News Stories

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Six steps to handling the money questions

Submitted by chris on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 19:24

1. How to Handle Applications or Ads Requesting a Salary History

Diane Barowsky, who works in executive recruiting, advises job seekers not to include salary requirements. "True, when you leave out the information, you run the risk that the employer won't look at you because you've not put a salary in there," she says. "But you run a greater risk of selling yourself short, because you don't know what the range is."

Instead, write that you expect a salary commensurate with your experience and the job's demands. You could also write, "negotiable," because, frankly, salary is always negotiable.

2. What Are You Currently Making?

Answer carefully. State that the new job, while in line with your skills, can't compare to your current job. As such, your current salary isn't a good judge of what you should earn in this position. "Answer: What I'm making is not important," says Barowsky. "What is important is whether or not my skills are what you need, and I'm confident the range will be fair." This allows you to reveal your self-confidence.

In addition, this levels the playing field if there are two candidates, Barowsky says. If you're currently underpaid, answering such a question directly will work against you. "What if you work for a nonprofit, and your pay is lower than that of another candidate who has the same skills and experience but has a higher pay because he is with a corporation that offers competitive salaries?" Barowsky asks. "You could be hired at a much lower figure than the other person would have received. It's not the past salary that's important. It's the skills and experience and what you can do for the organization."

3. Get the Employer to Say a Number First

Every employer has a salary range in mind that it can most often play with, says Barowsky. "They have information you are not privy to," she says. "When you don't know what the employer has in mind, you can underbid yourself. Employers will jump on that. Later, you'll find out that someone two cubicles over from you is making more money for the same work you're doing." So find out what the range is before you state any salary requirements.

If the range is below what you want, state that you expect a range closer to XYZ. And make XYZ at least 10 percent to 20 percent higher than what you currently make. If you're grossly underpaid in your position, hike it even higher.

4. What If You're Really Pushed to State a Figure?

State a range that reflects the amount you want to make. And remember: Employers will always look at the low end of your range, so make the low end as high as you are comfortable with. If you make $35,000, state a range of $42,000 to $55,000 or so.

5. Prepare Yourself by Doing Some Research

Research what others in the field make. Contact professional organizations and get their annual salary surveys. Read professional publications. Network and look on the Web to find out what others in your field are making.

6. Show Us Your Pay Stub

If an employer wants to contact your old employers to verify your salary, think twice about the job. Frankly, do you really want to work with someone who will intimidate you? "If they badger you during the interview, a point where they're supposed to be wooing and impressing you, think of what it'll be like when you go to work there," Barowsky says.

The bottom line is that not only do you want good pay, but you also want respect. And a job that provides mutual employer-employee respect is bound to reap rewards.

Resumania: A job interview is no time to joke

Submitted by chris on Wed, 03/30/2011 - 19:19

April Fools' Day is a time for goofs and gags, but save the jokes for your friends. Even if a hiring manager has a great sense of humor, he or she isn't looking for laughs when reviewing your resume and cover letter. While it's OK to inject a modicum of personality and wit into your application materials, you won't be taken seriously if your interview flows more like a standup routine.

Get a prospective employer's attention by concisely conveying your most relevant skills, experience and qualifications when applying for jobs. The following candidates should have forgone the funny business:

"GOALS: To secure a job. I'll do almost anything. But, no, I'm not cleaning out horse stalls. Ha-ha."

That's one way to muck up a resume.

"ACHIEVEMENTS: I have survived to 26 years of age thus far, a feat unequaled by even King Tut."

A quip only a mummy could love.

"ACHIEVEMENTS: Actually solved a Rubik's Cube once without the aid of the popular 'sticker-peeling technique."

Congratulations, but we're puzzled why you'd include this on your resume.

This graphic designer is open to changing careers:

"OTHER POSITIONS I WOULD CONSIDER: Hot tub tester."

Nice work if you can get it.

Finally, as always, proofread diligently. While some job seekers try to be funny but aren't, others inadvertently make employers chuckle.

"OBJECTIVE: Seeking full-time employment or just a jig."

Big job interview? Here are 4 last-minute tips.

Submitted by chris on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 14:11

DO make direct eye contact. People who fail to make direct eye contact often come across as shifty people with something to hide. So even if you are a shifty person with something to hide, train yourself to look right into their eyes. Allen does make an interesting suggestion, if the person is ugly, look at the bridge of their eyes. Wow, I would never have come up with that gem on my own. That knowledge would have made it so much easer to survive high school in New Jersey.

DO smile. Smiling really matters more than most of us realize. I used to have a photo attached to this column that I really liked. But I wasn't smiling. And people would write to me about it. Then I replaced it with a smiling photo, and the reaction is totally different. Smiling matters. One trick you should try is to practice smiling in front of a mirror. Sure it sounds dumb, but anything that increases your smile ratio is worth the time and trouble.

DO greet by name. We've all met the annoying people who keep repeating your name when they first meet you, are all you insurance agents out there listening? But just because people do annoying things using your name doesn't mean that we should all just nod at each other anonymously. Learn people's names and use them. You'll notice that most people really appreciate your acknowledgement of them.

DON'T wimp out on the handshake. It sounds like a cliche, but a firm handshake really sends a message of strength and confidence. On the other hand, one of those dead fish handshakes just makes me want to keep my hands in my pockets. And this isn't just something for men. Women you need to learn how to give a confident handshake. All bets are off however, if Avian flu ever strikes our shores. Elbow bumping, anyone?

Don't Answer This Question on a Job Interview

Submitted by chris on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 14:08

Experts on career guidance and hiring say answering one particular question in a job interview is a no-win situation for the applicant. If it comes up, they actually recommend you politely decline to answer.

Arizona State University senior Gabriela Johnson says the question came up in one of her interviews: "In a previous job, has there been a company policy you disagreed with?" Brian Gagan calls it "a dangerous question". Gagan is a partner at

"This is filled with a lot of pitfalls," said Karen Lamb, Assistant Director of ASU Career Services. "Any way you answer it you're going to look like a renegade." According to Lamb, the "rule of thumb" for any interview question is to find a way to turn a negative into a positive. But she told 12 News, "It would be difficult to have any amount of honesty here and not get yourself in a difficult situation."

Lamb advised Johnson, "Never say anything negative about your former employer, even if they were Attila the Hun...because it's going to reflect negatively on you." Lamb added, "I think if you're criticizing any (company) policy, no matter how valid (the criticism is)...you're going to look bad. I would almost step away from this question." Politely decline to answer the question and emphasize that you would always follow company policies.

New York's own reality TV show debuts: 'Job Hunt'

Submitted by chris on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 13:47

On Tuesday night, just as the sixth and final season of "Lost" gets under way, New York City’s own reality TV show, "Job Hunt," will kick off, as well.

While it won't have the appeal of polar bears and smoke monsters, "Job Hunt" may tell you what color suit to wear to a job interview, or how to use Google and social media to your advantage. The 10-part series, which runs on New York’s NYC Life network, tries to help New Yorkers get back on their feet if they are out of work. And just to give the audience a little extra inspiration, it stars actual job seekers.

"You may know the season premier of 'Lost' is on for two hours tonight, but if you are looking for a job then you know what? The only show for you to watch tonight is 'Job Hunt,' " said Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn's borough president.

The city’s efforts mirror a national push to help the unemployed. In his budget plan, President Obama proposes to extend unemployment benefits. For the past week, Mr. Obama has announced a new jobs-related program almost every day, including Tuesday in New Hampshire, when he unveiled one to jump-start hiring at small businesses.

 

Waiting for the November job interview

Submitted by chris on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 13:44

We’ve been told it’s a new year — a new decade in fact — and things are different now.

Although they spent last year grappling with the problems considered top priority, like cap and trade and getting the healthcare bill through, congress has now decided its time to refocus on what really is the number one issue. With the unemployment rate sitting at above 10 percent, Congress has decided it is time to completely focus their attention on the very pressing issue of jobs — their own.

I find it amusing that when it looks to members of Congress that they could actually become one of those unpleasant statistics standing in line at the unemployment office — figuratively speaking of course — this issue suddenly moves to the top of the list.

Last year during the cap and trade bill negotiations House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even managed to convince people the bill was really as much about jobs as it was about green energy — really. I find it difficult to equate that with the fact that the bill has $4.2 billion written into it to compensate for the jobs that will be lost once it’s implemented. This $4.2 billion, to be spread out from 2011 to 2019, allows $1,500 per person for job-search assistance for people expected to be put out of work because of it. It also gives them an unemployment check for up to three years while they look for a new job or get retrained in another field. In fact, experts say when implemented, the bill is likely to cause a 0.5 percent drop in jobs in the first 10 years — and that’s over and above the unemployment rate we’re already dealing with

What non-verbal signs do you look for while interviewing?

Submitted by chris on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 13:42

I'm not too concerned about nonverbal signs unless I see a definite conflict between what a person is saying and what their body language is telling me. If I see a large contrast, it's a signal for me to get more detail about the experience the candidate is describing to me. I also might ask the candidate for a reference in order for me to verify the facts I am being presented with. I do pay attention to body posture, tone of voice, and verbal pace. I like to mirror my candidates posture, tone, and pace in order to more effectively communicate with her/him.

Your skills should be transferable

Submitted by chris on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 16:28

In the Career Service's four-step plan to rethink your career after redundancy, the first step is simple: "Know yourself."

"Know what you have to offer - your skills and attributes," says northern regional manager Dale Bailey.

"Often people's identities are tied up in their current occupation. They may not realise that the skills they used in their old job could be transferred to a new setting."

Transferring resources from one setting to another is what a recession is all about. It is capitalism's painful way of shifting capital out of low-profit businesses, which are the first tofall over in a downturn, into more profitable fields. And many workers have no choice but to shift too.

Recognising this, job interviewing techniques have also become much more general, probing people's broad attitudes and behaviours rather than their narrow technical skills.

Tips on how to SOAR during a job interview

Submitted by chris on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 16:27

`How would you describe yourself?"

"Why would you be an asset to our company?"

If you're preparing for a job interview, regardless of the job, don't expect to be asked broad, open-ended questions like these. Employers today aren't interested in hearing job candidates talk about themselves in general terms. With no time or money to waste on hiring incompetence, employers instead are asking questions that require candidates to provide evidence of their ability to handle specific on-the-job situations and challenges.

Thus, "competency-based interviews are quickly gaining popularity among hiring professionals as the most effective questioning strategy to identify and hire the right people," notes career consultant and columnist Linda Matias.

The secret to acing such interviews, says Matias, who is also author of "201 Knockout Answers to Tough Interview Questions: The Ultimate Guide to Handling the New Competency-Based Interview Style," is to recognize and speak well of your accomplishments. To come up with diverse examples to draw upon, she encourages candidates to dig into their past and to "think small."

"Interviewers do not expect you to provide extraordinary examples every time," she says.

But they do expect well thought-out answers. "Think SOAR," says Matias. "First, set up the Situation or Obstacle you encountered; next, explain the Action you implemented; and finally, close with the Result."

Career Planning

Submitted by chris on Wed, 10/07/2009 - 16:02

Instead of resume writing, the first step in your job search is career planning. For example, you may need to know if you want to find a job in academic, industry, or even start your own company. You also need to have a long term vision in your mind to guide yourself. Government statistics show that average American has more than 10 jobs in his lifetime; and ten years from now, half the working population will be in jobs that have not yet been invented. Without a clear vision in your mind, you may easily get lost in job market. After all, even if you get your perfect job, how long can you keep it?

 

 

 

Your career planning can all boil down to your self-analysis. You can ask yourself some questions like "What kind of person am I", " What kind of person do I like best to work with", "What kind of knowledge and skills do I have" and "What's the most important things for me in a job?" etc. Be honest to yourself and take some time to reflect on it. You may not really know what's your perfect job until you first do some self-exploration like this.

 

 

 

Then you can brainstorm some job titles that sound interesting to you. For example, if you're a recent electronic engineering graduate, you can pursue job positions in the following fields: electronic engineer, technical support, sales representative, consultant, etc. Compare your options and decide which career path interests you the most. People tend to select careers they think they already know: law students become lawyers, engineering students become engineers. But what if after several years, they find that they don't like their jobs at all? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are about 22,000 occupations in American society. If you can think outside the box and develop a broader vision of your career possibilities, you'll find a career that you enjoy doing and also do well, a career which is based on your interest, aptitudes and personality.