Archive for the ‘salary’ Category

Should you ask about salary, benefits, vacation in an interview?

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 by Judi

you're not hiredThis isn’t the first time I’ve expressed concern about career advice and those who offer it, but this time I need to make it an example.  It was posted in LinkedIn by a recruiter who, as a recruiter, should know better. 

Toward the end of an interview the interviewer will typically turn to you and ask “Do you have any questions?” It is always good to be prepared for this question and to have good thought out questions to respond with. Things that are always good to ask about are company benefits, pay day schedule, management set-up, what does a typical day in this job look like? – those kinds of questions keep the conversation going and show your interest in the position. 

Can you spot the mistake?   Yes, it’s asking about company benefits and pay schedule. Add vacation and salary to those items.  

The money/benefits/vacation part is a game, but not really.  Some people do make money the priority in their job search, but that puts the cart before the horse.  If you focus on money to the exclusion of factors such as chemistry, company culture, if the job has components that motivate you and make you happy to work there, you might very well find yourself unhappy fairly quickly.  .

Sell yourself to the highest bidder without regard for the other factors and if you’re unhappy, eventually your salary won’t to be enough to compensate you for being unhappy in your job.   And if you were desperate to be employed, once the relief of having a job wears off and reality sets in, that’s what you might discover.

The point of an interview is to find out if both you and the company are right for each other.  Until you each know more about the other party, it’s impossible for either of you to assess the value of the other.  Companies ask about salary early on, but their purpose is to determine if you’re within their range and if you’re realistic about your expectations.    

Value comes with knowing the benefits of having that item and attaching yourself to it.  For instance,    perhaps you’ve decided to buy a car and you’ve capped the price at $30K.  You receive a phone call from someone with a cherry red convertible in perfect condition with a new stereo and white leather seats.  But it’s $37K. 

More than likely you’ll say no, because it has no value to you. But what if you decide to go look at it?  You drive it.  The sun is on your face and the wind is in your hair.  You begin to rationalize why $37K is feasible. 

It’s no different with salary.   Making a decision based on an early salary discussion eliminates discovering the value the company may have to both you and your career.

This doesn’t mean salary is unimportant.  One of my retained clients has an offer for $74K.  In her previous job in slightly different capacity she earned $90K more.  At the onset of her search, she set her bottom line at $80K   But now she’s enthusiastic about both the position and the company and behind the scenes I’m helping her negotiate.  What if she’d learned the salary first and never given herself the chance to learn more?  

Asking the salary at all is not only unimpressive to the company, it’s more than likely to get you withdrawn from consideration.  A company wants someone who wants them for who they are, not for the pay check.  If you’ll join their company for money, you can be hired away for money.   The only companies who don’t follow that are the ones you don’t want to work for.

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it all begins in your head part 2

Friday, July 30th, 2010 by Judi

in your headPart 1 is below this entry.

Last entry I showed you how and why your thoughts, verbalizations, and intents create what you experience. To quote Mark Twain: “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right.”  So if you don’t like what’s happening with your job search, look to how you’re thinking and what you’re saying about the process, because your ability to find the perfect job is determined by your attitude and beliefs.            

Those who are determined to find their perfect job know what it looks like and know it’s out there.  Their paperwork invites interest.  They sell themselves in a compelling manner.  They know what they’re looking for.  They eliminate anything that doesn’t fit and doggedly pursue what does.            

By contrast, there are those who would rather play victim.  “There’s nothing out there.”  “I’m never going to find something that pays what I make now.”  “I’ve been unemployed so long I’m going to lose my house!”  “I got fired; I’ll never find a job now.”  And after multiple interviews and no offers, comes the wail that perpetuates the situation:  “No one’s going to hire me!”           

It’s no coincidence that this group hasn’t made sure their cover letter and resume are eye-catching and worth reading, nor are they pro-active in their search.  And because they don’t know what they want, they’re interviewing – and trying to get an offer – for any job that seems reasonable.  They’re sending out blurry, vague intent.  What do they expect back?          

So if your search isn’t producing the desired results, how do you change it?   You change your thinking.  When you change your thinking, you change your intent, and what you say and do is a reflection of that.            

Ever hear those lottery stories? Sometimes a family member or friend says, “He always said he’d win one day!” And then there’s the other side of that train of thought: “Oh, I play the lottery sometimes. But I never win!” When you think like that you might as well save your money, because you never will win.            

By paying attention to your words and thoughts, you’ll begin to notice where you’re creating, perpetuating, and accepting negative energy, not only in your job search, but your daily existence.  And then you can begin to make choices that create different results.  The shorter the gap between your thoughts and the appearance of what you’re thinking about, the better you are at creating.           

Pay attention to the words of other people that, out of habit, you agree with.  Every time you say, think, or hear something negative, don’t accept it.  Counter with the positive.  

  • “Watch me screw this up” becomes “I choose to pay attention and do the best I can.  If I make a mistake I’ll learn from it.”
  • Change “What a lousy day!” to “This rain makes everything so beautifully green!”
  • Don’t over dramatize a situation.  When you catch yourself saying “I lost my keys again! I’m so stupid!” replace it with “No, I’m not stupid, but sometimes I’m forgetful, so I’ll create a specific place to put my keys, and I’ll know where they are.”         

Simplified, it’s about choice.  Things are what they are.  You can choose to change what’s happening or change your attitude about what’s happening.  It takes practice to stay conscious.  But until you begin to make your choices conscious, you won’t realize how many of them have been unconscious.   And if you’re not paying attention to that, you’re not aware of the consequences or benefits that come with each choice.            

Only you are responsible for your life and where you are right now.  You made the choices, and you created it.  If you’re on a job search and aren’t satisfied with what’s taking place, no matter how outlandish this topic seems, why not choose a different approach?  You just might find your perfect job!

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bad credit? employer credit check? no worries!

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 by Judi Perkins

bad creditIn addition to drug testing and often fingerprinting, companies both national and international have also required credit checks.  But it’s become more the norm than the exception, because with the extreme number of people applying, companies have implemented it as a means of indicating a candidate’s character.

Unfortunately for the many who have been out of work so long they’ve destroyed their credit, a credit check strikes fear in their hearts.  What if the company rescinds the job offer?  It becomes a catch-22.  You can’t repair your credit without a job, and you can’t get a job without good credit.

The solution for some candidates is to confess immediately.  This results in eliminating them from consideration, which perpetuates their fear.  To make the credit check issue virtually non-existent and remove the fear from the entire equation, let’s factor in some basic psychology.

As humans, we have the inclination to rationalize what we want.  The more something is of value to us, the more we exclude from the picture anything that might impede our ability to obtain it.  When you apply this to the hiring situation, it means that a job seeker, about to receive an offer, has value to the company.  Consequently, the candidate’s bad credit becomes relatively unimportant to them. 

By contrast, when you confess in your cover letter, you’re guaranteed not to hear from the company.  When you admit to it during your first interview, you’ve just screened yourself out.  Early in the process the company is still looking for reasons eliminate candidates.  When you confess to having bad credit you’re not getting points for honesty; you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Factoring in additional psychology, most people don’t like surprises, certainly companies about to extend an offer.  When you combine the relative degree of value with the effect of being surprised, the solution becomes much easier: tell them about your credit, but not until they’re about to extend and offer and consequently do the credit check.  You have value to them, and you’ve removed the surprise.  The result? The whole matter is brushed aside.

When an offer is imminent, there are phrases that will clue you in.   To begin with, you’re generally aware of when you’re in the final stages of the process, if not when you’re the final candidate.  The interviewers tend to smile a lot and say positive statements that join you both together.  Or they request references.  Failing that, they’ll make you an offer and expect you to take a few days to consider it.  Now’s the time to bring it up. 

Another tip:  what you say and how you say it influences how the information is received.  In other words, the bigger the deal you make of it, the more attention they’ll give it.  When you share the information with a smile, and in an informative, but off-handed way, you’re communicating that it’s no big deal. 

Wording would be something like, “By the way, I want to let you know that during the long period I was unemployed and juggling my bills, I ruined my credit.  Since you’ll be doing a credit check, will my temporary bad credit be a problem?” 

Yet more psychology: notice the inclusion of the word temporary, as well as the explanation for the bad credit.  You’re satisfying their unspoken question of “why?’ which is likely to put them on edge about the subject, and at the same time, you’re telling them that it’s not the normal state of affairs. All they really want to know is that you’re responsible and not a constant excuse maker. 

Bad credit and bankruptcy are usually accompanied by mitigating circumstances such as lengthy unemployment or an irresponsible spouse and divorce proceedings.  We’re human.  Companies understand this because they’re composed of humans.  So instead of losing sleep, remember that by the time the credit check happens, they’re more concerned about getting you on board.

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Interview Question: no, no, and no!! (heinous #2)

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 by Judi Perkins

I read this today in a career newsletter that those who are finding a job assume has expert and therefore correct, job advice.  This newsletter has  a HUGE circulation.  This entry goes with the one on my Facebook fan page (http://tinyurl.com/how2careercoach) that starts out HEINOUS!  In fact, maybe I’ll just start a HEINOUS! category.

I’m not naming the career ”expert” who posted this – the name is irrelvant anyway - but they’re a recruiter and they should know better.  

Here’s their advice:

Toward the end of an interview the interviewer will typically turn to you and ask “do you have any questions?” It is always good to be prepared for this question and to have good thought out questions to respond with. Things that are always good to ask about are company benefits, pay day schedule, management set-up, what does a typical day in this job look like? – those kinds of questions keep the conversation going and show your interest in the position.

Aye carumba!  Can anyone spot the NO NO NO part?  Yes, it’s the “company benefits, pay day schedule” part. A little psychological insight into why I’m so emphatic.

The money/benefits/vacation part is a game, but it’s not really a game.  Some people make money the priority in their job search,  but that’s putting the cart before the horse.  First, if you focus on money to the exclusion of the people with whom you’ll be working, the philosophy and culture of the company, whether the new job has the components that motivate you and make you happy to be there (and about ten other things I’m not going to go into now because it’s off the topic of this post),  you might very well be unhappy in your new job at this company.

Sell yourself to the highest bidder without regard for all the other factors and if you’re unhappy, eventually the money you’re making isn’t going to be enough to compensate you for work ingat a place you hate.  And once the relief of your new job wears off and reality sets in, that’s what you could very well discover.

That’s why salary doesn’t get talked about first (it does with companies, but again, that’s a whole separate topic and post).  Because the point of an interview is to find out if they’re who you want and you’re who they want.  Additionally, it’s ridiculous to talk about money when neither side has attached value to the other.

If you’re going to buy a car for $30K and you won’t go over that price, and someone calls you up and says “Hey I have this cherry red convertible that runs like a dream; cream leather seats and brand new stereo – it’s $37K – you want it?” You’ll be like, “no, too expensive.”  So say – just say – you decide to go look at it.  And you fall in love with the color and you drive it and feel the wind in your hair and the sun on your face and maybe you begin to rationalize why $37K is okay.

The point here isn’t actually about going higher or lower than your salary, as much as it is about value.  Once you get to know something – or someone – and decide you want it – or them – then you look at how you can make it work.  So salary up front, and making a decision on that, might eliminate getting the information you need.

This isn’t to say money is unimportant.  One of my clients right now has an offer on the table with a company who has offered her $74.  In her previous job, in a slightly different capacity, she was making over $90K.  She really likes the place and wants the job.  Every single other one of the 8 points I put so much emphasis on is ranking very high.  There are some other issues we’re discussing that aren’t relevant to this blog post, but what is relevant is that the difference is enough that it poses a serious problem, not the least of which might be compromising her salary in future positions.  She was willing to bottom line at $80K.  So we’re embarking on a negotiation strategy.

Had the salary been discussed up front, she’d have walked away and never learned that she really wants to work here.  Perhaps we can work it out, perhaps not.

From the company’s side, it’s a huge turn off.  Yes, I know they violate that by asking you up front, but like I said, that’s a different circumstance and for another time.  At the point they’ve decided to bring you in, your asking about salary at the beginning of the interview communicates that that’s all you care about.  It tells them that your head is in the wrong place for all the reasons stated earlier.  A company wants someone who wants them for who they are, not someone who is all about the paycheck.  Ask those two questions ever, much less in the first interview, and you’ll be dropped from consideration.

In fact, don’t ever, ever bring up the topic.  Period.

That advice, and HEINOUS #1, just underlines that just because an expert is out there, doesn’t mean they’re an expert.  There are some good career people and columns out there though that offer excellent career advice, and I’ll be bringing those up too.  It’s not all about ME!  LOL

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How to handle that salary question: cover letters and job interviews

Thursday, November 5th, 2009 by Judi Perkins

One of the most annoying – and petrifying – questions is the one that asks you your salary expectations. It’s on applications, it’s asked in job interviews, and worst of all, they want it in your cover letter! The reason for the question isn’t to lowball you, it’s to see if your expectations are realistic or within their range. Unfortunately, it’s still putting the cart before the horse. What you make now is sufficient enough information for them.

So tell them that. But as for the rest of it, don’t give them a number. The purpose of an interview is to find out if you like them and they like you, right? And if that’s the case, then the money doesn’t matter that much – or it shouldn’t – and if it’s within the realm of your experience, it’s not going to be a huge difference anyway. So just say, “I’m currently at $X, and I’m interested in a fair and equitable offer for the right opportunity,” and leave it at that.

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