent Harris Interactive online survey “Vacation Deprivation,” more Americans are taking less time off. Last year, Americans on average took 14 days off, this year it was only 12 days. ”‘Fear of being replaced’ and ‘too much work’ were two of the biggest reasons respondents cited in the survey,” the TODAY show website reports.

So a company should make the time that’s spent at the office as pleasant as possible. Moreover, they should respect the time that you spend away from work, resting and recharging, enjoying your family and friends.

A medium-sized company can offer the best of both a small company and a large one — a business that’s intimate enough to offer workers the opportunity to try their hand at a few different roles and build personal relationships, but big enough to offer perks and advancement.

And for someone who might still be exploring the professional options, or has moved up a couple of notches into the midpoint of their career, a mid-sized company could be a way to settle into the next phase of your professional life.

If these are things that you’re looking for, your next job search might be for a position with a mid-sized company. Thoughts?

It’s typical to hear a woman say she never leaves the house without makeup and a new study by Harris Interactive may explain why. About 44 percent of all women view themselves negatively when they have a bare face.

Specifically, about 16 percent of the respondents said they feel unattractive without makeup, 14 percent feel self-conscious, and another 14 percent feel like something is missing. Only a small percentage—3 percent—of the 1,292 women who were polled in the study  said they feel more attractive without any makeup at all.

“Wearing makeup to enhance one’s appearance is normal in our society and often a right of passage for young women,” said Adrienne Ressler, national training director for the Renfrew Center Foundation and a body image expert.”There is concern, however, when makeup no longer becomes a tool for enhancement but, rather, a security blanket that conceals negative feelings about one’s self-image and self-esteem.  For many individuals, these feelings may set the stage for addictions or patterns of disordered eating to develop.”

Not all makeup use was rooted in a need to cover oneself up though. About 48 percent of the respondents said they wear makeup because they liked how they look with it and 32 percent said wearing makeup makes them feel good. For another 11 percent, they wear makeup because it’s the norm: 51 percent started applying makeup when they were between 14 and 16 years old, and another 27 percent began between 11 and 13.

How do you feel when you don’t wear makeup? Do you prefer to be made up or wear a bare face?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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