Would you like a salary raise? 5 tips to be successful!

It’s no secret that salaries are not keeping up with the economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, reported that income growth is flat and mainly unchanged from the previous quarter. This puts employers in a position of strength when negotiating salaries. CFOs say they are willing to negotiate with top candidates on salary in 2012, according to a Robert Half study, but not everyone feels comfortable asking for a higher salary.

5 tips for negotiating salary:

Industry

Research your industry to see if your job is in the projected high growth zone. According to CareerBuilder.com, they project job growth through 2018 for biomedical engineers, medical assistants, network systems and data communications analysts, and registered nurses. Examine the expert analysis on the leading companies in your industry. If your field is emerging or slated for growth, you can leverage your talents and skills to negotiate a higher salary. If you are in an industry that is declining or stagnate, it can make a big difference in potential pay raises.

Region

Closely study your local job market and statistics for unemployment. These facts and figures can have insight into the competition in your area and whether you are located in the best region for your target industry. Your prospects, as well as your salary, can be affected by this type of data.

Professional designations

Degrees, certifications, credentials and professional designations are highly marketable and can have an impact on salary. These set you apart from your peers and can sometimes generate as much as 10-15% higher salary rates. Special skills and/or licenses also play an important part in moving a career forward and ability to demand a larger salary.

Network

Before you can effectively network, you need to be clear about what skills, talents, and value you have to a potential employer. If you don’t know your value proposition, how can someone else promote you to an influential network? Utilize social media networking such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as platforms that can add dollars to your salary. If your social media network reaches out to thousands of followers your employer may view this as valuable outreach to potential buyers of their products or services. Those followers carry a dollar value which in turn adds to your power to negotiate that financial influence into your salary.

Financial power

Enter into salary negotiations from a position of strength. It is similar to asking for a loan from a bank. You will get a higher consideration for the loan if you can show you don’t really need the money or that you have reserves to pay it back. When negotiating a salary, your persona needs to be well seated in confidence, knowing your experience in the industry, degrees and certifications, and prior accomplishments will be backing you up at the bargaining table.

I have only outlined a few brief statements on the topic of increasing your salary. Nancy L. Anderson, CFP has much more to say on this subject. To read more from Ms. Anderson and to read the entire post which this blog is based on: Forbes article

Resume Basics All Job Seekers Need to Know

The purpose of the resume is to get you an interview, not necessarily to get you the job. Would you buy a car without a test drive? Companies want to test drive you too. Your resume should tell a story, from beginning to end and answer these questions:

• Who are you?
• What have you done?
• What makes you special?
• Why should we hire you?

How long should the resume be? As long as it needs to be, and as short as needed to keep the reader’s attention. Only give them enough information to make them want to keep reading. It can be very tempting to try and stuff in every bit of information about you and your achievements into your resume. Don’t. Your resume is a marketing document, not a “career obituary” of everything you’ve done and everywhere you’ve worked. Consider that in today’s world of smart phones and ipads, a shorter resume is more easily read by mobile devices.

Resumes help you by showing potential employers that you are the right candidate for the position. Stand out from the crowd with a stellar resume. Words have power. Make your resume more powerful by using action verbs in your accomplishment statements. Resumes should always focus on results. Don’t write job descriptions. Don’t just describe what you did, but actually give concrete results that you achieved. Use captivating titles and strong keywords to draw the reader’s attention and to create a standout impression of you as a job candidate. Yes, you often only get one chance to make a first impression. Your resume is your first chance to make a good impression on hiring manager.

Resume Tips:

• Don’t lie on your resume. Get hired because you are the right person for the job, not because you said the right things on your resume.
• Proofread your resume carefully to make sure that it is error-free.
• Don’t forget how your resume looks. Even if you have the correct information on your resume, if the format isn’t outstanding, it may not get read or appeal to the hiring manager and you may not get an interview.
• Never use your current employer’s contact information on your resume — and that includes using your work email address.
• Make sure you update your resume every six months to keep it up-to-date, adding recent positions, additional responsibilities and accomplishments, as well as new skills, and education.  
• Don’t try to use the same resume to apply for different types of jobs. For example, you can’t use the same resume for sales jobs or procurement positions. Or the same resume for nursing jobs and pharmaceutical sales roles.
•  Make sure you keep a record of the resumes you’ve sent. When you send out a resume, make a note of when to follow-up.

The purpose of the resume and is to get you in the door. Your resume must get past the gatekeeper, whose job it is to screen paper out, not in. Once that happens, these documents have done their job.

Google+ - what every job seeker needs to know

Many of you may be thinking – no, not another social network! I don’t have time for the other ones. Well, Google+ is not about to go away. In fact, I predict that we will see it grow exponentially in the next few years in a similar way to how LinkedIn (now over 86 million visitors) shot up the charts. Just recently it was reported that Google+ had over 61 million visitors so it is growing quickly. Why? Because it is “Google,” and Google has a somewhat unparalleled online influence.  As a job seeker it is important to be aware of the social push that Google+ has.  

Social Network

Google+ is not a social network – not in the same sense as Facebook. Here’s what’s important to understand about Google+ as a networking tool. The +1 button that you are seeing everywhere feeds Google’s advertising engine, and the data helps Google match targeted ads to you and all the connections in your Google account. That extends out to recruiters and hiring agents finding you in a targeted search.

+1 Button & SEO rankings

By adding a +1 button to your site it can help your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in several ways. If you endorse a product or site, here’s an example of what might happen: a Gmail contact in your account may do a search and the product or site shows up that you endorsed. Your picture shows up with that listing and your endorsement. The more users in your +1 circles, the more traffic and larger positive impact. This triggers more visitors (people are more likely to click), and the best of all, you get higher click-throughs which Google considers into higher rankings.

Search Results

Be active in Google+ to have an impact on your search results.  Opening up a Google+ account with a few people in your circles, then leaving it sit idle will not get the results you are looking for.  You don’t have to be a Google+ maniac, but a reasonable amount of attention to this account can result in major differences in search results. Recruiters and hiring agents are experts at online searches for potential candidates and Google+ is one place they are looking.

Manage Online Profile  

When a job seeker is changing career direction, it is essential that he or she Google themself to see what is being said about them on the internet. Recruiters and hiring managers Google perspective employees before making an offer and sometimes before calling a person in for an interview. Google+ is a place where you can manage your online reputation and gain a top spot under searches for your name; and, this in turn pushes any negative posts farther down the search results page.

Larger Posts

Google+ provides space for content more like a blog. With Facebook and Twitter limiting the character length, using Google+ gives you opportunities to list a full-length post. The more content you put in Google+, the easier it is for Google to index and create search results. For you that means more visibility, traffic, and SEO.

Before you go kicking and screaming into oblivion, just think about these points. One or more of them may have a profound effect on the success of your online presence while in job search mode.

Capitalize on the benefits of Google+ and +1 to help your search results – I promise you it will be worth it. Here’s a secret – Google has invested heavily in Google+ and integrated it across all of its properties. It is not going to abandon this network anytime soon. 

Using the internet to maximize job search

Much has been said in the last decade about using the internet for job search. Gone are the days when a job seeker circled job ads in the newspaper. Today there are an overwhelming amount of websites and online tools for the average job seeker. I want to caution you about throwing a dart at an undefined target and expecting results. Just like everything else, it helps to have a plan and focus your efforts at a niche targeted space.  I have selected a variety of niche sites and resources that can be helpful.

General Job Search – check out these comprehensive sites for helpful articles, job search tips and tools, and some even have career research centers that are easily accessible.

• www.RileyGuide.com     
• www.TheLadders.com    
• www.Job-Hunt.org    
•  www.Indeed.com -  job search tool  
• www.careershift.com  - job search tool   
• www.jigsaw-jobs.com - professional staffing firm

Company Research – valuable company information to help you when considering a position. 

•  www.news.Google.com – search for companies in the news 
•  www.Hoovers.com – large company and contact database      
•  www.Wetfeet.com -  includes advice, research, and inspiration to plan and achieve a successful career
• www.Glassdoor.com - millions of job listings, company salaries, reviews, and inside connections for companies
• www.zoominfo.com – manage your web profile and be searched by recruiters
• www.manta.com – find U.S. companies by categories

Military – great resources for military personnel and spouses re-entering the job market. 

•  www.military.com, www.veteranscareerfair.com, and www.monster.com  resources for  local and virtual career fairs.
• www.military.com also has a skills translator to help you interpret  your military experience so you don’t  feel like you are in a jobless black hole when it comes to using your military job skills
• www.Milicruit.com  helps veterans and military spouses find jobs
• www.navytimes.com/careers/  offers info about transitions, college & G.I. Bill.
•  www.woundedwarrierproject.org  is an organization aimed at honoring and empowering injured military service members
• Government resource that helps veterans with recovery and  employment assistance  http://www.dol.gov/vets/REALifelines/index.htm
•  http://www.fedshirevets.gov/index.aspx  government website to help veterans find jobs in the federal government
• National Resource Directory, a partnership with the Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs https://www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/

Government  -  career exploration for federal government jobs and related industries

• www.ourpublicservice.org   
• www.acinet.org – career one stop site  
•  www.onetonline.org – O*net online – descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers  
•  www.MyNextMove.org  – part of o*net - search career keywords and industries 
• http://mappingyourfuture.org/planyourcareer/careership/index.cfm - part of o*net – online career exploration

Executives –targeted to upper level managers, and C-level executives filled with resources. 

•  www.Execunet.com
•  www.BlueSteps.com   
•  www.Netshare.com

40+ Job seekers - Age-specific sites that address the challenges and concerns of the 40+ individual seeking a career change. 

•  http://www.jobs4point0.com/ - job listings for 40+ jobseekers 
•  www.55-alive.com  - contains career articles for the 55+ sector, as well as articles relating to overall life and well being 
•  www.internsover40.blogspot.com/  - career tools and articles

Social Media  - These websites help a job seeker  maximize their online search through social media resources. 

•  www.Vizibility.com create QR code for your resume and help control what hiring agents find out about you on Google
•  www.tweetmyjobs.com matches job seeker up with jobs and sends results via cell phone, twitter or email 

Salary Tools

• CNN’s cost of living calculator http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html 
• www.salary.com for many resources related to salary  

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, I have chosen a selection of sites that I thought you would find beneficial to use in your job search. It is at least a place to start. Of course, using a certified resume writer and/or career coach can also help you navigate through career transition. These professionals specialize in writing resumes, LinkedIn profiles and other career materials, as well as coaching a job seeker through the various aspects of a career change. 

A special thank you to Karen Chopra for compiling this list at the recent Career Thought Leader Conference.   

Don’t say or do this at an Interview – really!

Got the interview jitters? Want to make a good impression? Don’t know what to say exactly and don’t want to say the wrong thing? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are among many job seekers who feel the same way. It is very common to have angst about an upcoming interview.

First of all, congratulate yourself for getting this far in the hiring process! Second, take a deep breath, you will get through this phase too, but you need to plan ahead and practice. 

Let’s examine a few of the negatives to avoid:

1.      Don’t badmouth your former employer.

2.      Don’t talk too much.

3.      Don’t show up to the interview unprepared. You should have researched the company and its products and be familiar with them.

4.      Know the details of the position you are interviewing for. Be familiar with the requirements of the job opportunity and skills needed.

5.      Don’t ask the hiring manager for a ride home.

We have had it drilled into our heads that standing out from your competitors is a way to get the attention of a recruiter or hiring manager. While that is true, you have to keep in mind what is most important here – showing the employer that you are a good fit for their company. Ultimately, the employer wants to find candidates that “fit in” with their company culture.

With social media playing such a big part of job search today, a job seeker needs to be cautious about what they are sharing online.  It goes beyond the posts that say “got drunk at the kegger last night” and really relates to what can be assumed by some as innocent shares.

Examples:

·         “I’ve had candidates share with me their anger management problems, views on gender, age, and other things that can be damaging in an interview,” says Shilonda Downing, owner of Virtual Work Team. “One candidate recently mentioned that he was going through anger management for hitting a co-worker in corporate America, and that is why he would like to work from home going forward.” A job seeker who mentions these things is considered someone who will not be able to professionally handle situations and perhaps, could react with some level of violence.

·         Showing up for an interview over-medicated can result in a disaster for both the job seeker and the interviewer.  If speech mannerisms are affected (like slow or slurred speech) the interviewer could be concerned that there may be a real medial emergency in progress.  This is an interview killer and paints a picture for the interviewer that this could be behavior displayed in the workplace as well. 

·         Odd and unprofessional behavior (for example: excessive itching, touching face, etc.) can throw a job seeker out of the hiring process. The interviewer looks at this as the type of behavior that would also be displayed on the job and is considered unacceptable.

·         Thought process and judgment that is poorly demonstrated by immature behaviors or explanations of situations can send a red flag to the interviewer. Carefully choose your words and practice answers to general interview questions before your meeting.  If you think of answering interview questions with a challenge, action and result – you will be better prepared to respond with quality information that will reflect who you are and what you can do for the company.  Career coaches can be a great resource for helping job seekers get over interview anxiety.

·         Don’t share more than you are asked during an interview. Bringing up a loss of a friend or family member in an interview can be sensitive subject matter and make the interviewer uncomfortable.  If you need to mention the passing of someone in your life or work as it relates to an interview question or inquiry, then talk about it without going into details that might turn the conversation to an awkward place.

Just remember to be honest, and let your personality draw the interviewer into the conversation. It’s best to be yourself, because after all, that’s who will be showing up for the job.  

Job Search Tips from Google Recruiters

Google employs leading-edge recruiters to find its top talent, and we can learn a lot from their hiring practices.  Michael B. Junge, a recruiter for Google, shared a few of his recruiting tips.

Resumes

Resumes don’t always represent the job seeker in the best light. Sometimes an individual may be perfect for the job, but their resume doesn’t have the right key elements to project that to a recruiter.

I’m sure you have heard before that a resume should have active instead of passive language. Describing experience with results more than duties and responsibilities gives the reader a better picture of what that candidate can do. Your resume is  more likely to get read if it has words like ‘built, delivered, initiated, designed,’ than if it has words like ‘responsible for.’ Hiring managers and recruiters are pros at picking up language-based clues that describe a high-performing candidate, as well as incongruent statements. An employer wants to look at people who can deliver and perform, and your resume needs to show accomplishments to be considered as a valuable candidate. 

Keywords are vital today on both the resume and LinkedIn profile. If a computer program is used to sort through the resumes for a particular job opportunity, having the right keywords will help you get the attention of the hiring manager. In a LinkedIn profile keywords are essential to being found by recruiters and hiring managers since this is the primary way they search  in LinkedIn.

Social Media

A recent study by CareerXroads showed that while social media’s impact is growing, 38.9% of companies manage prospects and candidates with social media tools. Keep in mind this survey was conducted from a small group of companies. However, worth noting is that almost 40% of these companies are using social media in their searches today.

LinkedIn is still the leader of social media networks for recruiters and hiring managers. They use LinkedIn to search, identify, validate, and connect with prospective candidates. They find this resource one of the best when looking for hard-to-find talent and niche skill sets. 

Of course when hiring Google employees, one of the criteria is to have fun. Their recruiters look for employees who enjoy everything from the hiring process (yes I can hardly believe that) to creating logic puzzles for engineers.

Today’s employers are looking for subjective performance traits like attitude and enthusiasm as well as objective performance and skills. Ideal candidates possess the ability to tackle challenges and enjoy the process. What do employers get from this? It is perceived that if a candidate enjoys proving their skill level through tests or interview processes, it can give an employer a birds-eye view of what they might expect from this employee in the future. 

While you might not be looking for a position at Google, you can take-away some of the insights from one of their recruiters. Most all companies are looking for generally the same type of person to hire. Be sure your resume, online presence, and interviewing skills are a winning combination. 

Get fired now! 10 ways to make it happen

Employees are fired every day and many don’t have a clear reason why. Obviously there is some level of dissatisfaction by the employer that could be related to performance or any number of other factors. Since most employees are “at will” they can be fired for any reason or no reason at all. Here are some issues to avoid.

1.     1. Sick time

“If you want to get fired, repeatedly call in sick on Mondays” says Randy Merrell, Vice President of Operations at Elite Network, a San Francisco-based search firm.  Avoid calling in sick just prior to or after a key organizational event if at all possible. It is seen as suspicious behavior and the work falls on others to follow through with responsibilities that are associated with the event.

2.  Lies on job application

A job application is considered a legal document.  Don’t take the chance of losing an opportunity by lying on your job application or resume. It is too easy today to check educational degrees and employment dates. A potential employer may be leery about  hiring you and finding out later what other untruths have been told.

3.  Hygiene

Personal hygiene is important in any role a person has in business. If you interact with clients, or work closely with a team, keeping your appearance professional is crucial including shaving, body-odor, hair, and appropriate clothing. 

4.  Ego

Knowing when to stand up for a good idea and when to back down for the good of all involved is important. In business an ego is necessary to get things accomplished, but not at the price of sabotaging the ultimate goal. Single-mindedness and constantly being critical of others is a sure way of getting your walking papers. 

5.  Complain

No one likes complainers,  yet there are times when we all need to complain about something. What’s important to know here is that as an employee you need to show good judgment when it comes to the issue of your complaint and timing. In other words, don’t ask for a promotion when the company is in the midst of severely cutting back staff unless you want your name at the top of that cut-back list.

6.  Respect

Experts recommend that employees respect the chain of command in an organization, especially if you are the new kid on the block. Get to know the players and clear picture of the circumstances before going over someone’s head or behind their back. It could be career suicide not to respect the lay of the land, not matter what you personally think about the high-ups in the organization.

7.  Birds of a feather

If you are a parent you may have experienced a time when your child started hanging around the wrong crowd at school, and this caused you concern. No different really in business. Co-workers and peers can be toxic to you and your career. People will assume you associate with like-minded people so don’t set yourself up for failure.

8.  Be responsible

It’s not the mistake you’ve made, it’s the covering up of that mistake that will get you in trouble. Own up to your error and you will be more respected for admitting your mistake, showing your remorse, and learning from that mistake. You’re expendable if you blame others, failed technology, or “time” for the problem.

9.  Take credit where none is due

Don’t  you just hate people that take credit for another’s accomplishments? You may find yourself pointed to the door if you try this in business. Be an upstanding person and give credit to the right people. You may gain more respect from co-workers and management if you do this, no matter what your contribution. 

10.   Hide under the table

What are you afraid of? Keeping your head down to do your work is one thing. If you avoid your boss and don’t interact with others,  you may be deemed as someone who doesn’t have ideas or is able to work on a team. This could be just the opposite of the truth, however, you have to let your boss and co-workers know what you are capable of accomplishing and ideas you have to share.

Of course, no one really wants to get fired, right? These ten tips should help you avoid it. This is all common sense, however, always good to take a close look at what’s behind failed business relationships.