Tag Archives: career advancement

Part 1: Job Search Checklist for Landing a Job

There are about 10 million jobs left unfilled every month!

This means you have the pick of the litter if you play your cards differently from all the other candidates.

Many job seekers do not prepare for their job search in advance and ultimately fail to land their dream job.

But this won’t happen to you. Unlike your competitors, you’re going to prepare well before you even begin your job search.

And here’s a job search checklist to help you do just that. (more…)

4 Secrets to Getting a Pay Raise

Are you underpaid? Ready for a change?

SaveMoney_June2014_webAsking for a raise isn’t easy and preparing to ask can be nerve-racking. When should you ask for one? How much should you ask for? What do you even say?

The most important thing to remember when asking for a raise is that the only reason for asking can’t be because you need a raise. It should be because you deserve one. But, it’s on you to prove that your actions have led to success, and will continue to do so in the future. An employee doesn’t get a significant increase in pay just for doing the minimum—he or she must go above and beyond.

On that note, here are our top four tips for negotiating a raise.

1.       Start Preparing on Day One

To begin with, figure out why you deserve a pay raise. If that question is difficult to answer, negotiations aren’t going to go very well. You start figuring that out the first day on the job.

Many people only think about raises at the end of the year, or after a certain amount of time has passed. However, if you start thinking about a future raise on that first day, you can start collecting accomplishments early on. Create goals and an actionable plan to meet those goals. While traveling on your career journey, keep a journal of all professional successes, preferably with metrics and details regarding how each met goal furthered the company as a whole.

Remember, your manager isn’t giving a raise expressly for your benefit—a raise is given to keep an employee as an asset to help the company in the long run. So, if you can connect your performance to achieved business goals, a raise may just be in the cards.

2.       Timing is Everything

In order to really succeed with a request like this, you need to ask at the right time. If you work in oil, for example, and the market suffers a setback, don’t ask for a raise. The same thing applies to a company that’s going through financial or PR difficulties.

If it’s the company’s busiest time of the year, that’s another bad time to ask. Same goes for just after you’ve been on vacation or taken time off. And try not to bring this up after making some sort of mistake, no matter how minor.

3.       Know the Market for Your Position

This ties in with asking yourself whether you deserve the raise or not. Read the papers and research online to find out what your competitive rate is at similar companies. Are you already earning that same rate? If so, you may be working at the cap for your position.

In that case, see if anything major really makes you stand out from the competition. Are you expendable? If so, become an asset. Losing you should not be an option. Raises are given to retain top talent. If the company isn’t the right fit or you aren’t actually top talent, a raise may not be in the cards.

But being top talent in and of itself doesn’t mean a raise is certain. You have to be on time, an excellent employee, and using that talent to further the company every minute you’re on the job.

4.       Bring a Plan and Be Confident

What do you plan on bringing to the negotiating table? If you answered nothing but a smile and a well-worded speech, think again. Prepare an actual presentation. Know your worth and properly articulate any strengths, as well as details regarding tasks that were not only completed, but elevated to the next level. In other words, be confident.

Avoid being arrogant. Tie all accomplishments back to how they helped the company, not you. Don’t walk in assuming a pay hike is a given. Be confident in past successes, and let that lead where it may.

As a bonus, try to include some sort of physical, tangible element to the presentation, whether it’s a printed summary or printed charts and graphs. Include information about how you have saved the company money, or how your actions led to an increase in revenue or production.

Although the goal is for your manager to read these materials, even if they don’t, they’ll still see them on their desk and remember your request. Conduct the entire meeting in a calm manner, and, once it’s over, let your manager know that this is a two-way conversation by asking them for feedback on future projects.

If your manager declines to give a raise, don’t be afraid to ask why. If the reason has anything to do with factors you can control, make those changes so you will be a prime candidate in the future.

Reasons You May Not Get the Raise

Even if you follow all of these tips, it is important to note that you may not get a raise due to external factors that have nothing to do with performance. These include:

  • A slow market
  • A recent downturn in the economy
  • A different raise structure (your company may have a rigid raise structure in place that does not allow for deviation)
  • Downsizing in your department
  • You are a relatively recent hire

Have any more questions about the salary negotiation process? Let us know about it in the comments below!

Poll Results: What’s Your Workplace Superpower

Faster than a speeding copier? More powerful than an industrial strength forklift?  Able to leap heaps of paperwork in a single bound?

achieverAlthough generally peaceful, the workplace can sometimes be a scary place, with looming deadlines, frustrated clients, and surprise project attacks lurking behind every corner. Your to-do list can seem overwhelming. Who could possibly save us from these sundry evils of working life? Our incredible Movin’ On Up readers, of course!  At the end of February we asked you what your workplace superpowers were. Here’s how you responded:

Daringly Dependable flew into first with 27.72% of the vote, with Heroically Hardworking teleporting in second at 24.75%, and Multitask Mastermind speeding past in third with 21.78%.

Commander of Communication was zapped at 8.91%, while Organization Overlord and Killer Conversationalist met their match at 6.93%.

Other responses included Flexible Gap Filler and Eagle Eye. One dastardly villain thought to respond with Sleeping on the Job — most certainly a foe disguised as a faithful reader.

Even with all of these incredible superpowers, there are still going to be days where it’s tough to be a crusader of office justice. But when you’re lost and feeling down, remember that you’re part of a team. And teamwork is the most powerful superpower of all.

Any more workplace superpowers you want us to know about? Let us know in the comments below!

3 Things That Could Hold Your Career Back

Professional CrossroadsAt some point in time, you may feel stuck in your career or job search, and you’re not alone. While many experience this in their professional lives, knowing what’s holding your career back is key to helping you move forward on your desired career path. Below, you’ll find three common things that could be holding your career back and how to work through them.

1. Out-of-date skills
One thing that may be holding back your career is your skills—or lack thereof. If you’ve been stuck in the same position for too long, it might be time to evaluate your skill set and see if there’s room for improvement. Ask your employer if they know of any training or professional development opportunities. When your skills are up to date, your chances of landing a new or different job increase.

2. Fear of change
The thought of a new job can cause anyone anxiety, but it shouldn’t keep you from advancing your career. Remember the words of hockey great, Wayne Gretzky, who once said, “You’ll miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Getting out of your comfort zone can open new doors, allow you to see new opportunities, and help you move forward when you feel stuck. A fear of change can hold your career back, but often, change can be positive if you only take the chance. It’s all about perspective.

3. Waiting for your dream job
According to an article on TheMuse.com, “studies have shown that in the realm of jobs, people who spent too much time imagining their dream jobs were actually shooting themselves in the foot.” The thought behind this is that these people focused too much of their time imagining the big picture of their future without focusing on what it would take to get there. And, while you shouldn’t give up on your dream job, it’s important to have a real-world plan to achieve it.

How do you make sure you don’t get stuck in a career rut? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.