Readers:
Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis.
Amy writes:
I am a sales representative, also in charge of all marketing and branding.
My 6 month review is next week and I want to go in prepared and confident.
I also want to ask for a raise. I have never had a review before and I'm nervous.
How can the employee best prepare herself for the review?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
It’s only natural to be a little nervous, a bit anxious. The best advice I can give
you is to devise a strategy for the meeting. Go to the meeting prepared with
examples of your accomplishments and contributions and a plan for how you
will continue making those and more accomplishments in the future. You should
have a realistic idea of the size of the raise you want, based on company policies
and what you’re worth in the marketplace.
Some other tips concerning asking for a raise:
Always remember to focus on the idea that you deserve a raise (and why),
not that you need a raise.
Especially in this economy, be flexible and open to other options besides a
big raise. There are any number of options or perks you may be able to get instead
of a raise (or a larger raise).
Be able to demonstrate your commitment to the department and organization
by showing how you have taken on new projects, acquired new skills, etc.
Always be professional. Don’t make ultimatums, whine, or beg.
Raise your profile within the department and organization. We’re taught to be
modest, but no one is really going to know your accomplishments and contributions
unless you broadcast them.
Remember that the rules of asking for a raise mirror that of salary negotiation --
and always let the employer make the first raise offer.
Find a mentor in senior management who can be your advocate for future
raises and promotions.
If you didn’t get the raise you wanted, ask for suggestions on how you can
improve and how you can make more contributions to the department and the organization.
Victoria writes:
Dear Dr. Hansen: The scenario is this. If I have a job interview on a Wednesday,
and another (more preferred) interview on a Thursday, how should I handle it if the
Wednesday interview results in a job offer on the spot? Should I accept the first
offer and then decline it if the second one becomes available, or do I level with them
that I have other interviews and would like a couple of days to mull it over? Would
this put the first offer in jeopardy? I certainly wouldn't want to insult anyone and
appear to be hedging my bets (even though that's what I would be doing). Any
suggestions for proper direction? Thanks.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
In any kind of job-hunting situation where a job-seeker is facing a tough
choice, the solution is always to determine which alternative is the least
offensive to the prospective employer(s). In your scenario, it would be much
worse to accept the first offer, only to rescind the acceptance the next day.
The even better news for you is that there is much precedence in a job-seeker
asking for time to consider an offer. In fact, my advice for all job-seekers would
be to ask for time to consider the offer -- if only to give you some time to think
about it with a clear head. The stress of job interviews is enough to push
some of us over the edge, but combine that with the excitement over getting
the offer, and you have a job-seeker’s brain which is not functioning at peak capacity.
And if the employer did question your motives for not accepting the job on the
spot, that might be a sign that you really would not want to work there anyway.
But all this advice might be moot, because as my mother says, while it’s good
to think of all possible scenarios, you may be putting the cart before the horse.
I continue to hear more and more of employers extending the typical job-search --
where a search may have been completed in several weeks, now they are taking
several months.
So, if you do not immediately get an offer from either employer, do not panic.
Be sure to write your thank you letters to all your interviewers and be sure to
follow-up with both companies.
For other interviewing tips and advice, go to the
Interviewing
Resources section of Quintessential Careers.
Q:
Karen writes:
I've been a travel agent for 10 years and am making less than $25,000.00 per year.
I've recently received my Bachelors degree, and am very interested in changing
careers to the human resources field. Since my salary is so low, do you feel even
with my degree it would be hard to even change careers and achieve a salary over
$39,000.00 per year? What is the best route to break into a new career in human
resources?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
There are any number of reasons why people change careers, though usually it
revolves around discovering a new career passion or interest -- and not so much
on the money. I’m a little concerned that you have such a focus on salary and
not on other issues.
Often when you change careers - no matter how many years of work experience
you have in other fields -- you take a pay-cut because you have achieved a certain
level within your old career. The good news for you, though, is that you should see
a pay increase from the $25,000 you have been making -- but don’t expect a huge jump.
The salary offer you may receive depends greatly on the position within HR you are
hired for, the geographic location, the industry, and the company itself. You can get
an idea of salary ranges you might expect based on some of these criteria by
using a resource such asSalary.com.
I would also consult with the professionals in your college’s career services office,
a few of your former HR professors, and the resources of the Society of Human
Resource Management - one of your professional organizations.
Your best method of finding a new job in this field is through networking. Use professional
organizations, alumni, career services, friends and family, and other sources for building
your network of contacts. Let them know you have recently received your degree and
are in the midst of a career change.
Resources that can help you in this career change:
Anonymous writes:
I'm a journalist with a number of years of daily newspaper experience. I am currently
working at a fairly large paper. I'm getting an MBA part time, and I'll graduate in
August, 2004. It's a 36 credit program with no specialties. I am in a dead-end job
at my paper, and have no chance of moving forward because of office politics. I'm
not sure what I can do with an MBA and my experience. My school does not have
career placement services. I'm considering law school after my MBA. What are my
options, with and without law school? Will I potentially earn more money with a law degree?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I just read an alarming statistic that graduate school applications, especially
MBAs and law school, are up dramatically this year over last as more and
more people are at least attempting to earn graduate degrees in hopes of
landing a better job -- or any job -- in a better economy once their graduate
education is complete.
I don’t understand the thinking of job-seekers such as those - or you -- that enter
into a graduate program with no clear career strategy. The MBA is going to give
you certain credentials to open many doors in business to you, especially
combined with your years of work experience. The MBA is a symbol to
employers that you have the ability to think strategically, analyze situations,
formulate plans, and implement plans.
Of course, you could also combine two of your interests and try to move forward
with your journalistic career into business reporting, but I sense you may be
getting tired of journalism.
One of the current trends in graduate education is the idea of dual graduate degrees,
and the MBA/JD is one of the largest combinations. Many of these folks go into
corporate law with all sizes of organizations. The benefit of having the strategic
knowledge along with the legal knowledge is very appealing.
You really need to map out a strategy for your career before going any farther. I
recommend you read my article, Developing
a Strategic Vision for Your Career Plan, published on Quintessential Careers.
And since you are currently in an MBA program, I also recommend reviewing some of the
resources we have in the Job
and Career Resources for MBAs section of Quintessential Careers. These sites
will at least give you an idea of the types of career paths and jobs for job-seekers with MBAs.
