Trying to negotiate a salary? Here's a good way to look at it... Two years ago, I bought a new car. I was pretty excited, because it was the first one I had purchased in about five years . We all know that giddy feeling! All the new bells and whistles looked especially shiny, and I was pretty stoked about having such a sweet ride with all the new technology add-ons. But unfortunately, something bad happened along the way to happy car ownership. The vehicle ended up being a complete and utter lemon. I kept making the 40-minute round trip back to the dealer trying to get the problems fixed, but to no avail. Frustrated, I realized that it was probably best to dump the problem vehicle and bite the bullet... buying yet another car in hopes that starting from scratch would be the best option. So, here I found myself in the dealership yet again. Most of us grit our teeth in dreaded anticipation of the grueling negotiation process on the actual price of the car. Me? I actually like it. It tests my mettle and gives me the opportunity to practice the art of negotiation. Being relaxed about the process and not caving to emotion helps me understand my negotiating strength as well as my emotional stamina... all valuable skills. Weird, huh? But if you think about it, the parallels between salary negotiation and buying a new car are actually uncanny: You each want a deal to happen. Car dealerships want to move inventory and you need a vehicle... and similarly, you want the job and they have brought you in for the interview because they think you could be an asset to the organization. That’s what brings you both together. Each of you should have a good idea of what your end product is worth. The employer has a finite line that they won’t cross in terms of what they will and won’t pay in salary… and you have to be the same way. Know your value, and stick to it. Otherwise, it will be a mistake you’ll live to regret... even for years to come. You both are trying to get the other person to tip their hand on what their “final number” really is. It’s the big dance, actually, like to adversaries slowly circling each other and trying to find out the other’s weak spot. The weak spot being what that number is and how it can be worked to considerable advantage in the final deal. Be fair, but also be cautious when disclosing that final number. Give yourself (and the employer or car dealer) a little wiggle room to be reasonable, but stick to your guns. Each of you are trying to highlight the selling points of what you have to offer. Like trade-ins with a few dents, sometimes our work history has a few dents too. So, we are working hard to polish up the rest of our background to make it outshine those imperfections. Make sure your selling points are standouts to justify your value. Keeping emotions out of the negotiation game is paramount to getting what you really want. The moment you reveal how badly you want something, you’ve just made it infinitely harder to actually get that because you have just handed over significant negotiation power over to the other person... it’s call the law of supply and demand... otherwise known as not putting all of your eggs into one basket. Just like that moment when you start to WANT that car or job more than anything else in the WORLD… you have made an emotional connection that can tear at your good sensibilities and cause you to make decisions you’ll regret later… like taking a lower salary. But the one place that many job seekers don’t pay attention to is this: They aren’t willing to walk when the offer, value, or fit isn’t right. Of course, it’s one thing to walk when you are discussing buying a car; but a job interview represents your livelihood and has much more on the line in terms of life impact than the car decision. But why not treat it the same way? Survival jobs aside, how many times have you taken a job and ground your teeth later that you KNEW you should have walked away and declined accepting the position? These are the jobs where our hair is on fire, our stomachs churn with acid, we have sleepless nights, and our therapist is getting wealthy from all of our sessions. Those are the jobs that make us sick every single day, and we hate going to work. And the kicker? We know in our heart of hearts that we should have held out for a better deal. Salary and job negotiation is just like buying a new car… you need to be savvy about what it is that you offer, know what you bring to the table, and be very clear on your “final number” and what you will/won’t accept as the final deal. Keeping these in mind can help you keep your sanity as well as negotiate to a better outcome. What happened to me today at the dealership? I got a square deal. I got a fair price on my trade-in and on the new car. The dealership still made some money, but they were in the ballpark of where I wanted to be. I walked out with what I wanted at a price that I liked, and they got some profit and moved some inventory off the lot. Creating win-win scenarios are what successful job salary negotiations should be all about!
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.