There is an old saying…”life is always a negotiation”. However, when it comes to negotiating the best salary possible that negotiation can become tricky. Most job seekers choose to negotiate the salary, often forgetting about the benefits and perks that come with the job opportunity. The most successful compensation negotiations strike a find balance.
When you are looking to negotiate your compensation with your prospective company, these three tactics will help you succeed.
Get to know what the position entails and whether it’s a good match for you before delving into compensation. Ask lots of questions to find out whether the position aligns with your values, character, and skill set. Be sure to understand the full value of the offer they are offering you. This includes salary, perks, benefits, bonus, etc. Remember, there is a value to each of these perks and you need to evaluate the total compensation value against how much you can bring to the company.
During your interview, be sure to use your personal strengths and what you know about the job to establish your worth. If you see areas in which you can excel and bring additional value to the role, your potential negotiating position strengthens.
During most interviews, the interviewer will ask you what compensation you are looking for in this job. This is often a difficult question for interviewees and they struggle to articulate their value. Try to align your compensation with the overall performance of the company, especially if it’s a smaller company. That’ll be music to your potential employer’s ears and can lead to an easy compensation negotiation.
Evaluating your job compensation should include more than the dollar amount. For most of us, the work-life balance is important. Before going to an interview, evaluate how you can assist the prospect company with their goals and how the company will fit into your life goals. Consider whether you’ll be invested enough to go above and beyond the call of duty in this role. If you feel like you can, bring that enthusiasm to the bargaining table. Knowing you’ll be passionate about the position makes salary negotiations less important, but it also helps ensure the likelihood of your long-term success, both financially and emotionally.
Like most of us, you probably spend most of your time at work. Usually, we spend more time at work than at home. If so, there are three ways to improve your performance at work and help you with your daily tasks.
1. Exercise
The primary reason for taking up a new workout routine is usually weight loss, but there are so many other positive effects to exercise, especially for your career. Regular exercise has been shown to help you sleep more soundly, wake up feeling energized. All of these things can help you do better at work, but there’s actually evidence that working out can help to increase your productivity, too
2. Meditate
Similar to exercise, meditation is hardly ever something people take up because of job performance concerns. Meditation is recommended to help ease depression, soothe anxiety and improve emotional awareness. Research also suggests that it can assist people in developing crucial skills that aid them in a professional environment with self-esteem and productivity.
3. Get Enough Sleep
It might sound obvious, but getting the right number of hours of sleep really is important when it comes to the quality of your work. For most people, enough sleep is 7-9 hours per night. Getting on a regular sleep schedule and being aware of how much sleep is healthy for you can result in reduced stress levels, increased energy and a higher quality of life.
Think about the last time you were searching a big purchase. Most likely you used review and recommendation sites to help you in your search and purchase. Employers are like most buyers. They want to make sure the person they hire will be a good investment. Recommendations help eliminate some of the perceived risk involved in hiring a potential candidate. Traditionally, employers will ask for a list of your references before hiring you to authenticate your experience. LinkedIn recommendations are a great first step to that reference process and allow you to sell yourself immediately.
A LinkedIn Recommendation Demonstrates Your Strengths–Under each job on your LinkedIn profile you have described your key accomplishments and referenced skills and attributes you used to succeed. A written recommendation from a supervisor adds a level of credibility. It supports your performance and endorses the skills you’ve referenced. Prospective employers and recruiters can be skeptical of candidates’ claims; a recommendation can remove some of the doubt. A well-written recommendation will also speak to your attitude and work ethic.
A LinkedIn Recommendation is Public proof—Many years ago, when hard copy letters were the only recommendation were used, these valuable endorsements were private and only shared upon request. Today, LinkedIn recommendations provide public proof of your skills and abilities. Be sure to set your public profile settings so that your recommendations are displayed and visible to anyone who looks at your profile.
A LinkedIn Recommendation Makes You a Stand-out Candidate– LinkedIn recommendations can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates. Many LinkedIn users do not take the time to ask for recommendations either because they don’t know how or don’t want to pester people. To ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn, go to your profile and click the down arrow to the right of the blue “view my profile” button. Next, select “ask to be recommended” from the drop-down options and then follow the prompts to request the recommendation.
A LinkedIn Recommendation Makes You a Stand-out Candidate– LinkedIn recommendations can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates. Many LinkedIn users do not take the time to ask for recommendations either because they don’t know how or don’t want to pester people. To ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn, go to your profile and click the down arrow to the right of the blue “view my profile” button. Next, select “ask to be recommended” from the drop-down options and then follow the prompts to request the recommendation.
The resume strategy you used 10 years ago is not the same strategy used today. In fact, the resume you wrote even just a year ago likely needs to be updated. Here are 3 examples of how resume are changing.
1. Old Strategy: Including an objective
New Strategy: Today, objectives are viewed by most employers as outdated. Instead of an objective, create a resume headline that helps you target jobs and employers. This headline will help you brand yourself during your job search.
2. Old Strategy: A resume is just the facts
New Strategy: Today, resumes include details and context. Successful resumes now include details and quantifiable results. These details help prospective employers to better understand the value you will bring to their organization prior to an interview.
3. Old Strategy: Follow up the uploaded or emailed resume with a hard copy
New Strategy: You may need a printed resume during the interview process; however the initial focus of applying online and/or submitting your resume to a potential hiring manager or recruiter rarely requires a hard copy. The focus now is on digital presentation online. Focusing on your online presentation, including resume, can help you stand out.
Delta Computer Consulting, Inc. is certified through the WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) as a woman-owned and woman-operated business.
