Negotiation Tip #2

Never ignore job openings because of perceived salary shortcomings. In many cases, those who keep an open mind and interview for positions that at first glance might appear too junior can build a great deal of value into their candidacy by discussing additional responsibilities they can handle within the position and in turn negotiate a better compensation package.

Always approach a job opportunity like it is the job of your dreams. While you don’t want to waste your time to get an offer if you just don’t think the job is right for you, many people drop out of the running too early in the interview process because they don’t want to be in a position where they have to turn an offer down.

Continue to interview for all but the most unlikely positions until you get the job offer. It’s ok to walk away if after the negotiations the job still isn’t a good fit for you. In addition, statistically, one out of every two jobs will be newly created positions in this decade and the next. This allows candidates to help design their own positions with employers throughout the interview and offer process.

Check back tomorrow for the next tip in this series.

Explaining Why You Are in a Job Search-Five Tips for the Downsized Professional

The key to successful interviewing is being prepared. Certain questions are considered “standard”, yet few people think about their responses ahead of time. When candidates are unprepared, their answers may showcase emotions that are valid, but could be damaging to reveal during an interview. One of the most common interview questions is “Why are you currently in a job search?” When you have been downsized and you need to communicate your situation to a hiring manager, your response should combine a positive reflection regarding your previous employer with a brief discussion of the business reasons why you are no longer employed by them. Below are five strategies for crafting an effective statement.

Examine your emotions

Was your position offshored to a country where labor costs are one-third of what they are at home? Did management reduce their front line staff while increasing executive bonuses? Did your position become redundant after a company merger? When jobs are lost because of these types of situations, people can become angry and feel betrayed by their former employer. If this anger comes across in the interview, you will not be seen as the top candidate, even if you are the most qualified. Nobody wants to hire someone who’s carrying around excess baggage or has a chip on their shoulder.

Prior to your interview, you need to separate your emotions from the business reasons for a job loss. Acknowledge your emotions to yourself and those close to you, but prepare a statement that conveys the business reasons for why you are currently in a job search.

Say something positive

Before you discuss the situation that led to your job loss, say something positive about your experience with that employer.

Example

• I was fortunate enough to work with company X for seven years. I had the opportunity to work with some exceptional programmers and hone my technical skills.
• I was proud to provide quality customer service to clients at XYZ company. They stood by their products and rewarded employees that made a favorable impression on their customers.

Discuss the business reason for the job loss

Discuss your job loss in the general context of the company. Rather than personalizing the situation by saying things like “I was let go”, “My job was eliminated” or “My position was outsourced”, discuss how a department, business group or particular type of professional responsibility was eliminated. This shows the hiring manager that others lost their jobs as well and that the loss was not due to your individual performance.

Example

• Unfortunately my entire department of 20 was eliminated.
• As a result of a global company restructuring, the company had to reduce their NY workforce by 25%.
• The accounting function was outsourced and all ten accounting professionals were let go.

Prepare multiple level responses

If you were let go, but your co-worker who performs the same job function was not, it is wise to create two responses. Part one is a general response and part two is used if the interviewer probes further about your situation.

Level One

A business decision was made to reduce the help desk staff by 50%.

Level Two

For some interviewers the previous answer satisfies their curiosity. Others may probe and ask:

• How many were in your department and how many were let go?
• Why were you let go rather than your co-worker?

Assure the interviewer that the job loss was not performance based. Don’t discuss any speculations you may have about the company or your manager’s motives.

Example

• The company suffered low 4^th quarter earnings which translated into a 50% reduction of staff in four departments. In my group the 50% reduction represented the elimination of one position. The specific reasons for the decision were not communicated to me; however I can assure you that the decision was not performance related. My manager was extremely satisfied with my performance and has offered to serve as a reference on my behalf.

Keep in mind that if your company’s workforce reduction was significant, the situation may have received widespread media attention. If this is the case, the interviewer may comment on what they’ve read in the papers or say something like “I recently read that company X laid off 3,000 employees in the 4^th quarter…that must have been an extremely difficult time.” Stick to your original story, be sure to say something positive about the company, and don’t turn it into an emotional exchange.

Practice

Write out what you plan to say and make revisions. Practice your response with someone close to your situation such as a family member, friend or colleague. Record your response on your telephone answering machine, play it back and critique it. Have you personalized your situation or discussed it in a business context? Do your words flow and do you sound sincere?

Preparing an effective statement to explain the reason you are in a job search is critical to the overall success of your search campaign. Reflect on the positive aspects of your work experience and take the time to create a statement that explains your reasons for being in a job search. You will enhance your confidence during the interview and improve your credibility with the hiring manager.

Interviewing Pet Peeves: A Job Seeker's Perspective

According to HR Executive Online, in a recent study conducted by DDI and Monster Worldwide, two of every three job seekers surveyed reported that their impressions of the people they interviewed with strongly influenced their decision to accept or reject a position. Here are some of the job search candidate's pet peeves:

• an interviewer who acts like he has no time to talk to the candidate
• a hiring authority who withholds information about the position
• an interview conversation that is more like an interrogation
• an interviewer that shows up late for the meeting

Interviewers and hiring authorities are the face of the company to job seekers. Companies that strive to teach hiring managers to engage the job seeker and act as the ombudsman for the firm will win the war for talent. Interviewers need to be authentic and respectful of candidates and they can successfully build rapport with prospects by sticking to performance based and relevant questions and offering feedback to candidates in a timely manner.

As a job seeker, you are interviewing a company as much as they are interviewing you. Pay close attention to the subtle cues of the interviewer. While the actions of one or two people may not represent the company as a whole, they could be indicative of the corporate or department culture and are worth noting.

Negotiation and the Gender Divide

The Washington Post reported that according to a recent study, men and women get very different responses when they initiate negotiations and women's reluctance to negotiate was based on how they believed they would be treated if they did negotiate. The study indicates that both men and women were more likely to subtly penalize women who asked for more.

Does this mean that women can't negotiate for what they want? No. But both men and women should think carefully about their negotiation strategy. Negotiations are most successful when there is a strong relationship between the two parties involved. The interview process allows the job seeker and hiring manager to build this relationship. Repeated exposure through multiple interviews deepens the relationship and solidifies the trust.

Once an offer is made, job seekers can leverage this relationship to negotiate for what they want and need. They should never demand something or give ultimatums to attain their goals. Instead they should ask for things by demonstrating why they are fair and reasonable. Hiring managers have invested equally in this new relationship and they don't want to damage it after they have put so much time and energy into the process.

Negotiating your employment package is a collaborative process where both parties involved want the same outcome. By nurturing the relationship built during the interview process, you are more likely to overcome potential gender bias and achieve your negotiation goals.

Dress for Success...After the Job Interview

Over on the Jobs in the Money blog, there's a post about how confusing company dress codes can be for employees and how difficult it is to interpret the nuances of a company's dress policy. The interview dress code is pretty straight forward. Business attire still reigns supreme. But once you are on the job, what influences the dress code? Is it determined by how much interaction you have with clients on a regular basis? If you work for a casual clothing company, do you don their latest tank tops and flip flops or stick with something more corporate?

When you are interviewing, check out the dress of your prospective boss and colleagues. After an offer is extended and you are asking your final questions about the position and the company, don't be afraid to ask about the dress code if you have doubts. The first 90 days in a new job are critical. Everything, even your style of dress, may be under the corporate microscope, so take the time to become acquainted with the company's dress code.

Interviewing Authentically

A recent article in SHRM's HR Magazine (subscription required) suggests that some of today's job seekers have studied interview books so thoroughly that it is hard for the hiring manager to uncover authentic answers to their questions. Candidates are answering questions with what they believe is the "correct" answer as deemed by a book on interview strategy rather than speaking about their specific experiences.

Nothing kills a candidate's chances for a job faster than a perceived lack of authenticity. When I prepare candidates for interviews, I recommend forgetting about the interview books and concentrating on success stories. Write out your stories using the PAR system. Look at Problems faced on the job, the Actions you took to fix the problems, and the quantifiable Results of your actions. Look for trends within your stories and group your experiences into categories based on the story themes. Create groupings of stories that effectively demonstrate your competencies as a leader, decision maker, creative problem solver, collaborative business partner, or anything else that is an integral part of your professional brand.

By using this strategy, you eliminate the need to use stale responses to the hiring manager's questions. Regardless of the question asked, you will have an authentic story that demonstrates your competency within a given area. Good interviewing is all about building a relationship with a hiring authority. Offer responses that showcase your success and prove your value add. You will generate immediate credibility with the hiring authority and score big points in the interview game.

Free Interview Guide

I recently partnered with some of the most well-regarded career coaches in the industry on our third Career Hub eBook, "Insider's Guide to Interviewing". This book and our two previous titles, "Insider's Guide to Resume Writing" and "Insider's Guide to Job Search" are available for free download