Given the fact that only 25% of new hires (and fewer women than men) attempt to negotiate the terms of an employment offer, consider this...
When you receive a job offer, you are typically in a position to negotiate. The hiring process is costly in human resources and dollars. Once an organization has made their decision in favor of a candidate, they are not eager to go back to the drawing board.
While salary is by far the primary and most common factor discussed in any job negotiation, it is not necessarily the most important. The following are additional considerations in employment negotiation:
1. Is the employment offer in writing? If not, request a written offer before you begin your negotiations so you can be clear on the details of the agreement. If there are any negotiated changes, make sure the final agreement is written as well.
2. Are the terms of your appointment clearly stated including: a start date, job description, person to whom you will report, and how and when you will be evaluated?
3. Have the working conditions been described to you? If not, you may want to inquire about hours you're expected to work, travel required, work-life balance and your specific workspace.
4. Does the whole picture align with your priorities, interests and skills and what you had envisioned for yourself?
5. Are the salary and benefits commensurate with your experience and that of the marketplace? If you are not clear about this, check out any of the online salary surveys as well as inquire about similar positions in your geographic area.
You may also want to include in your benefits negotiations: more vacation and or personal time, increased flexibility in your schedule including a provision for
working some days from home, if appropriate, funded professional development opportunities, health care packaging and retirement contributions.
In order to pull your thoughts together and prepare a counter-offer, you'll need a day or two to carefully review your offer. Most employers expect that the candidate will need a little time to make a decision and there's no harm in asking for what you want--providing you can justify it by the value you'll bring to the organization.
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Events featuring or sponsored by Heart At Work
April 4,5.6: Women's Life Expo, Portland. Barbara presents: Live Your Life. Love Your Work At Any Age. Details: www.expoproducers.com
April 12-May 1: Through The Portal, a personal and professional development series for women facilitated by Barbara Babkirk and Susanna Liller.
Details: www.throughtheportal.biz
April 19-May 10: Saturday Career Workshop Series with Amy Jaffe
Details: http://www.barbarababkirk.com/amy.html
May 8: HR Convention at the Samoset Resort in Rockport: Barbara and Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop: "Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies".
Details: http://www.mainehr.com/convention/
September 21-27: Barbara's annual Women's Week in Provence.
Details: www.yourprovenceretreat.com
Is there a stack of work-related articles, books or professional journals grabbing dust instead of your attention? Could they indicate how disengaged you feel about your career and hint of a change you need to make; or do they indicate healthy work and life boundaries?
What you choose to do in your off-work time says something important about you, your priorities and your interests.
Imagine you were out and with an afternoon all to yourself. If you wandered into a fabulous bookstore, where would you roam in the course of a few hours? What section of books would get your attention and which topics would you take with you to an overstuffed chair for a relaxing or stimulating read?
If you imagined yourself in the bookstore with the New York Times bestsellers, Steven King's latest thriller or books on home improvement, it could be a sign of a healthy work life balance, rather than an indication of a need for a new job. However, if anything remotely work-related makes you cringe, consider what's behind your response.
What if you were as eager to know the latest in your career field as much as you were to read the favored books on your nightstand?
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
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Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
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Saturday Workshop Series to Jump Start Your Career
Amy Jaffe of Heart At Work, will present four workshops
beginning April 19
For more info: http://www.barbarababkirk.com/amy.html
or call: Amy at 846-0644
Some people just want to be honest. While telling the truth is honorable, discovering the right time to do so is wise.
Mary had outgrown her job. She no longer felt challenged by or interested in her day-to-day responsibilities, so she took action and began a job search for more satisfying work. Even with the average time to find a new job as six months, Mary thought it would be easy to keep her decision confidential until she was ready to resign.
However, as time went on, Mary found it increasingly difficult to remain silent about her job search process. Not only was she excited about her job prospects and wanted to discuss them with her co-worker-friends, but she began to feel disloyal withholding her decision to leave from her employer.
Mary consulted a career counselor and established a plan to pursue her career transition with integrity and good judgment.
1. To provide an outlet for sharing her job search process, Mary invited two friends, who were also considering a job change, to form a group that would meet regularly to offer each other support and encouragement.
2. Feeling guilty about her indifference and lack of commitment to her current job, Mary made a decision to increase her attention and energy at work until she was ready to resign.
3. Lastly, Mary realized that it was not necessary to inform her employer about her intention to leave until she could indicate a timeframe that would allow a
plan for her replacement.
Eventually, Mary became a finalist for a position she really wanted. The prospective employer requested references and Mary decided it was time to tell her boss and ask her to serve as a reference. Not knowing if she would get a job offer, Mary recognized that there was a risk in letting her employer know about her job search. But, at this point in her process, she felt ready for any outcome.
Mary's timing was right for her and that was confirmed by the sense of relief she felt once she had a candid conversation with her employer.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
I hope that this question made you pause and reflect, because your response could be key to your happiness and satisfaction at work.
If you are among the majority of Americans, you do not love your work. However, you can change this.
You may have become complacent or tolerant of work that no longer satisfies you. Unable to see a way out or hope for change, you may have become resigned to your situation.
But, you can decide otherwise.
First of all, consider whether there are any conditions under which you'd love your current job. If you are hard pressed to come up with any, then the handwriting may be on the wall. You'd probably be better off in another position, company or career. But which is it? That's an important distinction to make and the following scenarios might help you:
If you enjoy working for your employer, but don't feel challenged or engaged in your work, then assuming new responsibilities or a different position might reengage you. Talk with your boss about where you could add value or how your job description could be modified to better suit your current interests and skills set.
If you enjoy your responsibilities, but not necessarily your co-workers, supervisor, or work environment, then the grass may in fact be greener with another employer. As you investigate the options in another company or organization, keep in mind the specific questions you should ask to avoid going from the frying pan into the fire.
If you are no longer interested in the overall subject matter of your field and cringe at the thought of reading a professional journal or work-related book, then perhaps it's time to imagine a new career direction. You may even have a few ideas in mind. If that's true, then take time to investigate these possibilities. But, remember, you don't have to commit to anything before you know it's the right direction.
Life is short…Live your life. Love your work.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
A colleague recently sent me an article from the Christian Science Monitor about job readiness for the over 50 crowd. As everyone knows, there are formidable numbers of boomers in America--some of whom may never have written a résumé or formally applied for jobs for decades, if ever.
Second half of life transitions and increased desires to find work that makes a difference, are prompting more and more AARP members to dust off old résumés and bring them up to date in terms of how they look and what they say.
If you are someone who needs to give your résumé an overhaul, or create one from scratch, the task may be daunting. However, taking one step can move the process forward significantly. You might begin by reading the CSM article and then taking a look at the blogs I've written under the category "resumes and interviewing" in my blog archives.
You are likely to be surprised by how much you've done in your career and how impressive your new résumé looks!
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
Does the ongoing talk about the sluggish economy make you wonder if your job is recession-proof? Since job security is passé, you'd be wise to prepare for a range of employment outcomes.
Regardless of your position within your company or organization, you should be thinking about your options in the event of changes at work. Why not take the following positive steps instead of dwelling in fear about negative possibilities?
Focus on what you can control: your attitude, your behavior and your response to whatever happens.
1. Update and refine your résumé and professional documents: e.g. references, writing samples, portfolio (when appropriate), and examples of your work.
2. Identify the skills you've developed that you enjoy using. Be prepared with examples of times you've used each one.
3. Give some thought to other jobs or employers to which your skills would be valuable and transferable.
4. Create a list of contacts with whom you could network for job leads or informational interviewing.
5. Avoid the rumor mill and conversations with colleagues at work that are fear-based and hypothetical. They will only raise your anxiety and contribute to feelings of powerlessness. Check in with your supervisor for answers to questions and concerns.
6. Keep your spirits up and stress levels down through regular exercise, a balanced lifestyle and positive thinking.
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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
_ _ _ _ _
Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.
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