Ford Myers discusses how to evaluate multiple offers and turn down job offers that you are not excited about.

Ford R. Myers is President of Career Potential, LLC. Since 1992, he has been providing professional services in career consulting and executive coaching. After counseling thousands of individuals on their careers, Ford drew from his diverse experience to create Career Potential – a powerful new approach to career management. He is author of Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) and The Ultimate Career Guide, the only comprehensive manual for career management and job search. Articles and interviews have been featured in such publications as Inc. Magazine, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, CNN-Money, and he has also appeared as an industry expert on many television and radio programs. Ford’s education includes: a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development.

www.GetTheJobBook.com

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Julie Bauke, a career strategist, gives listeners some tips on salary negotiation.

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Julie explains that it is important to negotiate you salary because HR expects you to and if you don’t negotiate, you are most likely leaving money on the table. Salary negotiation is very beneficial in the long run because it continues to pay dividends throughout your career as more raises add on to the original one. Her advice when negotiating is to be clear as to why you believe you deserve a raise. The reasons behind your ask must pertain to the industry, company, or your skills rather than personal need. Also, Julie believes that you really only have one opportunity to negotiate. You need to get everything you want across at once. She also expands on some factors that may affect your ability to negotiate, such as the economy and market demand for your skill set. While these are uncontrollable, certain factors are in your control. You should have researched industry and salary comparables. This research is also key to help you determine how much you are worth to a company. Your value might be higher than the industry norm because you graduated at the top of your class or because you have great internship or work experience. Some common mistakes many candidates make while negotiating are forcing the company to give you a salary they don’t feel good about, pitting companies against each other, and bringing up irrelevant things such as needing a raise to pay the bills. Julie is offering her book, “Stop Peeing on our Shoes: Avoiding the 7 Mistakes that Screw Up your Job Search”, for free to three people. Simply send her a story about your negotiating experience by Thanksgiving (2009) for a chance to win!

Julie Bauke is a Career Strategist and President of Congruity Career Consulting. Her business focuses on educating and motivating individuals to take charge of their careers. She has over 12 years experience working with everyone from executives to professional athletes to college students. She is a dynamic speaker, trainer and coach and is the author of “Stop Peeing on our Shoes: Avoiding the 7 Mistakes that Screw Up your Job Search”. She believes that we all deserve to be “career happy”.
As mentioned in the show, please email her via www.congruitycareer.com
before Thanksgiving 2009 for a chance to get a free copy of her new book.

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Angela explains that the compensation package that employees receive is more than just salary. The whole package is more than just a single number.

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Angela begins by urging students to recognize the elements of compensation packages beyond just salary. Other equally important elements in the job offer are benefits, program policies, and office culture. Benefits such as medical insurance, bonuses, and leave policy are crucial in both a fiscal and personal sense. Ask questions such as, “How much medical does the employee pay versus how much medical does the company pay,” “What is the timing of the bonus, “What is the recovery agreement,” and “what types of leave are offered?” Another key factor is if the company has professional development, which includes training for employees, mentoring programs to help develop employees in their careers, and regular feedback for employees on expectations and progress. Finally, office culture is a major part of what a prospective employee should understand. For example, a prospective employee should find out about the dress code and the social environment of the workplace. It is also important to look at gender equality and inclusion: What percent of top executives are women and/or ethnically diverse individuals? Lastly, be sure to understand the firm’s attitude toward mobility if you are interested in working abroad or being able to transfer. Overall, make sure to look at more than simply the base salary: read the fine print and understand the office culture to ensure a job offer is a good fit.

Marlene discusses how to learn about work-life balance at a company during an interview, and why it is important to ask questions during the interview.

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Marlene believes that young professionals must take the time to understand what is most important to them, particularly where work-life balance falls in their own values. Before an interview, do research on the prospective employer such as reading the diversity mission and the work-life statement. At the interview, a student can ask about tools and programs that help employees succeed both at work and in their personal lives. Note that some industries are friendlier to work-life balance. Students can also look at a company’s track record in diversity, demographics, and number of minorities in leadership positions. Students may be worried that asking about work-life balance will reflect poorly on their work ethic. However, Marlene says that this all depends on how the student asks the questions and how much homework they have done on the company. She suggests starting by asking about the company’s vision and mission, and moving on to programs and tools that support them. Work-life balance falls under diversity, and if that is not in the top 5 most important things to the company, that should be a red flag for students.