Job Offers and Pay Negotiations

When you first get the job offer it will often be a verbal offer and is likely to be subject to taking up references and perhaps even a medical examination.

So never say you are accepting a job offer, or resign from your present job until you have received a formal offer in writing for the new position. Occasionally, after an interview, employers try to shorten their process by asking if you will accept the job there and then. It's flattering and gratifying to know they like you enough to make an offer but be very careful or you may find yourself caught out with no job.

You should be careful in your response and if you are interested say "I would like to accept it but please confirm your offer in writing" and I will then confirm with you.

A formal job offer should include all these points:

? job title

? pay

? benefits

? normal hours of work

? place of work

? holiday entitlement

? notice period

If something is not covered, you need to find out what it is as you will not be able to make your decision without this information. And don't wait until you start work to raise any outstanding queries. It will be far too late to discuss or negotiate anything else by then.

Check your job offer letter carefully against what you understood was being offered, and don't sign the acceptance letter unless you are fully satisfied with it. You still have time to raise any questions.

As the job offer letter forms the basis of your new contract, you need to be sure. And finally, don't accept the first job you are offered unless it's the right one.

PAY NEGOTIATION

At interview, it's too soon to get involved in in-depth discussions of money and perks unless you are sure that the company wants you rather than one of the other candidates - in other words, once they have offered you the job. When you know they are prepared to 'buy' then you have room to start and negotiate.

KNOW YOUR NEEDS

Consider your current or last remuneration package - in other words, not only your pay, but things like benefits, pension, bonus, private health insurance, overtime payments, car loan and whether you have additional expenses because of the location of the new job.

KNOW THE MARKET

Use the internet to gather information so that you know the market value of someone with your skills. What are the industry averages for your level of responsibility and type of work?

KNOW HOW TO TALK ABOUT PAY

If you are pushed at an early stage to discuss your pay expectations, say that you would like to come back to this when you have more information about the job demands and responsibilities. Or you could give a very general indication of what your pay expectations are whilst confirming your interest and enthusiasm for the job.

If you are already on the market, beware of firms trying to get you below your market worth. You must be ready to justify why you are worth more - because of your skills and experience, and reassure them that you are not just looking for a stepping-stone.

If they ask you what you are prepared to accept always say: "I have an idea but what do you have in mind?" so that they name the figure first.

If the pay offered is lower than your expectations, start to negotiate. Start your negotiating with the salary itself and emphasise that whilst the pay is not as important as the opportunity and the challenge of the job, it is important; and then proceed to the benefits package. Be prepared to negotiate a compromise. If it looks as if you are not going to reach a compromise, make sure you still sign off on a pleasant note. They may come back to you later with a better offer or remember you favourably when a bigger job comes up.

Always aim to leave a positive image!

With over 25 years running businesses; as a Career Coach and Consultant in many sectors; Peter Fisher is well placed to guide job seekers through the steps needed in order to achieve that all important new position.

He has personally coached thousands of individuals to career success.

His distillation of these years of experience with all the essential facts and actions you must complete in order to achieve your own success is outstanding. He is very clear that you shouldn't be misled into thinking of "acing interviews" or "finessing" your way into a business; the most sustainable and fulfilling roles are gained through understanding your own specific needs and creating your strategy accordingly. For specific guidance go to http://www.your-career-change.com/index.html

RELATED ARTICLES

Salary, Raises, & Perks: Negotiate to Get Paid What Youre Worth!
Salary negotiation requires preparation and good timing. It's important to determine your salary needs and research the market value for the job you want. Timing is critical for negotiation. Discussing salary requirements too early in the interview process can jeopardize your chances of getting the salary you deserve. Failure to negotiate could result in losing money.

How to Turn Career Mistakes into Career Wins
I recently talked with a client who was paralyzed at the thought of making another "mistake" in her career.

Reinvent Your Career In Five Simple Steps
The phrase "reinventing yourself" seems to be popping up all over lately. Just a few days ago a friend asked me how he could do it without starting completely over. His concern was, "How do I move in a new career direction without sacrificing all the skills and experience I've worked so hard to achieve?" The underlying question is, "Is this even possible?"

Rich Career, Poor Career
What makes for a rich career? It is more than just the salary and benefits. A rich career is one that suits your talents and provides an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution, as well as one that provides the right compensation.

More Companies Using Job Interview Phone Screening
Planning and preparing before you begin to send out resumes could save you some embarrassing moments when you receive that unexpected call.

Work Is A Four-Letter Word
I can hear the jokes already and most of them are not politically correct. Let me throw out a word that we often don't attach to work and yet I think it is a word of redemption, of contribution, of achievement, of community, and ultimately, of legacy.

6 Steps to Re-inventing Your Career
Meaningful work honors the deepest part of your being. It is the embodiment of your gifts and talents and all that you value. Finding it in a safe, smart way requires these six steps:

Ask the Recruiter
We all have career goals, big or small. Here are some questions I have recieved over the last month from those actively seeking new employment.

Necessary Psychological Skills When Working in the Executive Protection Field
The "hard" skills necessary for an executive protection specialist (EPS) and/or personal protection specialist (PPS) are often perceived as being that of a policeman or (elite) soldier. Though there can be certain similarities i.e. the use of handguns, hand-to-hand combat and the ability to control a vehicle, most people having worked both in executive protection and either of the latter careers, will deny that the skills are parallel. They may look alike but the methodology of each skill differs from segment to segment.

Those Little Things
Moving to another state meant finding a new dentist. I tried one a neighbor recommended who seemed friendly, competent and eager to please. But, I never went back. His office was a case study on the importance of little things.

How Well Do You Manage Your Boss?
Are you in this situation? You and your boss just don't seem to connect and work well together. It isn't that you are having knock down fights. It's just that you know things could be better. You don't want to look for another job so you have to figure out how to make it work. Basically it's your responsibility to manage your boss. Here are tips that can get you on the right track.

Layoff Survival Guide - Do You Have The Career Management Horsepower It Will Take To Survive?
In a recent survey of over 662 career seekers, some disturbing trends identified that MOST career seekers don't have a clue what career management skills they have or what those skills are! As a result, it will be difficult for these career seekers to succeed.

About Your Work
I like Simon, one of three judges on American Idol. I find his feedback refreshingly honest. And while his words startle me with their ego wounding potential, the traditional feel-good, let-you-down-easy, sugar-coated feedback is not much of a gift. It's hard to tell someone they're not good enough and their dreams are not going to happen, at least in this venue. But not telling them is no gift either. Some contestants rise to the challenges he throws at them. Some don't. And, some can't. Which one are you?

Is A Career a Calling or Choice?
How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at the beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform. But many of us are not tuned into ourselves and the signs that are presented to us. We often miss important information, and miss out on those lessons, people, and jobs.

F-E-A-R in the Job Search!
Fear in starting a job search is a four letter word! Like any other four letter word, the word itself can create more fear, and some- times self-loathing!

Why Choose A Professionally Written Resume?
Good question, considering that nowadays you can find manyuseful resources to help you write your own resume(including many located at http://www.impressive-resumes.com).

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Try, Try, Again
This article relates to the Career Opportunities competency and explores issues such as internal growth opportunities, potential for advancement, career development importance, and the relationship between job performance and career advancement. Evaluating the Career Opportunities competency in your organization will determine whether your employees believe they have a chance to grow within the organization. Studies show that lack of career opportunity is one of the top reasons why employees leave an organization. Also, continually hiring open positions from outside the organization can be detrimental to morale when a qualified candidate is available internally. Topics covered in this competency are: perceived opportunity for advancement, existence of a career development plan, and organizational commitment to staff development.

How To Become a Mortgage Broker
The mortgage industry accounted for $1,815,949,279,000 in loan transactions in 2004. That's one trillion, eight hundred and fifteen billion, nine hundred and forty-nine million, two hundred and seventy nine thousand dollars... in one year!

Consulting: A Different World
I won't say I have a vast array of knowledge as a consultant...collectively I've only been doing it about 8 years. However, there are some things that I have observed that I think will be helpful to those of you who are new to the profession. We will first dispel the myths and address the realities associated with being a Consultant, then we will address the commandments of being a good and valued consultant.

Want to Work for Yourself? Those Dream Jobs Dont Just Happen, Theyre Created
While traveling in northern California last October, I happened to tune into a local newscast. The newscaster was telling his co-anchor that the speaker at that morning's Rotary Club meeting had to cut his presentation short because he was being flown down to Disneyland to carve elaborate Halloween pumpkins for the park festivities. The newscaster wrapped up the story with the familiar quip, "Nice work if you can get it." He got the first part right. For a creative kid-at-heart, being a professional pumpkin carver is a dream come true. It was his serendipitous "if you can get it" thinking that missed the mark. The fact is, people rarely "get" great work; they create it!Despite all the emphasis on growth in the "job sector" I am continually amazed at just how many fascinating alternatives there are to the whole 9-to-5 schtick. And just as traditional job seekers can't wait around for "Mr. Job" to knock on the door, people who want to do satisfying work ? and call their own shots ? need to be proactive as well. Francis Bacon defined a wise man as one who "makes more opportunities than he finds." Here's a couple of other wise entrepreneurs who made it by going for it.Sports-lover Don Shoenewald was just 18 when he went to the Philadelphia Eagles management wearing a homemade Eagle costume and asking for a mascot job. They weren't interested. Undaunted, Shoenewald kept showing up at Eagles football games. Pretty soon the fans adopted him as the unofficial (meaning, "unpaid") mascot. Thirteen paid team mascot jobs, four mascot character creations (including ones for the New Jersey Devils and the San Jose Sharks), and 18 years later, Shoenewald started Mascot Mania, the only professional training school for mascots in the world.Despite what your high school guidance counselor might have told you, showing up invited in a bird costume isn't the only route to self-employment. For Dan Zawacki it all began when he was working as a sales rep for Honeywell and decided to give away 120 live lobsters as gifts to his customers. Dan was so bowled over by the response that he decided to open a small side business shipping live lobsters complete with pot, crackers, butter and bibs to crustacean-lovers from coast-to-coast. That is until his boss heard him pitching Lobster Gram, Inc. on a local radio station and promptly fired him.In the beginning, Dan worked out of his bedroom, storing his lobsters in a used tank in his father's garage. His first year he netted only $4,000. Ten years later, his company sells about 9,000 lobster packages a year for $99 plus shipping. All and all, not a bad tale.If you dream of making the transition from employee to self-bosser, the first thing you need to do is belief that you can. Then, the next time you see some entrepreneur doing what they love, try thinking: "Nice work ? now, all I have to do is get it!

Home |Site Map