As stated in a previous post during my job search ironically I had landed interviews with the top two highest paying jobs on the same day which in turn left me with quite a decision to make knowing one certainly wasn’t going to wait for the other. I ended up going with the higher paying of the two and I’ll tell you now I’ve jumped through so many hoops during this application process I may as well had turned into a basketball. Despite all that just this afternoon I got confrontation that HR is going to finalize everything necessary. In total it’s been about a month’s ordeal just getting to this point. It’s pretty much a life changing job seeing as it’s nearly a $6 raise for me! Now to put it out there I’m definitely not the type to be full of myself or be some pompous jerk thinking I’m better than anyone now. No not at all. It is a huge burden lifted but this did not just land in my lap. In fact I’ve applied to this company 6 times before fate had me run into an old friend who thankfully put in a recommendation which allowed me to go in and finally prove to them I am worth the investment regardless of lack of experience in the field. In my opinion it’s all about persistence and how you present yourself. And this time I can brag just a little and say I did pretty dam good. Super grateful!

The Art Of Salary Negotiations

Perhaps one of the most feared part of the job seeking process is what happens after the job offer is made. It is also a necessary step when gunning for a promotion at our current job. It is negotiating the salary.

Salary negotiation can be scary. But what’s even scarier is not doing it. A study revealed that of those people who negotiated, they were able to increase their salary by over 7%. That may not sound like much, but if you get 7% less than your co-worker, assuming you’re treated identically from then on, with the same raises and promotions, you’d have to work eight years longer to be as wealthy as them at retirement.

So, it’s time to learn how to negotiate. The tips described in this article will get you totally prepped.

GETTING PREPPED

1. Know Your Value If you’re going to get the pay you deserve, it’s crucial to know the going rate for your position in your specific industry and in your geographic area by doing an online search on sites such as Payscale or Glassdoor, or by asking others in your field. If you walk into a salary negotiation without a number, you’re at the mercy of an experienced hiring manager.

2. Pick The Top Of The Range With a range that represents your market value, ask for something toward the top. First, you should assume you’re entitled to top pay. Second, your employer will almost certainly negotiate down, so you need wiggle room to still end up with a salary you’re pleased with.

3. Know The (Exact) Number According to researchers at Columbia Business School, you should ask for a very specific number say, $44,750 rather than $45,000. Turns out, when employees use a more precise number, they are more likely to get a final offer closer to what they were hoping for because the employer will assume you’ve done extensive research to reach that specific number.

4. Be Willing To Walk Away When considering your numbers, you should also come up with a “walk away point,” a final offer that’s so low that you have to turn it down. This could be based on financial need, market value, or simply what you need to feel good about the salary you’re bringing home. Walking away from an offer will not be easy, but it’s important to know when to do it, and powerful to be able to say “no.”

5. Make Sure You’re Ready Before you ask for a raise, ask yourself a few questions. Have you been at your job for a year? Have you taken on new responsibilities since you’ve been hired? Have you been exceeding expectations rather than just meeting them? The answer to all of these should be “yes.”

6. Plan The Right Timing Timing is everything. Don't wait until performance review season to ask for a salary adjustment. By that time, your boss has probably already decided what raises will be doled out to the team. Start talking to your boss about getting a raise three to four months in advance. That’s when they decide the budget.

7. Prepare A One-Sheet Prepare a “brag sheet." It’s a one-page summary that shows exactly how awesome you are. List any awards, accomplishments, customer/co-worker testimonials you’ve received since your last review. You want to demonstrate your value to your boss.

8. Remember Practice Makes Perfect Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Write down what you want to say, and practice to a mirror, on video, or with a friend until you’re super comfortable having the conversation.

9. Set The Meeting For Thursday Studies show that you’re more likely to get a raise if you ask on Thursday. We tend to start off the week more hard-nosed and even disagreeable, but become more flexible and accommodating as the week wears on. Thursdays and Fridays find us most open to negotiation and compromise because we want to finish our work before the week is out.

STARTING THE CONVERSATION

10. Power Up Before you go into the negotiation, try doing a power pose. Perhaps in the bathroom, standing tall with hands on your hips, chin and chest raised proud, and your feet firm on the ground. Doing so raises testosterone, which influences confidence/reduces stress hormone cortisol.

11. Walk With Confidence The way you enter a room can dictate how the rest of an interaction will be. Keep your head high and smile. Starting off with a positive vibe is very important.

12. Start With Questions Start the negotiation conversation by asking diagnostic questions to understand more about the other party’s true needs, desires, fears, preferences, and priorities, then offer up solutions that will help.

13. Show What You Can Do

Remember that brag sheet (bring a copy for your mamager)? Before talking numbers, talk about what you’ve accomplished and more importantly, what you can do. Summarize what you’ve achieved this year. Highlight times you’ve gone above and beyond, which will build the case that you deserve a raise. Be prepared with a few thoughts on what you’re excited to take on going forward, whether that’s freeing up your manager’s bandwidth by taking on an existing project, or proposing a new idea that you’re excited to own.

14. Think About The Other Person When preparing for negotiating, get in the mindset of thinking about the situation from your opponent’s perspective. When we consider the other person’s thoughts and interests, we are more likely to find solutions that work well for both of us.

15. Stay Positive, Not Pushy You should always keep the conversation on a positive note. Kick off with something like, ‘I really enjoy working here and find my projects very challenging. In the last year, I’ve been feeling that the scope of my work has expanded quite a bit. I believe my roles, responsibilities, and my contributions have risen. I’d like to discuss with you the possibilities of reviewing my compensation.’

MAKING THE ASK

16. Put Your Number Out First The anchor, or the first number put on the table is the most important in negotiation, since it’s what the rest of the conversation is based off of. If it’s too low, you’ll end up with a lower final offer than you probably want. You should always be the first person to mention a number so that you, not your counterpart, controls the anchor.

17. Ask For More Than What You Want You should always ask for more than you actually want. Psychology shows that your bargaining partner will feel like he or she is getting a better deal if he or she negotiates down from your original ask. The worst that can happen if you give a high number is that the other party will counteroffer, but the worst that can happen if you don’t negotiate is that you’ll get nothing.

18. Don’t Use A Range Never use the word “between” when negotiating. In other words, never give a range: “I’m looking for between $50K and $55K.” That suggests you’re willing to concede, and the person you’re negotiating with will immediately jump to the smaller number.

19. Focus On Market Value Rather than discussing a raise or new salary based on what you make now, keep the conversation focused on what the market is paying for people like you (your “market value”). Re-frame any metric your negotiation partner uses, like percentage differences as market value, re-focusing the discussion on hard dollars.

20. Prioritize Your Requests Research shows that rank-ordering is a powerful way to help your counterparts understand your interests without giving away too much information. You can then ask them to share their priorities, and look for opportunities for mutually beneficial tradeoffs: both sides win on the issues that are most important to them.

21. Don’t Mention Personal Needs Don’t focus on your personal needs, like the fact that your rent’s gone up or childcare expenses have increased. You make a much better case to your boss (and his or her boss!) that you’re worth more when you focus on your performance and achievements.

22. Ask For Advice Asking, “I trust you, and I’d very much value your recommendations. What would you suggest?” By doing so, you’ve flattered your negotiating partner, encouraging him to take your perspective (hopefully), persuading him to advocate for you and your request.

23. Don’t Forget To Listen Listening to the other party during a negotiation is almost as important as your ask and argument. By really paying attention to what the other person is saying, you can understand his or her needs and incorporate them into finding a solution that makes you both happy.

GETTING AN ANSWER

24. Use Stalling To Your Advantage When you hear the other person’s first offer, don’t say ‘OK.' Say ‘Hmmm,’ Give yourself some time, and in the seconds of silence, the other person is more likely to improve in some way.

25. Ask Questions Does the person you’re negotiating with flinch or otherwise react negatively to the number you put on the table? Don’t let that deter you; instead, ask open-ended questions to keep the conversation moving and show you’re willing to work together.

26. But Don’t Make Threats Again, you ideally want to work (or keep working) with this person, so it’s important to keep the conversation positive. Whatever you do, don’t threaten to leave if you don’t get the raise.

27. Consider Other Options If your boss (or the hiring manager) really, really won’t budge? Try negotiating for flex time, more vacation time, a better title, or plum projects and assignments.

28. Keep Negotiating Negotiation is a complicated process with volumes of books on techniques, tactics, and scripts. The good news? The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Even better, the more money you’ll bring home! So, get out there and start negotiating. You’ve now got the skills to do it right.

Follow Me For Weekly Informative Articles Patrick Coppedge

A couple days ago I finished 2 rounds of interviews at a company. After interviewing two times, but before the 3rd round, the recruiter calls and says "your asking is a bit too high". I said "well we can negotiate on it when the time comes". Is this normal?

Note: The recruiter asked me what my salary asking was before interview and I gave him a range

Hey Jobcasers,

Let's talk about the common pitfalls we face in our search for our next employment opportunity.

First, let's talk about the hiring process and how it works.

1. We submit job applications/resumes/cover letters (usually online).

2. We interview and hope for an offer or an invitation to the next interview; this repeats until we get an offer or aren't moved along to the next step of the hiring process.

3. We negotiate and either accept or decline the offer.

It's really simple when it's spelled out like that, but a lot of us (and I'm included in this group) find ourselves not making it through the steps as frequently as we'd like, so I'm going to talk about the common hurdles that we face at every step of the hiring process.

Step 1. We submit job applications/resumes/cover letters (usually online).

If you are not progressing beyond this step, then you have one of two problems that is holding you back.

I. Your resume needs to be updated and personalized for the job in question.

II. Your work experience is spotty or full of short term jobs that make hiring managers reluctant.

Fixing your resume is a lot easier than fixing your work experience and can easily be taken care of in an afternoon with the help of guides on how to write a resume or consulting with someone who can offer advice and revision tips to help your resume be the marketing tool you need to get to the interview.

If your work experience is spotty or full of short term jobs, then we have a problem that is going to take a lot more than an afternoon to fix. You'll need to broaden the list of employment opportunities you're willing to consider, because not many employers are going to take a Project Manager who has a history of resigning after three months, regardless of the fact that he has an MBA and a PMP.

You may have to take a lower position or something in a different field entirely and retain the job for 3-5 years. That's a long time, but let's look at why it's important to maintain an employee for at least thirty-six months (three years).

Studies show that you are actually costing the company money during months 0-6, because they are investing money in onboarding, training, and giving you time to acclimate to the company. It's not until Month 18 that the company finally breaks even on their investment in you. You remain for 18 additional months (for a total of thirty six months/3 years) as a way of repaying the employer.

This will show that while your prior job history is spotty, you have changed your ways and are willing to stick with them for at least enough time for them to recoup their investment and benefit from your employment. It also gives you enough time to have some achievements in the workplace and even get promoted which will only help when returning to your prior field (if you left).

Step 2. We interview and hope for an offer or an invitation to the next interview; this repeats until we get an offer or aren't moved along to the next step of the hiring process.

If you are consistently being brought in for interviews, but not being invited back for next-round interviews or given offers, then the problem is in your interviewing technique and this could be a variety of issues that need to be addressed.

Are you unprepared (e.g. do you not have questions ready or have you not thoroughly researched all available information there is regarding the company)?

Do you have weak responses to the behavioral questions (e.g. "Tell me about a time when...")?

Are you falling behind in technical interviews (e.g. "Can you tell show me how to...on this white board?")?

Or is the problem something such as lack of confidence (or overconfidence)?

The key to fixing issues at this stage is properly diagnosing what the issue is. You may want to do mock interviews with a trusted friend or family member (who ideally has been involved in interviewing before) who will give you objective, constructive criticism to help you improve.

If this is not possible, there are numerous books on improving your interviewing and many free resources on Google available to help you become a better interviewer and I can personally attest to the efficacy of these resources. I went from struggling to move beyond the interview stage to having been told in a Stay Interview that during my hiring interview I was "one of the best interviews I've had in twenty years of management." I'm not special; I just thoroughly researched the company and applied the techniques I got from combing free sources online and from the library in my interview.

If this is where you are struggling, it can be fixed; it just takes time.

The exception to this is if you find yourself consistently failing to answer technical questions for positions you've applied for. In this case, it may be best to look for more junior positions even if you feel you have the necessary skillset and/or experience to perform the duties listed for the positions you're applying for.

Step 3. We negotiate and accept or decline the offer.

There are three real hurdles here and I feel each one can ruin the fruits of your employment search.

I. The listed salary is far below what you would accept.

II. You negotiate too aggressively and they rescind the offer.

III. The listed salary is lower than you'd like, but the salary is firm.

Let's begin with the first hurdle: "The listed salary is far below what you would accept."

If you are applying for employment opportunities and this is an issue for you, then you are applying for the wrong employment opportunities. It really is that simple.

HR Professionals set compensation maximums and minimum for each paygrade in the organization. You, as a new hire, will not exceed the maximum of that paygrade in hiring, because that creates a Red Circle Rate (which is where you're overpaid for your paygrade) which can cause low morale with other employees.

If you feel you the listed compensation is not reasonable, then you should pursue other opportunities.

I am not saying do not negotiate, but do not expect to negotiate 150% of the listed salary or an equally large number (e.g. if the job lists the annual salary as $50,000, do not try to negotiate for $75,000).

That leads us to our next hurdle: You negotiate too aggressively and they rescind the offer." This is a very real thing. If you bulldog your Hiring Manager in the interview and in any way create an ultimatum of "Either you give me X or I'll decline the offer," then it is very probable that you will not get an offer to decline.

There is nobody in any organization who is not 100% replaceable and as someone who has not even been invited into the organization yet, it is incredibly easy to move onto the next candidate who is not as aggressive in their demands.

Do not misconstrue this as saying not to negotiate or not to be assertive. I highly encourage people being assertive in that they state their needs, but you must be open to give and take and understanding that you may not get everything you would like.

The Assertive Negotiator will get much farther than the Aggressive Negotiator and I encourage us all to remember that in our next salary negotiation.

Now we come onto the Third Hurdle: "The listed salary is lower than you'd like, but the salary is firm."

This is perhaps the most subversive of all the hurdles, because it won't outright prevent you from being given an offer and it relies on the prerequisite First Hurdle. While this one won't stop you from getting invited into their organization as a stakeholder, it will make it much more difficult for you to be productive and give your best to them everyday.

This has to do with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

If we do not have a sense of Security (Level 3), then it is nearly impossible to attain Self-Actualization (Level 5) and not making enough money results in inability to fulfill our need for Security, and therefore makes it that much harder to attain Self-Actualization.

So how does this tie in with your employment opportunity?

It's simple: Are you really able to give 100% to your employer if you've got questions of how you're going to make this month's rent running through your mind in the background?

The answer is no, you're not, because you can't simultaneously give 100% to your employer and 20% to trying to solve how you're going to pay your rent. Even if you do figure out a method, you're still going to have that underlying anxiety that makes it impossible to be optimally effective in the workplace resulting in decreased performance and therefore increased friction between you and your management team, as well as increased chance of disciplinary action relating to your performance that you may have no control over simply because it's impossible for you to give 100% when you've got 20% of your brain subconsciously allotted to financial-induced anxiety.

Does this mean you should never take an employment opportunity that does not meet your salary expectations?

No. There are times when it is necessary to be less selective with the employment opportunities we choose to pursue, but we need to be mindful of the long-term consequences of increased stress and ways to cut back on it so that we can make the most of our employment opportunity or pursue ones that may better suit our needs (without developing a history of short-term employment opportunities that are not Contract-work).

Having said that, I'd like to thank you all again for reading; it's always a pleasure to share what insights I may have with the community and if you need anything at all, don't be afraid to reach out to me here or on LinkedIn. I'd love to help you in your search for your next employment opportunity.

Best Regards,

Gage Cherry

#jobsearch #application #gapsinresume #interview #careeradvice

What do you say when someone offers you a job but you need to decline, because it’s not exactly what you want or not what you thought it would be?

The job I interviewed for in November finally happened. There was a lot of negotiation between then and now, but it finally happened. My advice to those looking to move on:

1. Be real about your capabilities. Throw them all out there, especially at that interview. It gives the potential employer the potential value you can bring to the company. At the same time, don't over exaggerate. If you don't know how to do something, say so. While you may be applying for a certain position, it gives them opportunity to see how you can grow with the company and potential advancement possibilities.
2. Be flexible! I applied for an account manager position, but I'm starting out as customer service specialist to learn the basics of the company. It also gives the company a chance to see my skills in action and how they can be applied elsewhere.
3. Be honest about salary expectation and make sure they are, too. Salary was holding up our process. I expressed the need to maintain or exceed my current salary for financial obligations. Be firm about this!
4. The one cliché, but it's true: Be. Yourself. This is super important to see if your personalities will mesh well. It'll help give insight to the work environment you'd have to get accustomed to.

While you're selling yourself to the company, the company needs to sell to you, as well. They know why you're there. You need to know why you should work for that place and what value they can offer to you.

You're all worth it! Make them see that too.

Thanks for listening ✌️

I was just offered a job that I know is worth $20 hr. , its paying a cheeseeee $11 hr I'm not stupid and I know I'm worth more than that and the job should pay better that what their offering, I said HELL NO to them and he had the nerve to ask me if i knew anyone that would work,, , i hung up the phone.

As I mature in my career, I'm finding that I prefer a better life/work balance, and that my time away from work is just as important as my dedicated time at work.

Honestly - I want to hear from other women how they ask for what they are worth during initial and merit-based salary negotiations.

I see this phrase a LOT on Jobcase, typically mixed with other reasons an applicant feels they didn't get the job. (Age, appearance, race, etc...)

There very well may be something to this, though the responsibility might not fall onto the shoulders of the potential employer, as much as it falls on the applicant's.

You may have twenty years of experience in your industry. In this example, let's say your experience happens to be in office administration. You have been out of work now for almost a year, and you find that many jobs aren't willing to pay you what you feel you're worth. When you don't get hired, you assume it is because they want someone younger, whiter, prettier, etc...

There very well may be instances where this is true, but, for a lot of folks, it is simply that the salary they are demanding far outweighs what a company is willing to pay.

For each job requisition a company posts, they have a set salary range. Their desired applicants will fall within that range. If they have anything to say about it, they will fill the position with someone willing to work the job on the lower end of the range. From a business standpoint, it makes fiscal sense.

If you were with your previous employer for twenty years, you received pay increases each year based on your work ethic and ability. Merit increases mixed with cost of living increases may very well have put your pay rate outside the scope of the current market rate for an office administrator. Which is good for you...until you lose that job. Whether you retired, got fired, was let go, whatever the means, you are no longer with your job of 20 years.

Now, you have twenty years experience but you also have no money coming in. When you apply for a job, you expect to find a company willing to start you off at the rate that you were making with your previous employer after twenty years of employment.

Realistically, that simply isn't going to happen. It is not fair for you to expect a new employer to pick up where your old employer left off. I am sure they would love someone with your experience and skill-set; but the bottom line is, they aren't going to start you off anywhere near what you were making.

Rare is the circumstance when a company will do that, but the odds are not in your favor.

If you are unemployed, understand that most jobs are willing to pay market value for your skills. In fact, if you are aces in your field, you may command the high end of the salary range that has been earmarked for the position but you won't make your old rate and it is not fair to expect a potential employer to accommodate your previous salary. This is especially true when you are unemployed and have been making zero dollars for 6 to 12 months. That puts the advantage into the hands of your prospective employer.

The bottom line is, you are not being discriminated against when a potential employer can only afford to pay a certain amount and they turn you down because you are asking for more than they budget for. If you truly need work and you are finding it a challenge to land a job in a field in which you excel, consider taking the high end of the range, despite the fact that it falls well-below your previous pay grade. You will be making more than zero dollars an hour and it puts you back into the status of a passive job seeker, which is very attractive to potential employers. Being an employed job-seeker might be the thing that can help you secure a higher salary.

Lastly, before applying for a company, you can research the job and the salary by visiting the company page on glassdoor.com. Simply search for the company/job title for which you are applying and you should see a salary range for that particular job. It will give you an idea of what the company is willing to pay for the role and some room to negotiate. (https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/salary-negotiation-tips-know-how-much-money-youre-worth)

Be reasonable, be understanding, know that your previous worth may far exceed what the market rate is for the position,and research the current market rates to best negotiate the higher end of the range. You will eventually get back to where you left off, but it's most likely going to take some hard work and proving yourself.

Best of luck in your search!