The Question ALL Job Seekers Should ALWAYS Ask After an Interview Yet Many Don’t

There is a question all job seekers should ask at the completion of the interview and they either don’t ask at all or settle for half of an answer.

The Question

The last question you should always ask when you are completing an interview regardless if it is a phone interview or in-person interview is “what are the next steps?”

WAIT ! Don’t stop reading. Even if you ask that question you may be one of the job seekers who stops after they receive a first, yet incomplete, answer. When the interviewer says “well we have a few more people to meet with” that is not the complete answer.

In order to know how and when to follow up after the interview, job seekers need to understand the whole process and approximate timeline. If the interviewer answers “well we have a few more people to meet with” then you have to ask again in another way to get the complete answer.

Knowing the entire process and approximate timeline is not a state secret. There is no reason the interviewer would not share that with you as long as you indicate you understand that timelines are approximates.

Getting the Whole Answer

To get the rest of the story, you need to use active listening skills by acknowledging what they said and then asking for further details. You could say “I see. So you have a few others to meet with. Approximately when do you expect to have that round completed and what are the steps after that? When do you hope to have someone on board?” Using the phrase “approximately” or “about when” indicates that you acknowledge that life happens and that you cannot hold them to an exact date.

Knowing the complete answer also helps set your expectations. If the hiring manager is going to be on a vacation for the following two weeks for instance, then you know why the phone is not ringing instead of assuming the worst.

Follow-up

The timing of the follow-up is more art than science. I wish I could offer a formula (ex: interview date +3 days; if result equals weekend add additional 3 days) but it really depends on so many factors. I do have a few guidelines.

• Never follow up late on a Friday or last day before a holiday. They are probably trying to wrap things up before they leave the office and your follow-up could be unwelcomed.
• Never follow up on a Monday. Mondays are when people are ramping back up into the work week and are catching up on e-mails and other events that occurred over the weekend.


Knowing the process and approximate timelines really helps figure out when and how to follow up. Plus it shows interest and confidence.


Two Different Results


Here is an actual recent example of a client who did not ask the question.


Although I shared with the client the last question to ask, upon returning from the interview she admitted she did not ask them the question. The funny part was she then turned to me and asked if I knew about when they might get back to her. When I paused following her question she admitted this was not a fair question to ask of me since I had no information.



Here is an excerpt from an e-mail I received from another client in the same week who DID ask the question:


Thanks again for letting me know about the important question to ask at the end of an interview. I had my second interview with [an organization] this past Monday, and I followed your guide. It was great because now I know clearly the hiring manager's timeline of when they are expecting to wrap up the interview process and actually have someone on board. Of course, the timeline is not set in stone. Still, it was a good ending discussion.



Ask yourself then what would keep you from asking the question?



The next article series will be revisit Personal Branding. You will understand how to identify and leverage your personal brand to communicate why the company should hire you. To receive articles published by Judi Adams the moment they are published, go to RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com and click Join This Site.



Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the YouTube video series “The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search” that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they want by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on RightChanges’ 2013 special for the initial hour of coaching, the new “advantage program for students”, and RightChanges other services, go to www.RightChanges.biz.

Part 3: The 3 Parts of a Successful Job Search

There are 3 parts of a successful job search and if you have been struggling in the search, you may not be using all 3 parts.

Part 1 - Reactive

Most job seekers are very familiar with the reactive job search which is replying to ads when they appear. Although this is a part of the job search, too many job seekers are limiting their approach to replying to ads and have not found it to be very fruitful.

Even for those who are using this approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-3-parts-of-successful-job-search.html

Part 2 – Passive

In job search terms, the Passive approach includes posting your resume on job boards, having a LinkedIn profile, and working with external recruiters (aka search firms or headhunters); you take an action and then wait for someone to “bite”.

Even for those who are using the Passive approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-3-parts-of-successful-job-search_21.html

Part 3 - Proactive

The 3rd approach to the job search is the Proactive approach and is both the most underutilized approach and the most successful approach.

You may be asking, “If it is the most successful approach then why is it the most underutilized approach?” That is a good question and sadly too easy to answer. It is because too many job seekers do not know about it, because those who do know about it do not know how to do it well, and because some (fortunately few) jobseekers are not willing to put in the work to get a job they WANT, they are looking for the easy way.

The Proactive job search is what puts you back in control. Unlike the Reactive and Passive job search approaches where you have to wait upon others, the Proactive job search approach gives you specific actions you can take to get the job.

Earlier, for the Passive approach, I used the analogy of fishing. The Proactive Approach would be more like fly fishing, where you have actions you take on a regular basis and those actions increase your chances of landing the job.

Read this entire article and then ask yourself what would keep you from using this approach knowing it is the most successful, could get you employed in a job you want, now that you know how to do it well.

The Proactive job search approach includes being active on LinkedIn (different than just having a profile), working your target company list, and networking. Do not let the word networking scare you. I am an introvert and do not love networking. Later in this article I will give you strategies and resources that will make the action of networking less daunting.

Being Active on LinkedIn

As mentioned earlier, being active on LinkedIn is different than just having a profile. First you want to be sure any updates you make to your profile are sent to members of your network. Locate & click “Privacy & Settings” and on the Profile tab, click “Turn on/off your activity broadcasts”. Be sure the checkbox for “let people know when you change your profile” is checked.

Then you want to find industry LinkedIn groups to join. The Search feature of LinkedIn has a Groups option; using it, type in the name of your industry. Next to each group on the resulting list, there will be a “Join” button.

Another way to find Groups, is to look at the profiles of people in your industry and see what groups they have joined.

You will have the chance to adjust your Groups settings for how frequently you receive updates from the Groups and whether other group members can send you In-Mail (LinkedIn’s e-mail function). While in an active search I recommend you set the updates to daily and allow group members the option to In-mail you.

You will receive those daily updates in your e-mail. Now the action part: actually read the updates. When there is an article or discussion that you like, then Like the article (click Like). The person who posted it will get a message that you (by name) Liked their article or posting. A thumb nail of your picture will appear next to the article as well. That brings awareness of you and builds interest in you.

You can also Comment on an article or discussion that has been started by others. People in the Group will read what you have posted and get an impression of you. Therefore, do not be a negative nelly and do not use this forum to express your personal and political beliefs. This is the time to establish yourself as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in your industry.

In addition to Liking and commenting on the discussion postings of others, you can post your own discussion or post a link to an article you read elsewhere and invite conversation. The more relevant to the Groups specialty, the more interest you will generate. This really sets you up as a SME.

Add to your profile under Courses any industry relevant training you have taken.

There is a way within LinkedIn to see how this approach is working for you. On the right side of the View version of your profile, there is a count of the times your profile has been viewed. The number of views and the number of days will change. This count is also a hyperlink (clicking it will take you to another page) where you can view who has viewed your profile. Occasionally instead of the person’s name appearing in the list of people who have viewed your profile, you may see that they just list their industry or that they are a “LinkedIn Member”. Many recruiters will hide what company they are from.

To the right of the list of names of the people who have viewed your profile, you will also see a graph which indicates how you are trending (are more people viewing your profile than before?). It is a good thing when your profile is trending up or stays high.

Another way to determine if you are attracting the right attention is to look on the right of your Profile view at the “People Also Viewed” section. This is not the list of the people who viewed you. Instead it is the list of people’s whose profiles the person who viewed your profile also viewed. You may recognize some of the names and can immediately figure out who might be looking at both profiles. In other cases you might not know the person. If they are in the same career or industry, it may be that you are attracting the interest of recruiters or hiring managers. Use this list to check out the competition’s LinkedIn profile and see if they have skills that you have but haven’t listed yet or something else on their profile that you want to add as well.

Working Your Target Company List

You want to have a list of between 5 and 10 companies that you would give your left arm to work for. Having this list does not mean you would not be willing to take a job with another company. This is the list you are proactively going to network into. Having more than 10 just dilutes your efforts and you will not get the results you want; you want a more laser like approach.

In creating the target company list, do not list just the big companies in your area. There are many small and mid- sized companies who are looking for people with your talents.

If your area has a business paper, read it on a regular basis. It is a great resource for knowing what is going on in your area business wise. In Atlanta we are blessed to have the Atlanta Business Chronicle (ABC). The Business Journals, of which the ABC is a member, produces annually a Book of Lists which lists companies in the specific geographic area sorted into different categories. This is an invaluable resource for understanding what companies are in the area and identifying target companies. A copy of the Book of Lists can usually be found in the reference section of your local library. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has offered a special job seeker rate which includes a copy of the Book of Lists. To find out more, just send me your e-mail address requesting the subscription details.

Having the list of target companies is just the start. You want to add the list of companies to your Networking Guide and give it to people in your network who have offered to help you with your job search. For more on the Networking Guide read this article:

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-document-is-as-valuable-to-job.html

Research your target companies and networking into them. You have a 50 times greater chance of getting a job in a company with an employee contact. Go into LinkedIn and using the advanced search for People, type the company name into the company field. I suggest leaving the drop box under the company field to “Current or Past” initially because the person you know the best may have just left the company. Use the widest search first and then as needed add criteria such as “Current” and postal code.

Review the profiles of the people you’d like to meet and see what groups they belong to. Do any of the groups have in person meetings as well? If so, note those for Networking. Consider Joining the industry groups that they belong to, especially if many of the people at that company belong to the same groups, so you can do what I term “come along side” of them i.e. meet them in the group discussions.

Within LinkedIn, search and “Follow” your target companies so you know what they are posting about themselves. Aside from LinkedIn, set Google Alerts to receive news about the companies as they are mentioned anywhere on-line.

Networking

The number one way to find a job and the best way to find what is termed “the hidden job market” is through networking.

Years ago we didn’t have to “network” because we knew everyone in town and they knew us. Today we can drive up to our house, push the remote to open the garage door, and never even see our neighbors. In order to know more than just the people in our immediate lives we now have to be intentional about networking. It is a life skill and, in my opinion, should be taught in school.

Job Networking groups are not a target rich environment to find a job. I believe in job networking groups; I’m a professional affiliate of Crossroads Career Services and I speak at many of the metro Atlanta groups. They are a great place to get job search tips and to get emotional and spiritual support – all necessary for the job search.

For job leads though going to a job networking group is like going to a married group to find a date. Someone there might know a single person but it makes more sense to go to a single group instead. Therefore I highly recommend networking at industry groups where employed people network and you can likely meet your future hiring manager and future peers. With attending industry events, you also get to stay up on your industry.

To find industry networking groups or associations, search the internet for the name of your industry and the word “association”.

There are numerous books written to develop the skill of networking that cannot be summarized in one article. The following are some basics though about networking that will make it easier for you to do. You may never love to do it but it is a life skill and we all have to be better at it.

To be prepared to network you must be able to very concisely answer the question “who are you and what do you do?” Do not say you are in a job search or that you are unemployed. Give your name, your job title, something about you that is unique (i.e. your personal brand – more on that in a future article) and then ask about them. The shortness of this introduction is why it is often called an elevator pitch. Do not get historical “well I used to do and I used to work for …” as they asked what you do not what you have done. You should also have a pen and stash of business cards containing your name, job title, and contact information.

In addition to industry networking groups, there are other places to network. Common interests groups are good places to network. For example let’s say you are into motorcycles. Other people with motorcycles instantly take to you because of that common interest. The same is true with other common interests. You never know who knows someone; the main point is to increase the number of people who know you and deepen those relationships so that they are invested in you and want to see you succeed.

There are four levels of knowing someone professionally: Meet, Know, Like and Trust. Imagine if you will that I have the home phone number to the CEO of the fastest growing company in town. I would not give that phone number to everyone I meet. I have to trust them before I’d give the CEO’s phone number to someone. People have to trust you before they open up their prized connections to you.

Like any life skill, we have to learn to do it, practice it, and do it. First set a goal. Even if there are a hundred people at an event, I feel successful if I meet five people and then make a point later to deepen the connection with at least three of them. Set a goal and reward yourself for completing your goal.

Remember to reach out to people already in your life with whom you have lost contact. Start every meeting by finding out what is new with them.

There are three books I highly recommend on the topic of networking. One of the three I recommend for both men and women and then the others are gender specific. This is the only topic I have gender specific recommendations for.

The book for both genders is “The Heart and Art of Netweaving” by Robert (Bob) Littell. This book reminds us that networking is not all about us. For introverts, that is great news as we do not mind listening to others talk about themselves, we prefer it to having the spotlight on us.

For men I recommend the book by Harvey MacKay “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty” and for women I recommend the book by Susan RoAne “How to Work a Room” or her new book “Face to Face”.

Series Summary

There are three approaches to the job search. All should be used but time should be spent proportional to their success rates.

Considering that only a portion of all of the available jobs are found on-line, only a little amount of time each week should be spent in the Reactive approach to the job search. Since the Passive approach requires little effort, set a schedule to re-post your resume every three weeks and reconnecting with recruiters.

Then to yield better results, spend the majority of your time leveraging the most successful approach – the Proactive approach. You will get better at it the more you do it.

E-mail Judi@RightChanges.biz with the subject line “Approaches” to receive an Excel spreadsheet that will help you organize the three approaches.

The next article will be “The one question a job seeker should ALWAYS ask after an interview yet many don’t”. I welcome your suggestions for future job search topics.

Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the YouTube video series “The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search” that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they want by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on RightChanges’ 2013 special for the initial hour of coaching, the new “advantage program for students”, and RightChanges other services, go to www.RightChanges.biz.

The 3 Parts of a Successful Job Search – How Many are You Using? Part 2

There are 3 parts of a successful job search and if you have been struggling in the search, you may not be using all 3 parts.

Part 1 - Reactive

Most job seekers are very familiar with the reactive job search which is replying to ads when they appear. Although this is a part of the job search, too many job seekers are limiting their approach to replying to ads and have not found it to be very fruitful.

Even for those who are using this approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-3-parts-of-successful-job-search.html

Part 2 – Passive

The Passive approach to the job search is similar to the way I like to fish: put bait on your hook, throw the line into the water, and lay back to see what bites.

In job search terms, the Passive approach includes posting your resume on job boards, having a LinkedIn profile, and working with external recruiters (aka search firms or headhunters); you take an action and then wait for someone to “bite”.

The Passive approach, like the other two approaches, should not be used exclusively as a job search process.

Even for those who are using the Passive approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

1) Reposting Your Resume

When you post your resume on a job board, the system records what date it was posted. Recruiters, when they go onto the job boards looking for candidates, are looking for candidates who have posted their resume recently. They do not want to waste their time reviewing resumes of people who posted their resume on the job board previously but have since found a job.

To keep your resume “fresh” so it is included when recruiters search the job boards, update your resume frequently (example every three weeks) so the posted date is more current. The update you make does not have to be substantial and always proof the changes you make.

2) Leveraging Industry Specific Job Boards

Many companies have realized they find skilled candidates when they use industry specific job boards instead of the giant boards like CareerBuilder and Monster. To find industry specific job boards, search the internet using the name of your industry and the words “job boards”. For example, searching “technology job boards” will bring up Dice.com and others.

3) LinkedIn

First I will say: YES – you have to have a LinkedIn profile. I don’t consider anyone a serious job seeker unless they have a profile on LinkedIn; it is like being a business these days without having a web site. This is not a social networking site like Facebook and is not a stream of consciousness like Twitter. LinkedIn is a professional networking site and should be used as such. Non-job seekers should also have a profile on LinkedIn.

If you have been on LinkedIn you know that they change the site quite frequently. For that reason I will never write an article just about LinkedIn because the article will be out of date by the time I hit Save. I will though give a few tips that many people miss.

a. Have a professional headshot. The picture is to help jog the memory of people you have met so they can confirm they have the right person before connecting with you.

b. Do not include the words “seeking”, “unemployed”, or the like. Your job title is what you do for a living. I use the analogy of a musician, just because he is between gigs does not mean he is not still a musician.

c. Behind your job title include what you are known for. Example: “Senior IT Manager; Success at Increasing Productivity and Improving Quality”. Having a Personal Brand is important in this competitive market; it communicates how you are unique from others who have the same job title.


d. Customize your URL so it has an IN and not PUB address. Under your picture there is a URL or web address that begins www.linkedin.com/. Look at the next part. If it is PUB then you still have the address assigned to you when you created your profile. Behind the portion which contains your name you will have what I call alphabet soup, a series of letters and or numbers. Having a PUB address indicates you don’t know how to use LinkedIn.

You can click the word Edit behind the URL and customize it. If you have a name like mine (very common) then you will have to be clever with coming up with a name that is not already taken yet is still professional.

e. Include your accomplishments (or examples of what you did for the company) under each job in the experience section.

f. Do NOT include your birthday or marital status; this is not Facebook.


4) Working with Recruiters

Recruiters, or headhunters as they are sometimes called, can be very helpful in a job search. It is essential to remember however that their job is not to find you a job. They are hired instead by the company to find the right candidate for a certain position. Recruiters normally cannot return all of the unsolicited calls from job seekers and still get their work done. Here are a few strategies you can implement to increase your success with recruiters.

a. Find recruiters who work with your particular industry. There are a number of ways you can research that information. Type in the name of your industry and the word “recruiter” in a search engine. Go to industry events and ask around for recommendations. And contact hiring managers at your target companies and ask who is on the “preferred vendor list” of recruiters.

b. Develop a professional relationship with your recruiter. You want to be top of mind when a new position comes across their desk.


The Passive job search is only a small part of the complete job search. Using all three parts will greatly increase your chance of job search success – finding a job you WANT!


Part 3 of the job search will be published next week. You can join the hundred of others who “Follow” Judi’s blob at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com with a simple click so you receive these articles and others the moment they are published.

The next article after this series will be “The one question a job seeker should ALWAYS ask after an interview (and many don’t)”. I welcome your suggestions for job search topics that have not already been addressed on this blog. You can submit those ideas using the comments feature for this article.

Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the YouTube video series “The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search” that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they want by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on RightChanges’ 2013 special for the initial hour of coaching, the new “advantage program for students”, and RightChanges other services, go to www.RightChanges.biz.

The 3 Parts of a Successful Job Search – How Many are You Using?

There are 3 parts of a successful job search and if you have been struggling in the search, you may not be using all 3 parts.

Part 1 - Reactive

Most job seekers are very familiar with the reactive job search which is replying to ads when they appear. Although this is a part of the job search, too many job seekers are limiting their approach to replying to ads and have not found it to be very fruitful. Let’s look at why it is not more fruitful:

1) Only 15% of all of the available jobs are posted online. 85% of all available jobs are part of what is called the “hidden job market”

2) According to job seekers who have found a job, this approach was only successful for 30% or less of job seekers

3) Only 10% of resumes make it passed the computer scan and therefore 90% resumes do not even make it to the hiring authority

4) Of the 10% of the resumes that make it to the hiring authority, not all of them are even viewed. For example let’s say there are 1000 resumes submitted for any job. 10% of 1000 is a hundred. Hiring managers do not review all 100 resumes to find the best. The hiring manager glances at a number of resumes (say the first 10), selects the best, and continues this process until they have a sufficient pool of candidates. So even if your resume gets passed keyword software, your resume may not even be seen.

5) A handful of final candidates have already been selected prior to the position being posted. The job is posted to meet EEOC obligations.

Even for those who are using this approach, they may be missing out on some of the strategies available to them to be more successful.

1) Job alerts
Many if not most job boards have a tool called a job alert or job agent. You can set specific keywords and job titles and each time a new job is posted matching your requirements, it will e-mail you a notice with a link to that job allowing you to reply to the posting before the position is taken down from the sites.

2) Using industry specific job boards
Many job seekers are familiar with the major job boards (CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.) and even some aggregators like Indeed.com. Aggregators “crawl” other job boards and bring together (aggregate) the listings into one site.

There are sites that are specific for each industry and may be used more frequently by companies to find candidates in that particular industry. Example Dice.com is a technology specific job board.

You should find and use the job boards specific to your industry in addition to the major job boards.

3) Having a keyword rich resume

The way to get your resume passed the keyword software is to be sure your resume highlights the skills companies are looking for.

Some job coaches recommend you tailor your resume for each application. Judi Adams of RightChanges disagrees. “The resume rings hollow” when it is tailored for the specific job description, according to a recruiter at a recent RightChanges workshop, because it is mimicking back what the job description said. In addition to the problem of the resume ringing hollow, too many job seekers make errors and typos when they recreate the resume each time and that will get your resume excluded.

Instead RightChanges suggests you take 5 job descriptions for the type of job you want as a sample set, even if the job is not in your geographic area, and tailor your resume so it fits the standard for that role and highlights the skills most requested.

4) Having a cover letter that visually highlights why you are a good candidate

Since you are not tailoring the resume for every job you are applying for anymore, you do want to include a position specific cover letter. This cover letter, when done as described, will help get your resume passed the computerized keyword search. In addition, when your resume gets in front of a person, you have done the work for them to illustrate why you are a fit for the position and everyone they send the resume to will benefit from you doing the work for them as well.

When a hiring authority comments on how good the format of your cover letter is, you know you have done something right. Plus it is so easy to write and contains less “I” and “Me” statements and more about how you can help the company.

Here is a link to the previously published article about this powerful cover letter.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

5) Networking into the company after applying
Candidates have a 50 TIMES greater chance of getting the job with an employee contact. Fifty times! Why? The reason candidates have a greater chance of getting the job with an employee contact is because you now are more than a flat piece of paper (referring to the resume) and you have an internal advocate that can get your resume sorted to the top of the pile so it is seen.

After you apply for a job with a company, go into LinkedIn and see who you know (or someone you knows knows) at the company who can serve as an advocate for you.

Part 2 of the job search will be published next week and Part 3 the week after. You can join the hundred of others who “Follow” Judi’s blob at RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com with a simple click so you receive these articles and others the moment they are published.

Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the YouTube video series “The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search” that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they want by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on RightChanges 2013 special for the initial hour of coaching, the new “advantage program for students”, and RightChanges other services go to www.RightChanges.biz.

What You Need to Know About Negotiating Before the Interview

There are things every job candidate should know about negotiating BEFORE the first interview. It could cost you money and more if you do not follow these simple steps.

Why Negotiate?

Many of you wonder if you should even bother to negotiate in this job market. Many feel that if the offer is fair, you should just take it.

Let me ask you: Would you pay sticker price for a car? Of course you wouldn’t. You know that is the starting point and it goes down from there. Would you automatically pay the asking price for a house? Of course not! You know when buying a car or a house, the game of negotiating is expected. Then why would you leave money on the table when you are being offered a job? The response for many is that they do not know how to negotiate when it comes to salary. By reading this article, you will know the basics of negotiating in a job search.

Truths About Negotiating

There are some truths about negotiating that will be helpful to know.

1) The offer made is usually not the most the manager can offer.

As a former hiring manager, I know it is true that we managers do not put our best offer on the table the first time. We usually have a range we can work within for a position. The offer is based upon experience but even then we usually leave ourselves a little room to negotiate.

The range we have is usually not even the most we can offer. If we find the perfect candidate, we can go to our upper management and make a case to make an offer that is above the initial range.
So if you are not negotiating, you could be leaving money on the table.

2) The point of hire is the best time to negotiate.

The company has gone through a resource and time consuming process with a significant number of candidates and decided you bring the best combination of skills, experience, and fit for the company. They have decided on you. This is the best time to negotiate – before you are an employee. Once you are an employee they have you. Before they hire you, you have leverage in the negotiation process; they want you and do not want to let you go only to have to ramp up the interview process again.

3) Future increases are based upon your starting salary.

In today’s economy, the annual salary or cost of living increase is lower. But regardless of what it is, your base salary is used in the calculation of your increase and then the following year that new resulting number is used, which was as you remember based upon your initial starting salary.

4) More than just salary is up for negotiations

Of course we know salary is negotiated but there are a number of other benefits and options that can be negotiated.

5) Women negotiate less often than men.

Although it is not the only factor in the discrepancy between the salary of men and women, one of the factors is that women do not negotiate as often as men do. Too many women are leaving money on the table.

What to do to Prepare

Before you go on an interview, you need to know what salary you can expect for the job based upon your experience and geographic area. You also need to know what other benefits are important to you. You should have two levels in your head:
1) the minimum you will accept or you will walk away and
2) the level you expect.

Geography is important. For instance you can expect to get paid more working in New York or San Francisco than in Birmingham because of the cost of living.

To identify typical salary ranges for a job by geographic area, there are sites such as Salary.com and GlassDoor.com. These sites offer base salary, bonus information, and full package (salary plus bonus plus benefits). Indeed.com and other sites have salary information as well and some even give sample salary ranges for particular companies.

When to Negotiate

The right price is discussed at the right time. Some hiring authorities will try to get you to say during the phone interview what salary you are looking for or are currently earning, before they have even determined whether you are a worthwhile candidate. This is NOT the right time to discuss salary and that is why job seekers need to know about how to negotiate (and deflect salary discussions) before they start to interview.

Your best negotiating position is when they have decided you are the right candidate. When you are scheduled for a phone interview, the company is still trying to figure out “who are you?” You have little to no negotiating power.

After the phone interview or first interview they are thinking “we like you”. You have more negotiating power but it still not the right time.

After the first interview, when they call you in for a second interview, they are thinking “we love you” and you have more negotiating power but it is still not the most leverage you have. In fishing they say “the fish is not yet on the hook”.

When you have finished the second interview and they have identified you as the top candidate they are saying “we have to have you ” and that is the point at which you have the most negotiating power.

But as I said before, the company representative (Human Resource representative, internal company recruiter, or hiring manager) try to get you to reveal your salary requirements on the initial contact. So how can you keep from speaking too soon about salary? I refer to the techniques as the super power bands.

Before the Time Is Right


You could lose money if you speak about salary too soon so we need ways to deflect and deter salary questions until the time is right.

Picture a super hero with wide bands on the wrists that can deflect even laser beams. I want you to arm yourself with these power bands. When asked about what salary you are looking for or asked what you currently earn and expect, I want you to use these techniques.

Power Band 1: “I need to know more about the job before I could answer that. “

This is a very honest answer. You DO need to know more about the job to determine what salary you should get.

If I offered you $80,000 for the job of secretary, some of you would jump at it. Great, you are now Secretary of Defense of the United States. The job title, in this case secretary, does not give enough information about the work you’ll be doing to determine the salary you should be earning. By the way, the Secretary of Defense gets almost $200K.

Power Band 2: “I’m sure you will make me a fair offer based upon the work I’ll be doing and the experience I bring”.

Since everyone will be doing the same work, end with the phrase “the experience I bring” as shown above. Since it is the last thing you said, it will echo in their heads.

Power Band 3: “Salary is important to me. What is also important is the work I’ll be doing and I’d like to know more about…” and then ask a question about the job.

Do not say “salary is not important” or they may let you prove it. This technique redirects their attention away from salary and back to talking about the job.

Power Band 4: “Wow, you seem very concerned about the salary. What is the position budgeted for?”

This power band should not be used unless they keep pushing to find out your salary requirements and only after using the other techniques. This statement should be made with a quiet and calm tone of surprise and mild concern. If the real reason they keep bringing up salary is that they are concerned you may be more than they can afford, then they should be willing to share the salary range.

If the salary range they share is within your acceptable range (or more), then you can simply reply “we are in the same ball park”.

If, however, the range they share is significantly lower than you expect for the work you will be doing and the experience you bring, then you can say “oh, now I see why you were so concerned. That is low for my level of experience and skills. A brief pause at this time, allowing for a moment of silence, may result in them saying they can possibly do better. If not, you may offer to recommend candidates that have a lot less experience. There is no need to waste their time or yours if the salary is not even a negotiable level.

When the Time Is Right


When you are the final candidate and the company makes you an offer, say “hmm” with what I term a Mona Lisa smile (neither a smile nor a frown) and pause. Let silence fill the room.

Do you know what is happening in that silence? The other person is mentally sharpening their pencil and thinking “he didn’t jump at that amount. Well I do have that extra amount I can offer and I’m sure I can go back to my boss and get a little more if I need to.” Already, without saying a word, your salary is going up.

Then express interest in the job, agree you believe it is a good fit and mention that since this is an important decision you’d like time to think it over. If you are married, you can add that you would like to talk it over with your spouse. You will not lose the opportunity because you asked for a reasonable amount of time to think about it. I suggest giving a specific date and time by which you will get back to them so they know you are not playing them.

Closing the Deal


When you get back to them, reiterate that you are interested in the position and the company and agree it is a fit both ways. Repeat what you heard them offer (to be sure you heard them correctly) and then ask if they can do any better on the salary. They will either come back with a higher counter offer or they will say they cannot.
Regardless of what they said, say that you see and then negotiate for anything else that is important to you. Do NOT accept the position before negotiating for everything that you want; once you accept the job you are now an employee and do not have the leverage you did.

If the company cannot offer more in salary at this time, propose that they give you a salary review in 3-6 months. During that time you will be proving yourself to them. Have them agree that if you meet or exceed specific expectations that they will make up the different in the salary at that time.

Another way to offset a salary that is lower than desired is what is called a signing bonus. A signing bonus is nothing more than an amount of money given up front to the new employee. This amount, however, is not factored into the salary, bonuses, or future increases.

A very important step is to get everything that you agreed upon in writing. Regardless of what they have agreed to verbally, it is only “real” if it is in writing.

True Stories

I had a client who was in the final interview when she was asked what she was thinking of salary wise. She had researched it using the online tools and told him so. She was just about to share what salary range she had discovered when she heard my voice in her head saying “hold your cards close” so she instead said “but tell me what you were thinking”. He offered $30K MORE than the range she was about to quote. The lesson is not to be the first person to speak the amount; it could cost you money.

The hiring manager had already mentioned that they have a standard policy of two weeks of vacation for the first few years of service. She shared how she currently uses her three weeks of vacation to visit her ailing parent up north. She said to no one in particular (as if to the room itself) “I wonder how we can work this out” and the hiring manager said he knew of a way and proposed it. The lesson here is to have them be a part of the solution.

Another client was reluctant to negotiate but I had covered this material with him and asked why he would leave money on the table. The company e-mailed him the offer and he contacted them back after “thinking about it” and he asked if they could do better. He was in my office when he received a text asking him to call them, they had a revised offer. What is the expression: nothing ventured, nothing gained?

Additional Resources

Of course there are numerous valuable resources on the topic of negotiations. It is a life skill and one that needs to be honed. Do not stop with what I shared here; this should only be the beginning of the process of your learning to negotiate.

By Judi Adams

Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the YouTube video series The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they want by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on her new “advantage program for students” and RightChanges other services, go to www.RightChanges.biz.

Checklist: Will I benefit by having a job search coach?

While working with job seekers in her practice, Judi Adams of RightChanges hears all too often from clients “I wish I had known about you when I began my job search” or “I didn’t know there were people like you [meaning job search coaches] when I started my job search”.

Ask yourself: Will I benefit by having a job search coach?

If any of the following statements are true for you, then you and your job search will benefit from meeting with a job search coach.

1) What I’m doing isn’t working.

They say the sign of insanity is doing the same thing three times and expecting a different result. If what you are doing isn’t working, at least meet with a job search coach to assess your approach and your marketing materials. A small adjustment could make a big difference.

2) Even though it has been a while since I found a job, I am confident I can do it again on my own.

The job market is very different today and if you said to yourself “I have found a job before, I can do it again” and have not taken the time to know what is different since the last time you looked for a job, then you are using an old map to get around a new city. You may get there but it will take you a lot longer.

3) I apply online and it seems to be a black hole or like throwing a ball into the fog.

Only a small percentage of jobs are posted on-line and only a small percentage of job seekers find a job that way. Yes, job seekers do find jobs that way but why would you want to stick with the low odds. Increase your chances by using a variety of approaches and going after all of the jobs, not just the few that are posted. You may wonder what those other approaches are and how to do them. That is where a good coach can help you.

4) Although money is tight, I would pay to get a job sooner.

If, by using the services of a job search coach, you land a job sooner than doing it alone, then the services just paid for themselves. The services of a job coach do not need to cost a lot.

5) I’m stuck, I’m tired, I’m losing or have lost hope.

Although no one believes looking for a job is fun, a good job coach can help you get unstuck and moving forward. Having a plan and adding structure back into your day with specific to-do’s will help you feel accomplished and get you moving forward. There is no reason to go through the job search alone. Use the services of someone who will help you overcome obstacles and keep you encouraged.

6) I’m not even sure what I want to do for a living.

If you do not know what you want to do, then how are you going to get there? You cannot go into today’s competitive job market and expect a company to figure that out for you. There are assessments that will help you figure out a good career for you and you will start to see better results in your job search.

7) I have not interviewed in the past 5 years (or ever) for a job.

If you were in a neighborhood championship for a sport (say tennis) where nothing was on the line except bragging rights, you would warm up and practice. However, too many job seekers go into the interview and “wing it” when a job is on the line. It is wise to practice the interview with someone who can provide valuable feedback on what you did well and areas to improve.

8) I do not know what STARs, PARs or CARs are with regard to the job search.

Your resume and interview answers will be missing the “meat on the bone” if you are not using accomplishment statements (or examples) using this format.

Selecting a Coach

Okay, so you know you will benefit from the help of a job coach. How do you go about finding a good one?

Sadly there are no governing bodies that insure coaches are current on the changes of the new job market. Just because they have been in the business for years does not mean their information has changed with the times. Here are a few things to check before signing up with a coach.

1) Can you meet with the coach for an initial consultation at a reduced price to be sure you will like working with them?

2) During an initial consultation, is it mostly a sales pitch? If so, they may be more interested in your money than helping you. The initial consultation should be content rich.

3) Do they have flexible options: ex. hourly as well as package options?

4) Ask to look at a sample resume. If they still use an objective at the top, “references available upon request” at the bottom, or colored paper, then that coach is not current on the job market of today.

5) When sharing information, does the coach just tell you what to do or do they take the time to explain the logic behind what they say so you are equipped should you hear other “opinions” on the same subject?

6) Do they meet with you in person or over the phone? The majority of person to person communication is non-verbal so if the only way to meet is over the phone even though the coach is in your area, then you will not be getting the best service from the coach. You will miss out on their non-verbal cues and they will be missing out on yours.

7) Do they have professional affiliations and are they active in these affiliations?

8) Do they give of their time to the local community of job seekers, i.e. do they volunteer or speak at local job networking groups?

To find out more about working with job search coaches, read October’s article on this topic by clicking here:

Would I Benefit by the Help of a Job Search Coach?


You now know you will benefit from using the services of a job search coach and you know what to do to find a good coach for you. What then would keep you from taking the next step forward and getting your job search moving?
The next move is yours.

By Judi Adams

Judi Adams is the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach, author of an Amazon hottest new release “Found a Job Yet? And Other Questions NOT to Ask!”, and keynote speaker. Judi is also the creator of the free video series “The Five Deadly Sins of the Job Search” that can be found on YouTube.com using FoundaJobYet in the search field. Her blog RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com has been read world-wide since 2009. Judi’s clients have had phenomenal success finding jobs they wanted by following the steps she outlines for them. For more information on RightChanges services and the new “advantage program for students” go to www.RightChanges.biz.

Hottest Articles on the Job Search

Welcome Readers to the RightChanges Job Search blog. The goal and purpose for this blog is to help job seekers whether unemployed, misemployed, underemployed, overemployed, recent grads, or those returning to the job market, anywhere in the world, to know what you need to know to be successful in the job search.

I’m starting this year’s selection by recapping some of the most read articles. The link and a brief description to each follow.

I’m also going to publish articles on new content. The topics I have queued up are:

LinkedIn Basics
Negotiations
A Resume Checklist
An In-person Interview Checklist

I would also like to hear from you about topics you would like me to cover regarding the job search. Submit a comment to this article with your ideas.

Thank you for your readership and pass the word about this blog to other job seekers.


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Keep Your Skills Up (or Learn New Ones) FREE And Here’s How
One of the concerns of hiring managers when hiring a person with a recent gap in their employment history, especially when the gap is longer than a few months, is that the candidate may have let their skills atrophy or that they may not have the latest skills.

You can eliminate that concern by keeping your skills honed and acquiring new ones. It does not have to cost you a lot and, in most cases, it will not cost you anything. Just follow these very simple steps.

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2012/08/keep-your-skills-up-or-learn-new-ones.html

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Are You Committing Any of the Deadly Sins of the Job Search?
Whether you are a recent graduate or an experienced worker, whether you are unemployed, misemployed, or underemployed, you have to ask yourself: Have I committed any of the five deadly sins of the job search?

Watch the free 5 part YouTube video series by successful job search coach, blogger, author, and speaker Judi Adams of RightChanges to see if you are hurting your own job search.

Go to www.YouTube.com and search FoundaJobYet.
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The Document that is as important as a Resume

All job seekers know the importance of having a resume and many job seekers learn how to create a great resume. There are not many job seekers, though, who know there is a piece of marketing material that is as important and valuable as a great resume: a one-page networking guide.

The networking guide in the past has been called a marketing plan but the old name is misleading. The old name, marketing plan, does not reflect the most important purpose of the document: a guide for your network to use to help you network into your next job.

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html
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The Most Powerful Cover Letter

When a hiring authority comments on how good the format of your cover letter is, you know you have done something right. That is what one of my clients experienced this week and she asked that I republish the article I wrote “The Most Powerful Cover Letter” so others can benefit from it as well.

Here is that article.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html
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The Phone Interview Checklist

The phone interview is now a typical step in the hiring process because in-person interviews are a logistical challenge and time consuming. The phone interview is used to take a pool of candidates and, through a series of questions that confirm that the information provided is accurate and that the person is professional and articulate, select the top contenders to be brought in to interview.

The following is a checklist of “to do’s” for a phone interview.
http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html
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Please submit a comment with your requests for articles on the Job Search for us to cover.