5 Tips to Renegotiate Your Salary

5 Tips to Renegotiate Your Salary Successful salary renegotiation is a complex, multistep process that takes some time. Employees who walk into their boss’ office and baldly ask for more money leave the meeting empty-handed and afraid of losing their job. In reality, roughly 70% of the job seekers whom we encounter are currently being paid less than they are worth and could successfully renegotiate their pay. However, the overwhelming majority avoid renegotiating their salary because they don’t accurately gauge their value and/or they wish to avoid a potentially a contentious conversation. When approached intelligently and methodically, salary negotiation is rarely contentious and is often successful. Consider the following 5 tips: 1.  Measure your value: One of the most frequent mistakes that employees make is that they use competing job openings in order to determine their value. This is not an accurate gauge because it fails to take into account human nature: people are most concerned with themselves. In order to determine whether your request will be met with agreement and how much to ask for, you’ll have much better luck when you consider the metrics listed below (if your employer is smart, this is what they’ll think about, too): The demand for your job. The more people who want your job, the less leverage you have at the negotiation table. The difficulties that the company or division (as well as your direct boss) would endure if you left. For instance, when a sales rep leaves, a company has to notify both current and prospective clients of the personnel change, which often is a highly unpleasant activity. Company recruiting capabilities. In most instances, firms with robust recruiting efforts are less likely to agree to high salary increase demands.  If your boss is going to have to spend countless hours digging through resumes themselves, then they are more likely to agree to your raise. Company profit margin. Revenue generation is only half the story. Estimate how much of each dollar brought in is retained by the company and how much goes to their operating expenses. Company cash flow. Companies are just like people. When they have cash, they are much more confident in spending. 2. View your employer’s perspective: In order to be persuasive, it’s necessary to step outside of your own shoes and begin to see the world as your boss sees it. The more you say the phrase “I want,” the less you chance you have of reaching your goal. Instead, talk in terms of their needs. Taking the time to do so will help you formulate a more convincing argument and anticipate rebuttals. 3. Draw out a logical argument: It’s in your best interest to focus on past performance and future potential. If you attempt to leverage possible job offers (or use competing job openings), your negotiation may be perceived as a threat. 4. You’re in control if you make your boss feel in control: People don’t respond well to pressure. Although you may want a decision made on the spot, he or she won’t respond well to pressure. It’s both fair and in your best interest to give your employer time to think about your request. Conversely, leaving it open-ended is not advantageous, either. Kindly asking, “Does a week give you enough time to assess everything?” allows you to set a relatively firm deadline without being contentious. 5. Use time to your advantage: Make a request for the meeting via a respectful email. Doing so is advantageous for a multitude of reasons. First, you show respect your boss’ time (when people feel you don’t appreciate their time, they are less likely to be persuaded by you). You also receive a focused audience. Remember, you are there to discuss a raise, not compete for your boss’ attention. Each time that person diverts their attention to an unrelated call, text messages or email when you spring the question in an unscheduled meeting, you become less persuasive. When it comes to time of day, most individuals are more readily persuaded in the afternoon hours. Mental fatigue depletes willpower. In the end: People who know how to negotiate are paid more for no other reason than that they know how to negotiate. Just like in anything else, proper preparation and intelligent execution yields results.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Body Language Speaks Volumes

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Body Language Speaks Volumes Its one of those awkward situations weve all found ourselves in: were standing around at a company function, and all of a sudden the top brass shows up and heads our way. Suddenly we dont know what to do with our arms. Our hands are some strange appendage that hang uselessly, or flutter nervously. How did our necks get to be too short for our bodies? When did we become unable to smile without an eye twitching?All this is, of course, a natural reaction under stress. We want to make a good impression, but our bodies seem determined to make total twits of us in front of some pretty important people. But if we just remember some simple rules about body language, these situations can be brought under control.There are a number of ways we can make a good impressions without saying a word, whether its in a social situation, or a formal business meeting. The most common mistake people make is that they dont adjust to the situation, to the person they are speaking to. For example, when making small talk, body language is very important. But when its a serious matter, then its not as critical because the message becomes more important.Still, the most effective users of body language use gestures and speech patterns similar to the other person in the conversation especially critical when the other person ranks higher in an organization.Some of the key ingredients to using body language effectively include: Facing the other person squarely. Show your interest by looking directly at the other person. Tilt your head to one side, arch your eyebrows and nod every once in a while to show youre listening. Keep your face relaxed, and smile when appropriate. Assuming an open posture. Researchers have found that when negotiations are going well, participants unbuttoned their coats, uncrossed their legs, sat forward in chairs, and moved closer to the other side of the table. Such body language was often accompanied by comments expressing common needs and advantages.So, the way you stand and walk can convey your openness to what the other person is saying. Standing tall and walking with shoulders back shows your confidence, and usually those who walk rapidly and swing their arms project confidence. Leaning forward. When you want to show interest, lean forward slightly in your chair, and lightly clasp your hands in your lap or place your hands near your knees. If you lean back, place your hands in a steeple position, then youre showing your indifference. Maintaining eye contact. The last thing you want to do is have your eyes shifting all over the room when youre talking with a boss. When were nervous, our eyes typically meet the other persons less than 40 percent of the time. As a result, we begin to make people feel uneasy, or make them begin to distrust us. Touching. Some people are afraid to touch another person because of sexual harassment claims, but with a friend or close working buddy, touching on the shoulder can deepen a contact. It's a good idea to t ake the lead from the other person, especially if its a leader. If they touch you on the arm, it's probably OK to do the same to them.Still, since a handshake is often the most acceptable form of contact in the business world, make sure yours is not limp, or clammy. Keep your handshake firm and brief, hold it about three to five seconds, then release. And no trying to crush the other persons fingers in some kind of power play. Remembering to relax. This may be difficult to do when the CEO is headed your way and you suddenly cant remember your own name, but take a couple of deep breaths, and concentrate on standing straight, with shoulders back. Spread your feet a bit and dont lock your knees keeling over at the bosss feet like a downed tree wont be good for your career. Keep your arms and hands still, and keep an open and welcoming look on your face.del.icio.us

Giving back - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Giving back - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Throughout your life, you have viewed others helping nearby communities, donate to charities and volunteer to support local causes. There is a reason for all of these acts and although it seems obvious, I consider the act of giving and receiving a life cycle. Giving back, in my opinion, solidifies your future successes because helping other people that are not as fortune as you may be is what everyone should do. Charities are not the only form of giving back. I also consider helping your families, a major part in the giving back process. Psychologically, if you are fortune, are highly successful and stable, why not help those that could die without your financial support. In the previous post, you may have noticed that I included a charitable foundation, as part of my dream. If you retire and have an outstanding balance of cash flow, it serves no purpose, other than utilizing it to give back to the communities and people that have made you who you are. So if you take nothing from this post, I would like you to take a look around your world and see how you could make the most impact, by helping others out in need. Understand that the people that have guided you, appreciated you and care for you, should be taken up with you in your success and the people that have held you back and who did not believe in you should be banished.

The hardest time management decision of my day

The hardest time management decision of my day The reason I have time to write this blog post is that I had sex with my husband last night. Choosing writing rather than sex is a calculated risk for me, because it’s really me saying that I dont want to pay attention to him that night. I did that a lot in my first marriage, and Im pretty sure that contributed to my divorce. In the beginning of my first marriage, we had sex a lot. Then I had a baby, and I breastfed, and really, the last thing I wanted in a day filled with twelve feedings was to having someone else touching my body. So I just said no. And he said okay. That was it. During the last six years of our marriage, we had sex twice: once to conceive when I miscarried, and once to conceive when I had my second son. Later, my ex-husband would tell me he thought my second son was not his. I understand why he would think that. My ex and I have stunningly terrible social skills, awkward everywhere, but our second son is the life of every party. Everyone loves him. But the idea of me having sex with someone else while I was married to my husband and had a two-year-0ld and a job is laughable. I had absolutely no time for anything, let alone finding someone to cheat with. After our marriage ended, I discovered that most married couples have sex. Even if the woman has young kids and is exhausted, they have sex. Or they get divorced. Millions of statistics support this conclusion. So in my second marriage, I try really hard to make sure we have sex regularly. I keep a schedule in my head. We cant really have sex during the day because we work from home and we homeschool. The kids are too old for us to sneak it inside, so all thats left is a quickie in a white hoop building. Which we have done. But its hard to coordinate it during the day. Which leaves the evening. But the evening is the only time that I can work without the kids interrupting me. I love the evenings. There is quiet and its just me and my words. Its also the only time my husband and I can be together. Its the time we talk about schedules, we watch TV shows on Netflix, and sometimes, if everything goes well, we have sex. Really, though, I would rather write. I mean, I hate how much effort it takes to have a good marriage. I like sex. I like my kids. I like my job. I like my marriage. Its just that I cant do it all. Its just not all fitting, and the thing that is easiest to give up is sex. We timed sex a few times. I was curious. Even good sex when both of you are caring and inventive and patient takes about ten minutes. Welcome to married sex. If you are married and you think you take a lot longer, try using a stopwatch. So the truth is that ten minutes is not that much time. Of course I have ten minutes. But I gave all my emotional energy to my kids during the day. And I want my mental energy to go toward my work. It always seems like sex will be there next time but work is time-sensitive. Of course, its not like that. We are human. We die. All relationships are time sensitive. And I would never even be writing this if it werent that my friend who is single and says that she has no time for men because her son and work take up all her time, sent me  an article  from the Harvard Business Review by Hermenia Ibarra. I feel like Hermenia is my friend too. Shes not. But I interviewed her about ten years ago about her social skills research, and I loved her. She told me that people would rather work with someone they like than someone who is good at the job. People dont mind incompetence if they like the person. Incompetent people sometimes even make teams stronger because of emotional synergy. It blew my mind. So Hermenia made me try much harder with my lame social skills. And now, again, she rocks my world. She writes: At one of the companies with which I work, the firms most senior line woman was asked to join a newly constituted high-level diversity committee, which included the company CEO. One of the hurdles that was holding women back, everyone agreed, was the high degree of transcontinental travel required of executives in the uppermost echelons, who had to attend a variety of global and regional and meetings. Asked about her experience, she told the high-level group: Let me tell you what diversity means to me. My husband told me there will be sex in this house at least once a week, whether you are here or not.' This says so much to me. It tells me that other people are having the same problem. That sex and work and kids dont go well together because the only time thats left over for sex is the time when you are done taking care of kids and have to make up the lost work time. Theres a reason that you have a lull in your email during dinnertime and then it picks up after kids go to bed: its all the parents of the workforce fitting in family time. And not sex. So tonight I wrote this post because I knew if I didnt write one tonight Id be upset. I wanted to write it last night, but I told myself that I should do TV night which will lead to sex, because there has never been sex after I spend all night writing. And there has never been good sex if I ask if we can do it fast so I can go write. But theres always good writing once sex is out of the way. Once I know that Ive taken care of the marriage. I dont want another marriage to fall apart because I work all the time. But really, I dont want anything to fall apart. And sex is the canary in the coal mine it’s  the first thing to go.

3 Questions to Ask if A Job In Retail is Right For You

3 Questions to Ask if A Job In Retail is Right For You Photo Credit â€" Pixabay.comA lot of people go down the retail route without thinking correctly whether the career is right for them. And then they might struggle to hack the job meaning they are back on the job hunt sooner rather than later. After all, it can be a lot harder than you think to be in a customer service role.?But for some people, they find the fast-paced work highly rewarding, and they love chatting to the customers. Therefore, you need to consider all aspects of the job carefully before going down this job route. In fact, here are some things to think about before going for a job in retail.1. Do you mind working flexible hours?The first thing you need to know about retail is it’s no 9-5 job. The hours are varied so you could be starting very early, or you might even be working late into the evening. The shift patterns are likely to vary, and you are more likely to get time off in the week rather than the weekend. After all, it is likely to be the busiest time at the weekend.eval?Some people like to work flexible hours. After all, they can fit it around the other person of working age in their household. Therefore, if you have kids, it can be easier to deal with childcare if you are not both working all day.?Working different shift patterns can also be useful if you currently do other things like studies during the week. After all, you can ensure you are not restricted when it comes to the rest of your life.? Therefore, make sure you are ready for these flexible hours before you apply. That way, you won’t be left in shock if you have various shift patterns!Do you like talking to customers?While some people prefer to work independently, there are others who thrive working around people. They love being able to speak to people and getting to know about them. And these kinds of people would love to go down the retail route. After all, if you head down this sector, you will find that you will have to speak to a wide range of customers on a daily basis.?You can’t hide away from them as providing excellent customer service is likely to be part of your role. At the end of the day, you want to ensure they make a sale, so will have to spark up a conversation to get them to check out with items. It can be tough dealing with customers. After all, they will not always be in the best mood when you have to face them. If they are upset with the company, you will have to deal with the situation delicately to ensure you don’t make things even worse.And this can be tough to deal with on a daily basis. So make sure you consider whether this is somethincg you can handle before you apply for a retail job. And it’s always worth thinking through a couple of tough scenarios with customers before you go for the retail interview. After all, they are bound to ask you about how you would deal with certain situations. So some prep in advance is how you can start your Dollar General career almost instantly and other retail jobs. After all, you will impress them by answering the questions clearly when you make the interview!Are you good at handling cash?evalFor a lot of retail jobs, you have to be on the till for a majority of the day. After all, you will be helping customers to check out with their purchases. So you will have to scan the items and ensure they pay before leaving the store. Therefore, you need to enjoy working with money if you want to head down the route of retail. After all, you will have to work out the cost of purchases and any change that you will need to give them.?While the till can often do the hard work for you nowadays, you still need some simple cash handling skills to ensure you make transactions as quickly as possible. It’s worth brushing up on your basic maths skills before you go for an interview. After all, they might ask you about money management when you apply for the job! And you need to ensure you tell them you are happy to deal with money on a daily basis to give you a chance of get ting a role in retail!And you need to make sure you do some research about a store before you apply there. After all, you need to have some knowledge, so you aren’t clueless when customers ask you about products in the store.

Quit Your Job the Right Way - Hire Imaging

Quit Your Job the Right Way - Hire Imaging Write a formal resignation letter. “Making a big life change is pretty scary. But, know what’s even scarier? Regret.” ~ Author Unknown Almost everyone feels some degree of job dissatisfaction at some time. You may feel overwhelmed, undervalued, anxious, or stuck. And I know that when you do, it may be tempting to tell your boss everything that has been wrong with his her leadership for the last year. Don’t do it! It will come back to bite you. No matter how right you are or how wronged you may have been, you will be the person who’s shed in a negative light if you exit like that. What do you gain besides a moment of self-satisfaction? Zip. So, regardless of the reasons for your exit, do it graciously. Guard your reputation, and be comforted that you are moving forward to new and wonderful career or life adventures. There are right ways and wrong ways to quit your job, no matter what the scenario. Here’s how: Write a formal resignation letter. Here’s an example of a classic letter: Dear [recipient]: This letter is to formally announce my resignation from [company name], starting today. My last day will be [two weeks from today]. It has been a pleasure to work for [company name]. Please let me know how I can help to make a smooth transition during my remaining time here.” Regards, Your name Give a minimum or two weeks’ notice, a maximum of three weeks’ notice. I know many of you are very loyal employees. Please take my warning to heart. If your boss or current employer asks you to give four weeks’ notice, do not do it! I see folks do this all the time. The first two weeks are fine. The third week gets hard. The fourth week is excruciating â€" for everyone. It’s the too-long good-bye. It’s far too long for people to stay in this mode, and it will be too long for you. I’ve known many great people with good intentions try to do the right thing by giving four weeks. It’s too hard. No matter what, be positive and professional. It’s not always easy to be positive on your way out the door â€" particularly if you’re not feeling the love. But it’s a small world, and there is karma. You may very well run into your colleagues or bosses later on. And even if you don’t, you need them in your corner. You want them to speak well of you. There is nothing at all to be gained by being negative or citing a list of do-not-likes for this current employer. Do that with your bone marrow people, where you know it will not come back to bite you in the you-know-what. Flesh out a transition plan to review with your boss when you quit. If you approach your boss with a very sophisticated list of what you feel needs to be transitioned and suggestions for how to do that. Your goodwill toward their well-being will go a long way. Practice your resignation speech. Make it short and sweet. No matter how you feel, do not give a morally righteous speech in the middle of the break room or parking lot. Avoid grand gestures. You want internal allies left behind who can vouch for you as references should a future employer do some checking. You want your supervisor’s and colleagues’ memories of you to be of someone competent and professional who moved on quietly. Prepare for the counter offer and/or guilt trip. It’s very likely that the counter offer, a guilt trip â€" or both may follow. What will you respond when your boss says, “You are my chosen for the VP role. Who could I replace you with? I don’t know how we’ll do it without you.” Blah blah blah. Don’t even engage in this conversation and ask questions like, “Why am I just hearing this now?” You know deep down why, and those reasons are not going to change. Think smooth and solutions. If your boss pushes you for more than three weeks’ notice, or says, “We can’t do this without you,” then move into solution mode. Ask about his worries, what he thinks you can do in that fourth week that you can’t handle in three weeks. Assure him that while you will not be there to get ____ initiative delivered, you will make serious effort to ensure this is a smooth transition. This is important! You have worked hard to get to this point. There is no shame, and there should be no guilt. It’s exciting and you are taking an important new step for your own personal development and satisfaction. The company will take care of itself first, and you must take care of yourself first. Your manager will understand that. He or she may not exhibit it immediately, but it will become evident. You have come this far. Take this one last step to leave gracefully. You are always CEO of your career. Your reputation is your career identity. It’s worth nurturing!

When Is Imperfection Preferable

When Is Imperfection Preferable There are some areas of life where perfection is not what you want. Friendships dont need perfection to be good, right? In fact, the people who pretend to be perfect rarely have a lot of friends because perfectionists keep others at arms length so the world doesnt find out they arent perfect, after all. Relationships are stable because we give each other room to fail and correct our mistakes. We dont need to be perfect in order to be loved or liked. We do need to be able to admit when we are wrong and be willing to fix it. Some Things Must Be Perfect As endearing as a mistake can be in a friend, there are times you dont get a do-over. Resumes are a perfect example of this, because there isnt a relationship established yet. Spelling errors arent going to get you much more than a ribbing from your grammar-Nazi friend, but that same error will get your resume cast aside by the HR person assigned to fill the position. The HR person is going on a quick first impression based on your resume, but your friend is looking at your mistakes in context of your friendship. Make Sure Your Resume Meets Professional Standards If your resume isnt resulting in job interviews, ask that grammar-Nazi friend to help by giving you a resume critique. People who have professional standards for writing got there by making lots of mistakes and correcting them, over and over again. The problem isnt that your resume is imperfect. Its that you havent dealt with the imperfections yet. Resumes need to meet professional standards that cover more than spelling. Polishing your resume so it shines with perfection is a perfect way to prove you are worth considering for a position. Once you are at your new job, you can share some imperfections with your new friends.