New Year 2011: Welcome to JOBAPALOOZA!

The New Year of 2011 was welcomed with open arms. Around the world, we saw fireworks explode above Sydney Harbour, watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle like a Christmas Tree, and were entertained by a dropping ball in Times Square (sponsored by Toshiba, in case you didn’t notice). 2010 was put to rest without winning the Best Year Ever award. Nor was 2010 the runner-up. I don’t think there was even a consolation prize! 2010, R.I.P.

It is true that a high unemployment rate has continued to negatively impact thousands of professionals including ourselves, our family members, and our friends. However, I have good news: the big event is almost here! Near the start of each year, the flood gates of job postings open. This fabulous event takes place in late January and includes every industry, almost every job function, and virtually every bracket of compensation. I have taken the liberty to coin a title for this grand event: JOBAPALOOZA!

Organizations freeze the publication of many new job postings late in the year primarily due to corporate budgetary constraints. All of these about-to-be-released job postings create the framework of JOBAPALOOZA. With this  exciting event comes responsibility: each and every professional conducting a job search must be completely prepared to answer the call! Included on everyone’s Job Search Effectiveness Preparation List should be:

1. A weekly schedule with specific times blocked for conducting online job searches, networking, and follow-up;
2. Fresh, updated resumes that are customized to specific job titles and industries;
3. A completed LinkedIn profile that is professional, interesting, and inviting;
4. Positive energy and enthusiasm, knowing that a new job is just around the corner;
5. Ability to immediately respond to any employer extending the opportunity to interview;
6. Readiness to make a high-impact, positive first impression that sticks!

That, my friends, is a start (there’s much more to it, of course). JOBAPALOOZA is going to be incredible, with MANY professionals landing that new job. This window of opportunity will last only a few short weeks, and the biggest difference between those who WILL get the job and those who WON’T will be LEVEL OF PREPARATION. So what are you going to do? Act like a Boy Scout and BE PREPARED!

To Your Success,

-Tom

 

The Joy of Job Offer Negotiation

I received a call from a job search client yesterday. After hearing his question, I realized that many job search clients will need to know how to handle this situation. It went something like this, “Great news, I’m going to receive a verbal offer for the job I interviewed for last week. I’m very excited about the opportunity and will make even MORE than I did at my last job. However, the standard vacation time is two weeks and I need three. Should I try to negotiate for an extra week of vacation?“

I’ve been so focused on developing content about how to FIND, APPLY TO, and INTERVIEW FOR a new job that I almost forgot to add how to NEGOTIATE favorable employment terms. As a result, I’ll be developing  “Negotiation-Acceptance-Transition” content for upcoming job search effectiveness workshops. (Side note: I’m planning to launch the complete Job Search Effectiveness training series in an on-demand video format January 1, 2011. The new website is to be located at PersonalSuccessNetwork.com. The content will focus primarily on helping professionals become much more successful in attaining their job search and career development goals).

I bet you’d like to know the answer to my client’s question. Remember that almost every answer to almost any question is SITUATIONAL. So, let us first consider the scenario: the client had been terminated from his former position as an IT Engineer about 6 months earlier. He had a total of 20 years experience with just two companies. The new job responsibilities would align nicely with his skills and experience, PLUS the client would be working for a highly desirable company. The hiring manager at this new company informed him that a formal job offer would be coming within 24 hours. During the short conversation, the hiring manager also indicated that two weeks of vacation was one of the many standard benefits.

Now what? Should my client attempt to negotiate for one extra week of vacation? My “off-the-cuff” response was a very firm YES! Are you surprised by my response? The key to being successful in this situation lies in HOW my client negotiates for the extra week of vacation. Since my client was presently out of a job, he was less leveraged than had he been employed. If he is too AGGRESSIVE with attempting to gain the extra week of vacation, he  will certainly jeopardize the job offer. However, there’s nothing wrong with my client being ASSERTIVE with his request (while simultaneously expressing his gratitude).

My recommendation? During the official verbal-offer phone call, he should first express his excitement and appreciation. Next, he needs to acknowledge the two-week standard vacation policy and politely mention that his former employers allocated three weeks to him each year. Thus, to continue with his family tradition, could he somehow earn the additional days during the upcoming year?  Even if the answer is NO, do not fret: there IS a fallback position. He would simply ask if it would be acceptable to take an extra week off each year without pay.

This is a WIN-WIN situation for the client. Why? First, he has a new job. Second, he just may end up with that extra week of paid vacation. “But what if the employer does not grant the extra week?” you may ask. Well, it’s certainly not a deal-breaker! Refusing this highly desirable position would result in waiting several more weeks before another job offer. If the client makes $52,000 per year, why would he hold out for what is essentially $1000 when he would lose much more than that for passing on this opportunity? He wouldn’t… and there it is!

To Your Success,

-Tom

Mile High and Taking It Higher!

Attitude Determines Altitude!

Attitude Determines Altitude! It’s a phrase that has been used many times to highlight the impact attitude can have on individual behavior, learning, and success. Have you ever been amazed by how quickly your attitude improves after achieving a small success? Or how a complete stranger with a poor attitude can drag you down in a matter of minutes? As much as we try not to admit it, the truth is that our attitude is constantly shifting and can be dramatically affected by external forces.

But why is ATTITUDE so important? Because the more positive our attitude towards gaining new skills, stretching our creativity, and enhancing our perspective, the better we learn as adults. The better we learn, the more we retain. The more we retain, the more effectively we apply. Effective application leads to increased competence. Increased competence enhances our self-confidence. Enhanced self-confidence leads to personal success. Personal success leads to increased motivation to succeed again, which positively influences our attitude towards learning. Simply put, our attitude plays a key role throughout the cycle of adult learning, motivation, and success!

ALTITUDE: How high can your motivation to learn and succeed take you? Denver sits at approximately 5280 feet above sea level and is appropriately labeled the “Mile-High” city. While leading high-performance teams in the past, I consistently reinforced the importance of each team member’s attitude towards learning and how motivation can help everyone succeed. Attitude really does determine altitude, which is why our slogan was “Mile High and Taking It Higher!”

-Tom