Negotiating your job offer is an important part of your job hunt. Getting the package you deserve is part of advancing your career. If you haven’t negotiated what you really want, when you start the job and make less money or not getting to do the aspects you really enjoy, you are likely to quit. Negotiate what is important to you. Don’t presume that your potential employer can read your mind and propose what is desired to you.

Of course, every situation is different and one strategy doesn’t fit all, but there are some basic yet essential points to consider when negotiating your job offer.

Weigh the job offer

Determine where you are in your career and where you want to be by considering your long-term goals. Will this job bring you closer to your professional and personal goals? Evaluate the offer based on the merits as well as growth opportunities for your career. Do your research to know the range for the position and what you’re worth.

State your expectations early & clearly

If you don’t discuss your expectations early on in the hiring process, and your range is far apart from what is offered, you and the hiring manager are both wasting time. If the salary is not brought up in the first interview, inquire about it when hiring manager asks for your questions at the end. In order not to seem too blunt ask for the range, this way you’re leaving some room for negotiation. If the proposed salary is below your desired, make it clear what range you’re looking for. Many companies are willing to offer more for the right fit as offers often have a bit wiggle room built in.

Explain why you deserve what you’re requesting

Never let your proposal speak for itself.  Always justify your ask by market standards and what you can bring to the table. Don’t bring up personal matters that you need to take care of and need that extra money to pay for. Your in-demand skills that can help you perform the job more efficiently can be persuasive fact-based justifications.

Consider other job perks

Salary is an important component of your compensation, but a little extra money in compensation can be useless if you take the wrong job. It’s important to work for a company where you can utilize your full potential, has the right culture for you and you get the support you need to grow. Consider all the factors that are important to you such as benefits, flexible work hours, remote work, vacation, group discounts as well as job stability.

 

To read more, refer to this Article for rules on negotiating your job offer.

‘How to Get Your Resume Seen’ has been a hot topic for years. It began with an influx of applicants for roles – candidates wanted to know how to ensure their resume stood out. How do you keep it at the top of the pile, and top of mind? Now, it’s a challenge to beat the bot with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Since most companies and recruiters utilize ATS, and in a sea of applicants, so how can you get your resume seen? These 5 tips to get your resume seen will ensure you’re noticed by hiring managers and recruiters.

1. Keep it Simple

A simple format is easy to read. So, adding unnecessary columns, formatting, sections distracts the eye and keep the human viewer guessing on where to look next. These added features also often confuse an ATS and can result in screening you out for an anticipated role. So, unless you’re in a design field, spare the fancy graphics and formatting.

2. Use a Basic Font

Basic is not boring. Basic font ensures that both an ATS and a human can read your resume, or your application without needing to translate it first. Getting hired and filling openings should be easy. So, don’t make it harder on the recruiters and hiring managers who are reading your resume, and ultimately determining suitability for a role.

3. Use Bullets

Bullets…. make it easier to read! Are you sensing a theme yet? Ordering your experience as bulleted lists under each role you’ve held will neatly summarize what you’ve done. As recruiters, we’ve seen many resumes which are written in paragraph format. Your resume is often our first impression of you and your abilities. For recruiters and hiring managers, their job is to discern suitability – quickly. Bullets make this faster, meaning we can get to more candidates and help more people.  

4. Include Accomplishments

What can you contribute to a new team, what do you bring to the table? What can you accomplish? Writing about your accomplishments (in bullet form) is helpful for those resume screeners as it speaks to what you’re capable of. Make sure to use facts and numbers where possible. Your goal is to be proud, but not necessarily boastful. Ensure your accomplishments are relevant for the role you’re applying for.

5. Tailor Your Resume

Relevancy is key. So, read through the job description carefully for the role you wish to apply. Compare the prospective role with positions you’ve held in the past. Make it a priority to include relevant accomplishments from previous roles that apply and show you would be well-prepared to tackle the prospective role. It’s important to think of your resume as an explanation of why you would be the best fit for the role you’re applying to.

 

Follow these steps to ensure your resume gets seen more often for related roles – roles that you would be best suited for! Hiring and filling openings isn’t a simple task. So, make sure you’re not making the recruiter or hiring manager’s job more difficult by complicating your resume. If you’re curious to learn more about what you can do, read about How to Get Your Resume Past the Applicant Tracking System.

Resigning from your current role can be tough. If you have been there for one year or close to 20 years it will be a tough conversation to have. The way you resign will show a lot about you and how you want to be perceived thereafter. Below are some tips on how to appropriately resign from your job:

1. Always keep in mind the amount of notice you are giving. Your employment contract will state how many weeks notice you need to give them. The standard is two weeks.
2. Type up your resignation letter – keep in mind the dates of when you resign and when you are starting your new role. Keep your resignation letter professional, short, and sweet. Add in any positives into the letter, and that you would like to continue the relationship and stay in touch. It is a small world out there and the worst thing to do is to burn a bridge.
3. Add an ‘Action Plan’ in your resignation letter. Create a plan that will ease the transition of your departure. This is not done often but is always appreciated. 
4. Get prepared to submit your resignation. You know your boss the most – you need to mentally prepare yourself for the conversation. It can get awkward, upsetting and even sad. Just give yourself some time to prepare for that.
5. Always resign in person. Have the resignation letter printed out and set a meeting with your boss. Preferably during a not so busy time. If you are unable to resign in person then send it via email.
6. During the conversation be humble and polite. 

It is not easy having to resign. It may be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. But if you take these tips and execute accordingly it will make the process a whole lot smoother.

We all do interview preparation, we try to research as much as we can before the actual interview. We take the time to find questions and answers so we can feel more at ease. One of the questions that is almost always asked is “Tell me about yourself”. The age old introductory question that summarizes your entire work history, education and personal interests. Here is your short guide on how to master this interview question:

Firstly, always make sure your summary is no more than three minutes and six lines. You want to be as succinct as possible. This interview question really helps the interviewer learn more about you and your communication skills. Keeping things short and sweet and full of information will bode well. And always remember this is a professional summary, keep family, kids, pets out of it! Since it is hard to write a step by step guide, below is a good example of how to field this question:

“Well, currently I am a Talent Acquisition Specialist with ABC Company. Here I am responsible for full-cycle recruiting for the organization, as well some training and development with the current employees. Prior I was with XYZ Company  for four years as a Staffing Coordinator, doing primarily the warehouse/general labour positions. I have completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, and have my CHRP designation. Some of my personal interests are running marathons and finishing jigsaw puzzles. I enjoy being challenged both physically and mentally. “

This is a great example of how to answer this interview question. You have all the information squeezed into six lines that not only introduce you professionally but shows how effectively you communicate. 

Interviewing is no walk in the park. It can be one big ball of emotional stress. Often times candidates are stressed and nervous because they don’t know what they’ll be asked. As a recruiter for many years I can shed some light on the key to a successful interview. 

The key to a successful interview is being able to tell a story in each answer you give. Now, you’re probably thinking to yourself “how will that help me land a new opportunity?” The answer is it would help you a great deal. 

When I say tell a story I don’t mean telling fiction, you story has to be factual and based on events that have happened. You want each answer to the question asked to be a conversation, where you are taking it back to situation that you faced. Most questions start with “tell me about a time” or “give me an example of”. You want to be able to tell a story and draw emotions out of the interviewer. Have them feeling curious and wondering what happens next. This helps keep the conversation interesting and shows excellent communication skills.

Additionally, when responding to the questions you want to ensure you are formatting your answer like an essay. You have your introduction, then your body (which is the situation, action and result) and then your conclusion to sum it all up. Your story should sound something like this:

Interviewer: “Tell me about a time you had a difficult interaction with a coworker.”

At my previous role I was working alongside another sales professional. Everyone is not always punctual and not always as motivated. We worked as a team and had quotas to meet at the end of each day. I found myself doing more of the work than my colleague. Before I took this to a manager I decided to find out what was going on myself. He could be having some trouble at home, or struggling at work. I wanted to come to him first before anything else. Once I chatted with him, he opened up…. At the end we were able to resolve our difficulties, and above all else I was able to do it without the help of a manager. We may be employees but we’re people too and at the end of the day sometimes all it takes is a conversation.”

You won’t be a story teller overnight, and practice makes perfect. Take the time to really hone these skills, as the key to a successful interview is story telling.

We’ve all had the same thought cross our minds one time or another while working. “Is it time to find a new a job?” We all have our reasons for feeling that way. There is always going to be frustrations at work. But sometimes it can build up and it is time to find a new opportunity. Here are 5 reasons it’s time to find a new job:

1. You’re Disengaged/Unhappy: You are at a point where coming into work is another job on it’s own. You are unhappy with the work you are doing. You find it to be monotonous, and not interesting. Nothing excites you about your job anymore and your managers/colleagues can feel it.
2. Constantly Complaining: You always find yourself talking negatively about all aspects of your job. Your work, your managers, your colleagues and even your clients frustrate you. You don’t have one nice thing to say about any of them. 
3. No Growth: You have climbed the latter and have reached the top. There is no more room to grow and you find yourself feeling stagnant. 
4. Overworked/Undervalued: You are a top performer. You know it, your managers know it but you are not being compensated appropriately. You are constantly over-performing, delivering and satisfying your job requirements. However, you don’t feel recognized, appreciated or valued.
5. Compensation/Incentives at an all time low: You are making under market salary for the work you do. You find there are no incentives for the hard work. You feel as though you have earned the right for better compensation.

If you can relate to three or more reasons on this list then it’s time to start looking for a new job. Nothing is more unproductive than feeling stagnant, unhappy and undervalued. It doesn’t help anyone by you sticking around. Take it with a grain of salt and begin your search. Now there is always an exception to the rule, and if you feel you can make an honest change in your attitude and address the issues with your employer then stick it out and make it work!