How to Negotiate Your Salary in Three Easy Steps

The question of how to negotiate your salary inevitably arises for the successful career hunter.

On the one hand the employee needs to make as much as he can. On the other, it must be at a point the employer can justifiably be willing to pay.

To that end..

Step One) Simply Do Your Research. Know the Job's Market Price

Information about what to expect is the first step in making sure your number is realistic.  Here are five such sites.

1. PayScale
2. Glassdoor
3. Salary.com
4. Beyond
5. Indeed Salary Search 

Step Two) Offer a Fair Number

Having done your research give yourself a number that puts you above the minimum (though not at the maximum if you are between jobs).  You justify this by want to let the company know that if they offer the bare minimum, they run the real risk of a competitor snatching you up down the road.

Demanding the maximum is what you should do if you are already in a secure position, and its indeed a "snatching up" action that's taking place.

Step Three) Be Negotiable

With the following established, considered the net compensation package. This goes beyond the salary itself, but other employee incentives such as bonuses, health care, 401K plans, educational compensation, and simply the company's culture and location.

With these steps in mind, you should be able to put yourself a good compensation position that's appropriately priced for the market.

~Noble Career Hunter~

Keep Busy - Volunteer

When one has been unemployed for awhile, confidence can waver. But according to various studies, volunteering can give a powerful boon to one's hirebility.


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"Volunteers have a 27 percent higher likelihood of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers" cites a study by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a government agency responsible for tracking volunteer efforts. Furthermore, their study finds that "...[v]olunteers without a high school diploma have a 51 percent higher likelihood of finding employment" and that it "...volunteering is associated with an increased likelihood of finding employment for all volunteers regardless of a person’s gender, age, ethnicity, geographical area, or the job market conditions."
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With this in mind, its important for one to stay busy and encouraged as they go through a career transition. Give unto others, and it'll be given back to you. Statistics don't lie afterall. 

Well, not in this case at least. =)

~David Noble Morris~

I wanted to expand on the following article I read entitled 5 Things You have to Unlearn to Succeed at Work.

Its bullet number one in particular that I wish to stress,

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Gen Y’s latest thing is binge learning, where you become so interested in what you're doing that you don't want to stop until you've learned it all. But the only way that you can binge learn is to know how to find course materials on your own and choose the sequence of those materials that works best for you. This means you can't rely on someone else's syllabus and you can't rely on somebody laying out the steps for you.
In the workplace, to create our own value, we must create our own learning path. You have to unlearn the habit of waiting to be told what comes next in your education if you want to take control of your adult life.

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This has a particular impact for yours truly given his own (self) educational accomplishments as of late. One's career can be filled with transition, especially in these times, where its not uncommon to find yourself doing something not directly linked to your degree. As economies change, so will the skill sets demanded of you to succeed.

As an adult, Its important to understand how to continually teach yourself - the neurology behind it and what you can do for yourself to enhance your rate of understanding. 

You'll often surprise yourself as you discover that what you learn "on a binge" or as a mere "hobby" can far eclipse what levels of comprehension you thought you were capable of in the classroom.  I'll feature tips for training your mind (as I have been doing) in future updates. In the meantime, check out what I have for you in this blog as well as the one I've featured for Software Engineering, Code Crunch Corner.

Like, share, and leave a comment in the meantime!

Four Tips On Finding Career Fairs

Nothing has the power to get you started than to simply go to a career fair or company open house and get started. But how does one find them?

1. The Washington Post Job Fair Page
• The one of the most powerful places you can go to stay alert is through the Washington Post career site. Not only can you browse their listings, but an entire tab is dedicated to finding fairs in your area.
2. Dice Career Fair
• Targeted Job Fairs, a subsidary to Dice.com, is a major player in the hosting of events. Bookmark and register with them.
3. TechExpo
• Specializing with those who possess clearances, TechExpo is on the top of its game in hosting fairs catered to its audience, and can help you find the fairs you're looking for.
  
  
4. Virginia Employment Commission
• For those living in Virginia, the Virginia Employment Commission lists technical career fair events.
5. Company Social Media Pages
• The larger firms out there typically have a well developed social media presence.
  
  In targeting such firms, keep up by following (and bookmarking) their LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and blogging places of presence. By keeping up with your favorite companies in an organized fashion (eg. create bookmark folders for each social page, use email filters for inbound alerts, etc) you can be better on top of things for the latest in their open house recruitment events.
  
  Not to mention make a better social media presence for yourself at their company.

What do you think of such tips for now? Leave a comment below for your own suggestions. Please share this post with your friends and associates on facebook, twitter, and linkedin.

~David Noble Morris~

Top Three Best and Worst Job Interview Questions

This is an excerpt from the SPARKS newsletter that I found to be too good not to share. Its all about having the right questions prepared, whilst avoiding the wrong ones.

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You’ve survived the bulk of a job interview – you’ve listened attentively to the interviewer’s questions and provided detailed, clear responses – and now the tables have turned. The questions have come to a halt. The interviewer closes their folder.
 
“So,” he/she begins, “do you have any questions for me?”

Preparing for this crucial interview component is absolutely essential for job seekers. While it might seem as though your interviewer is simply being polite by asking if you have any questions, don’t be fooled. The evaluation isn’t over. And your choice of questions can tell an employer a lot about you.

In an effort to help you plan for your next interview, we’ve rounded up the top three best and worst questions to ask an interviewer.


The Best:

How would you describe your ideal candidate?

This type of question shows that you’re not just eager to get the job; you’re also thinking about what skills are necessary to excel in the role. Moreover, it’s a question that gives you the opportunity to discuss any details about your skills/experience that you might have missed during the main interview period.

How does this position fit into the company’s long-term goals?

Asking about a company’s long-term plans demonstrates big-picture thinking, something that many employers are looking for. It also gives you a chance to learn more about the position and which departments or individuals you could be working with.

What can I do for you as a follow-up?

The more information you find out about the hiring process the better. Asking what you can do as a follow-up encourages the interviewer to let you in on the process and who the stakeholders might be in making the final decision.


The Worst
 
Are you willing to adjust the position’s hours or salary?

It’s perfectly fine to inquire about an organization’s daily work schedule or to discuss your salary expectations. But try not to lead with a question that indicates that you’re looking to make demands right away.

How much time off will I get?

A job interview is not the time to ask about time off. Once you’ve received a formal offer from a company, feel free to ask about their vacation time, health benefits packages, etc. But asking during the interview sends the message loud and clear that you’re not serious.

Do you do background checks?

Even if you’re simply curious about an organization’s hiring process, it’s never wise to ask about their background checking procedures. As soon as you ask, it seems as though you have something to hide. And you really don’t want to raise any red flags unnecessarily.

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The above is sound advice that I couldn't agree with more. Further, I'd like to add that  its always important to ask additional questions that are specific to the job itself. Always keep honing in the fact that you are hear to help them, that you're serious about delivering what they need, and that they'd regret not having you. With such confidence comes demand.

What are some other great questions to ask? Please comment below with your own thoughts, and share on Facebook and Twitter.

~David Noble Morris~

New Graduates, Give Yourself An Internship

"Experience is what matters."

So it is often considered by job recruiters everywhere. The current job market has been roughest on recent graduates, who find themselves in a struggle to gain entry.  How does one "break out" of this cycle in a manner that inspires confidence from recruiters?

One suggestion I give would be thus: Give yourself an internship.

In between networking (which should consume 75% of your time) and tweaking your self marketing material (which should consume 5%), spend the remainder of the time simply doing what you do best and enjoy! Approach it as a form of purely self-motivated, educational synthesis.

Call it an internship that you've gifted to yourself. Make it your hobby.

Take yours truly for example. I got a minor in Computer Science, then went on to get more full fledged degrees in Economics and Policy Analysis.

Recently however, I aspire to become a software developer.

Lo, none of my prior internships directly relate to Computer Science! Nonetheless, I've secured considerable amounts of interest from IT Recruiters. How?

By giving myself an internship in the field.  I've made myself my own software development customer, teacher, student, and producer. In the past following months, several independent work samples have sprung as a result, with all the more on the horizon.

For all fresh graduates who have found it rough, I encourage to do likewise. Write the book you always wanted a book on. Start a webshow or a simple music video on that topic you figured would be "too fun" to be taken seriously. And volunteer for every opportunity that gives additional practice.

With the market being what it is, if your first sort of work does not succeed, form new passions with sectors of the economy where there's certainly little to no recession. As your confidence shoots up with the "real world" experience you gave to yourself, so will your ability to attract interviews.

Now if you'd please excuse your humble author, he must resume his work at MorrisSoft. We have a client at Noble Principled Investments who desire some customized projection software within by October.

~David Noble Morris~

*If you have your own ideas on how to continually self hone your skills, feel free to leave a comment below, and share this post with your friends.

How To Find Jobs for College Graduates (from a Recent Graduate)

Following this article by the undercover recruiter, I'd like to add a few more tips myself as a recent graduate starting his own career:

1. Join meetup organizations for job seekers is a powerful tool.  Search both schools and  church organizations for such connections. The more you expose yourself and make new friends, the better! People have a natural tendency to want to help, so don't be shy.

2. Extracurricular activities or volunteering will immensely help in rounding your out. Again, its all about adding new skills to your repertoire, showing that you are teachable, and exposing yourself to a growing tablet of people.

3. Consider the power of paid career search advice. Premium preparation coaching such as those found at Interview of Stature or Absolutely Abbey can go a long way in elevating you above other candidates in the manner they prepare you.  There's certainly a difference between paid and unpaid, regardless of one's current level of preparation.

4. Speaking of paid investments, at the very least demonstrate your preparedness with job seeking tools such as business cards (complete with a card holder). If you have a smartphone, have the LinkedIn app always at the ready as well for making on the spot connections as you go as well. Such preparedness goes a long way in making a lasting impression.

5. While sitting around bored and waiting for opportunity to come, be your own boss and give yourself an assignment. For example, I have degrees in Computer Science and Policy Analysis. Hence I've decided to develop a piece of software as my own manager.  Think of it as a synthesis work project in school. Recruiters love to see such initiative!

                                                                                    

Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all...

6. Register with every staffing company on the planet. Just Google "Staffing Agencies" to get started.

-David Noble Morris
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidnoblemorris