A discussion about salary is no minor detail! It not only has a direct effect on the level of offer made, it can literally make or break a person's candidacy with a company. There are some definite rules to salary negotiation that every candidate should know. So keep the following ten commandments in mind during the interview process and also follow my detailed advice in a prior post on what to say when posed with a salary question during the interview.
*Props to my colleague Christina Woodward for suggesting this topic. She left a big company (Pepsi) a year ago to join our little start up Seven Step Recruiting and had thoughts to share about how this type of move affected her job search with us and other smaller companies she interviewed with.
Since it is much more common for candidates to go from a big company to a small company when changing jobs than the other way around, it's important that people understand how to navigate through the associated interview obstacles with making this kind of move.
Continue reading "Downsizing: Going from a big company to small one" »
Every company performs some level of due diligence on the people they hire. Whether
the HR person does this themselves or hires a 3rd party
to conduct a formal background check, count on everything you say to be
double checked.
Know that any informational discrepancy could cost you the job, even if it involves something very minor or ends up being a completely innocent misunderstanding. So always apply the "background check" factor to every aspect of your job search (writing your resume, answering questions during the interview, filling out a job application, etc..) to avoid this problem.
Don't blow it when it comes to negotiating salary with an employer. The wrong attitude or approach will cost you dearly. Why get all this way in the process and lose out because you said the wrong thing. Follow this good advice on avoiding the most common salary negotiation mistakes.
Continue reading "Salary Negotiaton Tips: 5 Things to Avoid" »
Don't ever misrepresent things in an interview. Think about how you'd feel if companies weren't completely honest with you about the job? Bottom line: it's bad news either way.
Just like learning that babies don't come from the Stork, candidates should know the truth about how offers are made. Most companies go about it the same way. Know what this standard process is when negotiating your salary.
Handle this poorly and you'll not only negatively impact the offer you get, but could actually knock yourself out of the running altogether! Learn how to catch this question and quickly throw it back to the manager (before you get burned!)
This isn't "all about you". There's a daisy chain of people that get affected by your decisions. So, think things through before acting and then, of course, follow through with what you say.
Be aware of offers that are unusually high or low. There are lots of reasons why this happens and you'll want to know these things before ever accepting a job under these circumstances.
Good looks aren't the ONLY thing that matters in dating and job offers shouldn't be judged entirely on the starting salary either. Dig deeper to acknowlege everything that goes into an offer before ever accepting or declining a job. You'll be glad you did.
