Archive for the ‘Salary & Raises’ Category

Interviewing can be daunting. But here are three ways to help you get a leg up on the competition.

The “Dress For Success” Mystique

Human beings have a funny way of judging things very quickly. Likes and dislikes are subjective, and one thing we can’t seem to get a handle on is why employers tend to hire people they like. With that said, employers like people who dress well, make good first impressions, and appear to be professional - employers believe those people will make good decisions in their job. And they’re usually right. The best rule of thumb for dressing for success is to dress for the job you “want”, not the job you “have”. Dress for a job above yours - observe the dress patterns of the people you admire at work - those people understand the importance of dressing well to get noticed.

The “Tell Me About Yourself” rumour

Its the most commonly known interview question in the world. The reason most employers ask it is to break the ice with “something easy”. Trouble is, it’s not so easy when you’re nervous, under pressure, and unprepared to “just talk” for a couple of minutes. The best thing to do is to prepare yourself for a concise, but easy-going answer. Include personal (not business) information that might give the interviewer a chance to learn a little bit about who you are. You’ve already dressed to reflect some of your business goals, so now you might consider telling the interviewer where you’re from originally, what you do in your spare time, the sports you enjoy most, your favourite books or movies, and perhaps the name of the person you look up to most. Ideally, give them one or two irresistible nuggets of information that they feel compelled to ask you to elaborate on - it’s what they want, and it’ll help get the interview going smoothly. Your answer should, above all, be natural, unrehearsed, and honest. Nothing endears people to you more than honesty and integrity. And if you prove to be easy to talk to, you’ll be in their “good books” from the start.

The Importance of “Closing” the Deal

Do your very best to offer insightful answers throughout the interview. But when the interviewer has finished asking you all of her questions, it’s your chance to really shine: get her impression of how good your chances are. You’ve given your best answers, you were thoughtful and calm, and now you need to find out if the interviewer is likely to give you the offer. And here’s how you’ll know: Ask. “Is there any reason I would not be considered for this role?” If the employer does her job, she should try not to commit to hiring you during an interview. They will likely answer you by telling you they can not make a decision until she has completed the rest of her interviews. But that’s not your cue to quit: “If I were the last interview, would I be your first choice for this role?” If the employer answers with anything but “yes”, it’s your job to forge ahead with more questions. “Is there anything in my application that would prevent me from being your first choice for this role?” Above all, your job at this stage is to parlay your interest, eagerness, and preparedness for this role. These days, the right attitude and fit are the deciding factors in extending offers of employment. Make sure you stand out by “closing” your excitement about this job.

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Steve Baldwin is CEO of Officejobs.com. With dual head offices in Canada, Officejobs.com serves reputable employers nationally. Expert recruiters provide insight and advice to employers and job seekers alike, combining advanced online recruitment technologies with old fashioned wisdom.

It’s long been my contention that your attitude plays a bigger role in salary negotiations than your skill set. Here are the must-haves when you’re negotiating a better wage.

Have Some Back-Up
If you’re like most people who want a raise, you might decide to saunter into your boss’s office and wing it. And when your boss asks you why he should dip into the company’s money for your sake, you’ll stumble through the most common excuses for “wanting” a raise, not “earning” one. Tenure with the company or higher personal expenses are too easy for your boss to shoot down. Instead, your boss needs irresistible proof - with “back-up” - that you’re pulling your weight, or more. The more specific you can be, the harder it will be to dispute, and the happier you’ll be with your raise. Whenever possible, provide facts, dates, figures, customer names, or anything tangible that will prove you’re effecting the company’s bottom line. Do your best to show how you are directly responsible for saving the company money, helping it earn more profit, maximizing productivity for others, or attracting new customers. Again, it’s critical that you be specific with names, dates, and numbers.

Do Some Research

There are countless reliable resources available to you to help determine your financial worth at work (government or industry research are often the most reliable sources; but if you’re really serious, make several phone calls to find other top performers outside of your company and explain to them that you are in a similar position, and that you are interested in gaging the proper salary for your job). Create your own simple comparison of what you’re being paid compared to other top performers in your industry who are paid more. Be sure to carefully select those jobs that closely match the duties, responsibilities and competencies that you have in your job. It’s difficult for employers to responsibly defend a lower wage for doing the same job as everyone else. Remember, you’ll need to provide clear written evidence that you are doing the same work for less money. Seek fair wages that will pay you equitably for the same work others are doing.

Have Some Confidence

This is easier said than done. But we all know people who are less qualified than we are, but who are paid more. And there’s nothing more frustrating. Why does this happen? In many (if not most) cases, wages are subjectively assigned to people. And in my experience, people with the most confidence, and who are not afraid to ask for more, get paid more. For many of us, the first step to having more confidence is to know what your “fair wage” should be (see previous two paragraphs); the second step might be to have the willingness to find another job if your current boss isn’t willing to pay a fair wage.

Now, and for the rest of my lifetime, North America will experience a severe shortage of skilled workers. If you’re one of the valuable and productive ones, prove what you’ve done with some back-up, show your boss what “top performers” in your position are making elsewhere, and walk confidently into that corner office and ask for that much-deserved raise.

One Last Thing

Honourable mention goes to the fourth point, “asking” for the raise. It’s somewhat rare to hear of someone receiving a significant raise without having asked for it. Keep in mind that HOW you ask for it is just as important as the asking itself. If you’re serious about that raise, lay out the reasons for earning it (with back-up and research), and then tell your boss how much you feel you deserve. If you’ve done your homework, your confidence and poise will pay off.