Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Don’t wimp out in the face of salary negotiations

Don’t wimp out in the face of salary negotiations

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:07 AM PDT

We know that, especially in today’s economy, many job seekers are just grateful to receive a job offer. Make no mistake, having a job offer is a reason to celebrate, especially after all the hard work that goes into a job search. But you shouldn’t consider yourself lucky just to have an offer and feel you need to take whatever’s put in front of you.
Today we have a guest post from two authors who remind job seekers how important it the art of salary negotiation is and what it can mean for your long-term income.

Four Ways to Wimp out During Salary Negotiations
By Selena Dehne, JIST Publishing. Featuring excerpted information from Next-Day Job Interview by Michael Farr and Dick Gaither.
Don't underestimate the importance of negotiating in the job search. In their book "Next-Day Job Interview," Michael Farr and Dick Gaither share the following example of how powerful a seemingly small boost to a job offer can be.

An 18-year-old high school graduate negotiates for $21,000 per year instead of accepting the $20,000 per year that was initially offered.
That graduate then gets an average 3 percent raise each year.
He or she works for 50 years (normal in today's world).
The result is that this person ends up with at least $112,000 more during the course of his or her career lifetime than a person who didn't negotiate for that extra $1,000.

That's a pretty substantial difference, wouldn't you say? A mere $1,000 increase to a job offer can prove to be quite rewarding over time. That's why it's so important that you give negotiations a chance, rather than skipping the process because you're too uncomfortable to attach a value to your talents and skills.
As you negotiate, avoid the following mistakes. According to Farr and Gaither, these are some of the most common ways to botch the process.
Mistake #1: Assume that nothing is negotiable.
If you're concerned that an attempt to negotiate you job offer will offend the potential employer or make you look greedy, don't fret. According to Farr and Gaither, "More than 80 percent of employers expect some form of negotiation for pay, benefits, perks, work schedules, work locations and so on. If you don't ask for it, you won't get it."
Mistake #2: Throw in the towel too quickly.
"Just because you're told no, that doesn't mean the negotiation is over," say Farr and Gaither. "Salespeople know that the first no is just the start of the sale. Keep plugging away. Patience and persistence are paths to success."
Mistake #3: Say "yes" too soon.
"Most of the time the first offer isn't the last offer. And the first offer will usually be lower than the last offer. One theme running through every book on salary negotiation is that interviewees need to delay talking about salary expectations. The longer that an interviewer talks to you, the more likely you'll be to negotiate better compensation," explain Farr and Gaither.
Mistake #4: Negotiate just for money.
The employer may not be able to boost your salary or hourly rate, but there are additional ways to sweeten your job offer. According to Farr and Gaither, "If you can't get the money, you should negotiate for things that translate into money or that make your life easier such as extra vacation time; educational reimbursements; flexible schedules; help in buying tools, computers or software; travel allowances; and so on."
Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST’s Job Search and Career Blog (http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.

ResumeBear Launches Its Much Anticipated Job Board

ResumeBear Blog

ResumeBear Launches Its Much Anticipated Job Board

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 10:24 AM PDT

This unique job board from ResumeBear will only feature 100% verified job postings in efforts to eliminate wasted time for job seekers.

Now with over 250,000 Resumes accumulated from job seekers in the ResumeBear data-base, employers now have a vast selection of candidates to hire from.

Solana Beach, Ca (PRWEB) August 09, 2011
"We have already had an astounding success. Within the first 72 hours of its release, over 100 companies have already utilized the job board. " Says Founder Bob Warren. The simple and easy applying process is what separates ResumeBear from other Job Boards. Pick the Job Post, choose a Resume, customize the Cover Letter and Send; The Tracking begins.
"Now with over 250,000 Resumes accumulated from job seekers in the ResumeBear data-base, employers now have a vast selection of candidates to hire from” says Bob Warren.
Coming Soon in September from ResumeBear:
Expanding into Canada as ResumeBear finalizes details with Julia Cordray founder of Career Fox Inc
New Veterans Job Search Assistance Program. ResumeBear is 100% committed to Helping our Veteran’s find employment after their service.
A College program that will allow all schools in the country to have a branded page for their students.
New Resume Mobile Apps will be released with the Job Board functionality.
ResumeBear University will host workshops and seminars through-out the country teaching job seekers how to get a new job in these times.
About ResumeBear:
Offering resume development and distribution services to job seekers at all levels, ResumeBear, Inc. is committed to helping its customers advance their careers by empowering their resumes. ResumeBear's real-time tracking, multi-format delivery and easy to follow tools and tutorials provide job seekers with the resources they need to efficiently secure the career of their dreams.

7 Tips for Sending Your Next Thank You Letter plus 1 more | Career Rocketeer

Link to Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

7 Tips for Sending Your Next Thank You Letter

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 03:35 AM PDT

Sending a thank you or follow-up letter is simply not on the mind of the average job seeker. Once the interviews are over, most want to move on to the next best thing: applying for another job.
Although it’s important to keep your options open during a job hunt, it’s also good to make sure you don’t forget the companies you’ve already applied to. By sending the company a simple thank you letter, you could scoot yourself right up the consideration pile. Here are seven tips to consider when writing yours:
1. Make it personal. Instead of writing a generic thank-you note that simply states, “Thank you for the interview. It was great to meet you!”, get more personal about sharing what a pleasure you had in meeting X Company’s staff and your excitement about X position. The more personal the note, the more genuine it will feel to those reading it.
2. Highlight your selling points. In the thank-you letter, you'll want to include a few sentences that highlight your selling points. What are your main reasons for applying for the position and why do you think you’re the best fit?
3. Address a topic not discussed during the interview. If there is something unique about you professionally that you did not discuss during the interview (a skill you bring to the table, volunteering effort, board membership, award won, etc.), you could find a way to slide it into your thank-you.
4. Don’t write a book. Although you do want to make sure that your note is personal, while addressing the specifics of your interview and interest in the job, you don’t want to write multiple pages—because those people to whom it is addressed will not want to read it all. About four paragraphs should do the trick.
5. Reiterate your thanks. Yes, you’ve already said it at the beginning of the note, but it’s good to thank the addressee(s) one more time for having given you the opportunity to apply. Your gratitude could really make a difference.
6. Address it specifically. When sending a thank-you note, you don’t want to address it to a general title like “Director of Personnel”. It’s much better to address it to the person(s) who conducted your interview, as well as everyone else who helped you during your visit (don’t leave out the receptionist!).
7. Send it soon. It’s always a good idea to send a thank-you letter within 48 hours of your interview—the sooner, the better. If sending via e-mail, try to do it within a few hours. If sending via snail mail, it’s good to overnight it to ensure you don’t blend in with the pool of faceless applicants.
Having the opportunity to interview for a position is truly something to be thankful for—because not everyone will have had the same opportunity as you. So show your gratitude by sending a thoughtful letter that does a good job of selling you as the right person for the job.
For more job search and resume writing advice follow us on Twitter @GreatResume.

Author:
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class resumes and cover letters that transform job searches into interviews and ultimately job offers. For more information about professional resume writing or to read more career and job search related articles visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com or call 1.800.991.5187.

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Interview Tips: The Five T’s

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 03:45 AM PDT

From recent HS graduates to C-suite executives, a job interview can be an overwhelming experience for job seekers if they are not fully prepared. So here are what for mnemonic sake I will call the Five T's For a Successful Interview.
THINK: Never go into a face-to face job interview without giving considerable thought to what questions you will be asked and the responses you will offer; and if you are not capable of preparing for an interview on your own I recommend finding a coach to help you.
The reason is simple. From my experience job seekers who have not been properly coached on how to anticipate and respond to questions before beginning a job search tend to be more anxious and frustrated than their competitors who got professional help. This is particularly true among job seekers who are unemployed. Conversely job seekers who have been properly coached tend to come across as more polished and likeable throughout the interview process, and they are more likely to get a job offer as long as they are qualified for the job.
Another important point to remember is this, if you're asked a question you didn't prepare for; take a mental moment to "think before you speak."
Because interview prep is important in landing a job, I use specially developed resume building exercises I designed with a dual purpose; to help me to prepare a compelling resume and to help my client prepare for a grueling job interview.
A side benefit is that a well written resume intrigues even the most professional interviewer and leads them to ask you questions that you want to be asked and answer. These are much easier to prepare for than ones that are unexpected.
TRUTH: From my vantage point as a recruiter, hiring authority and resume writer/career coach I've found too many job seekers are unaware of their rightful value and therefore tend to underestimate what they have to offer. On the other hand I've also run into job seekers at all levels whose opinion of them, what they've accomplished, and their true value to a new employer is overblown and fails to stand up to scrutiny, especially during an interrogation style interview and subsequent background checks.
So before you enter an interview you need to truthfully determine your full value and how it coincides with what you have to offer a new employer in terms of the position you are interviewing for, past history not withstanding.
This is where truth and a good coach come in. The worst thing a job seeker can do on a job interview is tell an outright lie. The next worst thing is to stretch the truth to the outer limits of believability and investigative due diligence.
So whether you lack self confidence, have an overabundance of it, or fall somewhere in between, before you even begin to plan your job search you must discover the boundaries of how far you can "toot your own horn" without going too far or not going far enough. This is an exercise that is harder to do alone, so again I suggest you get someone who is objective to work with you to see if the answers you are providing sound like the truth and can be verified when the time comes.
TONE & TIMING: Back in the last millennium when I first started preparing candidates for interviews I discovered that to help them be successful I had to preach and teach them what I called a Freud / Stanislavsky mentality.
Thinking and Truth are the introspective components of the Freud mentality while Tone and Timing are integral parts of the Stanislavski mentality.
Think of it like this, ten people tell the same joke but they do not all get the same results. A few get belly laughs, some get polite chuckles, and most get raised eyebrows. As I have been told throughout my life, and I pass this bit of old fashioned advice along to others at every opportunity, "it's not what you say but how you say it!"
Once you determine what you expect to be asked and how you will reply, it is time to work on your communication skills. There is a major difference between speaking and communicating with others. You need to understand the difference if you want to become proficient at answering questions during a job interview.
Your tone of voice is very important. Depending on your natural speaking voice you'll need to control how loud or soft you speak, and you must practice when and where to inject excitement, confidence, sincerity and humility into your vocal responses.
The same holds true for timing. Every interview question requires an answer that's concise and goes straight to the point. Here is to me the most critical timing mistake I've seen people make. Many interview questions will require clarification or a follow-up question by the interviewer. What I found is that many people in anticipation of the clarification or follow-up question answer it before it is asked and in doing so rush to fit both answers. The mantra every job seeker must adopt is the same as what an attorney tells a client before a deposition," only answer the questions you're asked and never volunteer information without being asked to do so, unless you are prepared for an unknown follow-up question."
Another important point regarding timing is the need to practice gathering your thoughts before you begin to speak and being conscious about pausing to take a breath while you're speaking.
Just as there are run on sentences in a written speech that are not properly punctuated by commas periods question marks and exclamation points and although the words that are being read convey a very well thought out and lucent point the point gets lost because it is impossible to comprehend what the writer is saying – the same holds true when you speak to someone face to face. You need to add vocal punctuation to your words or they will be lost in the translation.
Think of it like Stanislavsky would in preparing great actors. Your tone of voice and timing is what turns mere words into poignant answers during a job interview.
Getting this right is also something that is hard to do alone, although today you can use a videocam or webcam to practice your presentation, or even your cell phone. However here too I find having someone there to ask you the questions and critique your responses is much more effective.
THANK YOU: One of the forgotten values in life today is appreciation of others. How many times do we take the use of the words 'Please' and 'Thank You' for granted? When was the last time you heard "Please pass the peas," instead of "pass the peas,' or even more common today just seeing a finger pointing to the peas without a word being spoken.
At the conclusion of an interview the last thing you should do, whether you are a man or a women, is to walk over to the interviewer, extend your hand and say "Thank you for your time, I really enjoyed meeting with you and look forward to hearing back from you soon."
With that thought in mind I would like to thank all the readers who read this post and all the people who emailed or called me, or posted a comment to tell me how much they enjoy what I have to say. Thank You all.

Author:
Perry Newman, CPC CSMS is a nationally recognized executive resume writer, career coach, AIPC certified recruiter and SMMU certified social media strategist known for his ability to help his clients get results. You can view his sample resumes at http://www.perrynewman.com, and email him your resume at perry@perrynewman.com for FREE resume critique.

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[Newsletter] Only 3 Things Impress Recruiters on a Resume

Weekly Newsletter | August 9, 2011

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10 Secrets to Control Your Boss (a.k.a How to Avoid Getting Laid-off)

We all wish we could have control over our boss. That way, we could ensure we’d get what we want, and at the very least, never be considered for a layoff. Well good news, there are things you can do to build a relationship with your manager that will give you some power. Here are 10 tips to help you.

How to Follow-up on Your Resume

You sent out the resume – you’re a perfect fit – and yet no one calls. Sound familiar? In fact, a majority of candidates today do not receive a response on a submitted resume. So the big question is, “When is it appropriate to follow-up with an employer on my submission and how do I do it?” There is no answer that will fit every scenario, but there are some good rules you should follow.

Your Appearance Impacts Your Career

What we wear and our appearance DOES impact our career, from the first few seconds in an interview to what you choose from your closet on a daily basis. Sound trivial? It is, but as the employer sees it: it isn’t.

Career Comics: Funny Caption Contest

Do you think you’re funny? Prove it! In the comment section on this article, write out the funniest caption you can think of for the picture on the left. Whoever has the most votes by 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, August 10 will win a 3-month Premium Membership to CareerHMO.com.

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How to Match Your Brand to Potential Employers

Ever wonder what a potential employer is looking for? How can you tailor your personal brand BEFORE the interview to make sure it matches their culture, beliefs and style? On Thursday, August 11 at 1:00 PM ET CareerHMO.com CEO, J.T. O'Donnell will take a closer look at how to match your personal brand to an employer's brand. She'll show you online tools and resources to help you tailor your brand so it stands out and connects with the employer's values and vision. Learn how to show a potential employer you should be part of their tribe!

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Only 3 Things Impress Recruiters on a Resume

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