I am going through a transition at work where we are adding new team members to our very small working group. It has been pretty interesting because these new team members are from a different company than my own. It got me to thinking a lot about how people choose the company they work for. Of course, the industry does a ton of research, including conducting employee surveys, to come up with the optimal mix of items to offer new employees.

Each and every company out there is different in what they find most important to offer their employees. Here are some of the things I look for when evaluating a company though.
Benefits
Is the benefit package a strong one? Does it include insurance from reputable companies?
Stability
Has the company been around a long time? Has it experienced success recently? Does it appear able to weather hard economic times?
Work/Life Balance
We all struggle to find balance between work and play. Companies that strive to help with that are high on my list!
Advancement Opportunities
Typically, smaller companies are going to be harder to advance within because there is so much need for higher grade employees. Larger companies may have more advancement opportunities BUT those could be harder to actually secure.

Ok, so now you know what I think is important in a company. Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Is high pay with less stability more your thing? Or do you prefer lots of stability in exchange for a less pay or benefits? Or, are you one of those lucky few that work for the stellar companies that offer it all?