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Job Acceptance – Negotiation

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When negotiating a job offer, keep in mind you were called as a candidate. You have been selected after a process that examined a field of all eligible and qualified candidates. You interviewed with recruiters, HR staff, the hiring manager, peers, other staff members and committees, and you were chosen as the one candidate to fill the position.

When the hiring manager or their surrogate extends the job offer, you have strong negotiating power. At this time, carefully consider the starting salary, starting date, benefits, pension/savings plan, virtual office, dress code, and reporting relationships.

Don’t be shy about asking questions or making a request, even if the items in question have been discussed or appeared in the job advertisement.

Personal experience
On one occasion, I received a call from an employee who was charged with making me a job offer. The person confirmed a list of items that had been discussed or appeared in the job advertisement. I asked two things; one, was there flexibility in the salary offer, and two, was there room to extend the vacation time.

The salary offer was more than I anticipated, and the vacation time was a standard for the job level. With some reluctance, but with the confidence that these two items should always be negotiated, I asked for an additional $10K and requested an additional two weeks’ vacation. (I always advise job hunters to ask for additional salary.)

The caller said this would have to be discussed with management and I would hear back from her before the close of business that day. The time was approximately noon.

I heard back from the vice president of the company within 5 minutes who said “of course” on the salary and vacation. I learned later that the company was prepared to go significantly higher on the salary.

If the job offer is made in the later part of the year, a new employee starting a position will most likely not receive a performance evaluation or consideration for a salary increase in the current year. A request for a higher starting salary makes up for a missed salary increase cycle.

Planned Day Off
Often when we consider accepting a job, interviews can take precedence over our personal schedule. Before you accept a position, consider important upcoming commitments and present any conflicting dates to the hiring manager, possibly as a postponement of the starting date, or as a given date when you will not be attending work, office or virtual.

You don’t want to bring up a forgotten vacation, family meeting, or important anniversary with your new boss once you start the new job.

On the first day I started a new entry level management position with 5 other employees, and before any serious conversation took place, one individual announced he would not be working on March 17, which was a weekday. He was adamant about not being available for work that day, St. Patrick’s Day. He said he had an agreement with the recruiter who made him the job offer.

Since 6 of us were in a training class together, he got his day off, and we took a Holiday, and the instructor took us to lunch at an Irish Pub.

The point is, keep any important dates in mind and negotiate these, if necessary, when the job offer is made.

No Problem

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A successful job hunter must demonstrate suitable qualifications for a position when they are interviewing, including qualities beyond their skillsets that distinguish them from other qualified candidates. This is where your Three Key Strengths apply. These strengths distinguish you by demonstrating the qualities and characteristics you have utilized in exercising the responsibilities of your previous positions, and the accomplishments you have achieved.

A recent experience
After waiting a tedious hour in a doctor’s waiting room, I was finally asked to move to one of the treatment rooms. I thanked the receptionist, who promptly replied: “No problem.” This caught me by surprise. I’ve observed this term is used increasingly in the retail and service worlds, and it struck me at that moment that it was an inappropriate response.

Put off for an hour before a receptionist directed me to a room, I continued to wait. After another 30 minutes, I asked if the doctor would be available soon. She responded by telling me it would not be too long. I thanked her, to which she replied: “No problem.” Again. She said she would notify me when he became available.

I wondered why this well intentioned comment annoyed me and I paused to give it some additional thought. I decided it would be nice to hear: “I apologize for the delay; the doctor will be with you in just a few minutes….” Or “Sorry to keep you waiting.” But somehow, I had inconvenienced her by asking about the delay, and she was evidently telling me it was not a problem for her to report a longer delay.

Have you noticed that the most widely used statement made by retail sales, service representatives, attending nurses and receptionists today seems to have originated from a manual? It is thrown around constantly and leaves me with a feeling that I somehow inconvenienced the person providing a product or service, and they are doing me a big favor by having to respond.

Vermont Travel
I ask you to put this aside for one minute to tell you about a recent experience I had traveling with a friend to Vermont. We chose to travel north to take in the small town and farm country environment which is in sharp contrast to the New Jersey suburban atmosphere where we live. The surprises were many and pleasant. But the one that made the greatest impression is that I didn’t once hear the expression “no problem” during our trip.

Once it occurred to me this experience with Vermont retail and service people was different from my local experience, I began to look for it. And this activity became the most surprising part of my experience. Instead of the detached cliché, “No Problem” associated with any request from me, I heard things like: “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” Or “It will be my pleasure to do that for you.” “Right away!” “I’ll be two minutes.” “Sorry for the inconvenience.” And my favorite: “Of course.”

I noticed the effect it had on me was very palpable and positive. Those responses were genuine, and they were not out of a “handbook.” The only “problem” I could foresee using alternative and appropriate responses is their use might create a new level of service expectation.

There are appropriate times when “no problem” may be applicable. I limit these occasions to situations when I’m asking for a task, favor, or product which is out of the ordinary, above and beyond the range of normal service expectations. It is then that an exclamation of “No problem” is appropriate and welcomed.

The Air Freight Forwarding Company
One example of the proper use of the expression involves a young Air Freight Forwarding company executive which was asked he could deliver 17 generators to Germany as quickly as possible. The company exec responded to the request saying they could receive, crate, and process the generators withing 48 hours for air shipment to Germany. The commitment was made before the air shipper learned each generator weighed 2,000 pounds and would be delivered on a flatbed truck, one at a time and uncrated.

The owner of the air freight forwarding company again said: “No problem,” after learning of the difficult logistics in handling the freight. The small office in downtown New York City had no loading dock to handle the request for crating and shipping the large generators.

Telling the customer their request would not be a problem was a huge commitment and a stretch for the small company. They met their deadline, but not without sacrifice and great effort. On a positive note, the customer was so impressed they remain today one of the shipping company’s top 10 customers.

“No Problem” became the signature phrase for the air freight company. They would do the impossible for a client. But it was not to be used for routine requests. That response was: “Consider it done.”

How eliminating the use of “No Problem” during a Job Interview makes a positive impression

After my Vermont trip and introduction to appropriate and improved responses to service requests, I began to consider how this plays out for the job hunter and the many new interactions encountered during their job hunting program.

In my conversations with hiring managers and other outplacement coaches, I’ve concluded that the expression “No problem” is overused to the point of being cliché. It is viewed as rote, and lacking sincerity.

I recommend removing it from your vocabulary during a job interview and replying to requests with a direct and sincere answer. It will be noted and appreciated.

“May a have a copy of your project report?” “An extra copy of your resume?” “Of course. I have extra copies with me.”

“Do you have time to meet with the incumbent?” “I was hoping I would have the opportunity.”

“Do you mind if I take a quick call; I have to speak with this individual?” “Of course. Would you like me to leave the room for your privacy?

“Would you like a tour of the facility?” “That would be very helpful to me.”

These are much more sincere and appropriate responses than the stock “No Problem.”

See additional blogs for further discussion of do’s and don’ts when participating in a job interview.

Ben

When to Say “No” to a Job Interview

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I recently read a shocking article regarding types of job interviews that should be avoided. The author suggested saying no to several types of interviews. I was very eager to hear why the author would suggest saying no to a job interview type, and what could be so onerous that a job candidate would turn it down without further consideration. I was left to wonder if the author had any kind of interviewing experience.

According to the article, interviews that should be rejected are: panel interviews, problem solving, shock or trick questions, and take-home assignments.

While the job hunter has a responsibility to ask questions before an interview, the reality is that you don’t ask the caller detailed questions about what to expect in an upcoming interview. Generally, the invitation will only involve who, when, and where you will meet and perhaps a general format regarding who you will meet.

It is common to receive an invitation where there will be several individuals to meet, perhaps a peer or panel interview, or completion of a computer application or questionnaire. You will not normally hear in advance about a problem-solving interview, any trick questions, or a take-home assignment.

I don’t agree with the rejection of the interview based on style. I can’t imagine why a candidate would say no because of the types of interviews suggested in the article, particularly a panel or peer interview. And if you are asked to solve a problem, I doubt you would be told this in advance. As far as trick questions are concerned, I can’t imagine any hiring manager letting you know in advance about any trick question.

Among the interview questions I have provided elsewhere there may be a question that may be considered trick questions, or one designed to uncover personal information. For example: where do you like to vacation? Answering this question can lead to you revealing more about your family, marital status, hobbies, and activities. However, these are generally asked and answered in a job application.

I have personally experienced similar interviews and have coached many clients heading for the type of interviews described in the article. We have discussed and evaluated them regarding their efficacy, but they can and do occur, and without further information I recommend attending such an interview. My suggestion is that you have advanced information about the meeting and will have an opportunity to evaluate your response beforehand.

Instead of saying no, I suggest the same rigorous preparation for all interviews, including anticipating changes in the format. This means being prepared for every job interview, including the unexpected.

Prepare your verbal resume, conduct thorough research on the company, industry, and hiring manager, add expressions of your three key strengths, and practice sample interview questions.

Panel Interviews
Panel interviews can be informative, efficient, and helpful to both the interviewer and the interviewee; everyone in the room hears a question and answer just once, creating synergy around the question and answer. The job candidate is spared having to answer the same question multiple times. You also get to see how the various individuals on the panel interact and perhaps get an insight into their collective management style.

Shock or trick questions should be called out and answered directly. It is difficult to know and respond to any trick questions without more detail from the author of the article regarding what he thinks a trick question is. The real question is how to turn down an interview involving trick questions if they are unknown to begin with.

Problem solving questions are more popular with certain types of technical, regulatory, or public policy issues, but the hiring manager may be testing creativity, flexibility, risk taking, and real problem solving competencies. The question is why you would turn down an opportunity to land a job, because you are concerned about a problem solving question. A prospective employer is entitled to test your knowledge and competence for a position that requires problem solving.

Take home assignments are not generally shared beforehand. Many take home questions can provide the hiring manager with a clearer understanding of a candidate’s knowledge, depth, and ability to communicate thoughts and ideas. It is a legitimate test and is often requested as part of an interview.

Some skeptical hiring managers oppose the idea because the assignment can be corrupted by the candidate plagiarizing research and conclusions. Or the assignment may be written by a third party.

At one time I received a take home assignment as the final piece of the process. I was told I was a top contender, but they needed to see a sample of my writing. I could pick any subject and should include a conclusion or insight on a professional or personal topic, with a minimum of 1,000 words, or more if I wanted. I was offered the job. (I wrote about and critiqued the company’s interview process.)

The fact is the hiring managers were interested in my personal writing style and not the subject matter.

The conclusion is simple; if you believe certain types of interviews may disqualify you or limit you as a candidate, don’t attend. If it’s beyond your range of expertise and knowledge, it may be beyond your capability. On the other hand, I have seen candidates apply to jobs for which they are underqualified and receive a job offer because of the grit and skills they demonstrated in applying. They may be curious to know why you believe you are qualified providing an opportunity to prove your interest and willingness to learn new skills and apply your adaptability.

If you’re like most candidates, you won’t know the full extent of the job interview process beforehand and you will have the opportunity to turn down the position for any reason, including your dislike of the interview style, at any time.

Remember: during the job interview, you also interview the company and the hiring manager regarding the operation, job responsibilities and expectations. They invited you based on the strength of your skills and experience. The decision is a two way street.

My advice: Accept the interview invitation. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose. The interview will likely prove to be good practice, regardless of the outcome.

See additional blogs for further discussion of when to say “no” to a job interview.

Ben

Withering Expertise Presents Opportunities in the Present Job Market

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Along with fluctuating product and service shortages, backlogs, and disruptions, employers are seeing significant workforce shortages, especially gaps in experienced workers. There are three main reasons for this personnel shortage and the loss of valuable skills and experience:

First, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the workforce for health-related reasons: workers left to avoid personal exposure to the virus; to recover from the virus; or to fill in as a healthcare provider at home.

Second, many baby boomers and other retirement-eligible employees decided to leave the workforce, rather than continuing to work after retirement. By leaving the workforce, they have created significant expertise and experience gaps, based on their significant numbers in the workforce.

And third, many workers are rethinking their present career path and are casting a wide net in search of a different direction, a safer work environment, or a more fulfilling occupation, taking valuable experience with them.

Birth of the Virtual Office
Where possible during the pandemic, employers shut down offices, and created a work-from-home environment, which became the virtual office, an environment in which workers split their work time between office and home. While helpful and necessary, many employers have discovered that bonding, collaboration, and teamwork have suffered with the continued use of a virtual office, despite Zoom or Skype staff meetings.

Along with these shifting pressures on employers, it became necessary to transition a traditional work office to a virtual office with shifted communication methods, hiring, training, and performance measurement demands. These demands have created a wake of new practices, policies, and procedures in online services, order fulfillment, remote technical support, and customer contact. The challenge is to manage these changes without the experienced workforce needed for transition training, expertise, and experience.

Now, employers are facing rapid increases and changes in organizational processes, management, and order fulfillment demands. New hires are inheriting a lack of experience and expertise in those practices, procedures, and leadership.

Demand for Experience
Faced with shortages of qualified workers, expertise, and experience, there is a growing demand for experienced job seekers. The job hunter who has experience, is flexible, and welcomes challenge and change, is in high demand.

Three Key Strengths
There are key characteristics a hiring manager looks for, beyond the specific requirements of the advertised job. I call these characteristics Three Key Strengths and introduce them in my coaching to all my clients. Mastering the Three Key Strengths maximizes a job hunter’s adaptability to face the demands of the new and evolving job marketplace. The three key strengths are: Understanding the Big Picture, Creating Effective Working Relationships, and exhibiting Positive Work Ethics.

These strengths are not specifically mentioned in a job posting, but they cross all job families, industries, and professions. A job hunter who understands and exhibits these three key strengths has a significant advantage over the rest of the field of candidates.

How does the shortage of workforce experience and expertise affect me?
Shortages of worker expertise, experience and leadership, have opened new doors for experienced workers with established skills, including an understanding of operations, leadership, and processes.

For example, workers who have developed supervisory and management skills in one industry or company find these skills to be fungible and transferrable to other disciplines.

Because these skillsets are not always referred to in a job posting, I recommend developing and including your three key strengths throughout all areas of your marketing plan: your written and verbal resume, your summary statement, and your selected achievements.

Seeing and understanding the big picture is something that develops over time and must be developed with experience and observation. Along with learning to work effectively with others at all levels, developing team collaboration skills, and being tenacious in completing objectives, these skills are highly desirable to the hiring manager who is looking for these characteristics in potential job candidates.

By including your three key strengths throughout your job-hunting process, you demonstrate the high valued characteristics in the current workplace which has been hemorrhaging experience, leadership, and expertise. Their inclusion will propel you into top consideration as a job candidate.

Look for more information and application of the Three Key Strengths in future blogs.

Ben

How Media Changes and Political Polarization Influence Your Networking Preparation and Job Interviews

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Personal Isolation and reduced social contact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have deepened the social and political polarization of Americans.

At first unnoticed except by social scientists, when we lost the regular physical and social contact that we had prior to the pandemic, we lost the exposure, introduction, scrutiny, and digestion of a wide range of social and political views and opinions. We were exposed to a variety of opinions, whether we agreed with them or not, and whether our contact was live, digital, in person, or remote.

Until recently, we shared news sources with some additions and exceptions. Our source of information was similar, and it was the basis for disagreement.

During the COVID19 pandemic, we became isolated from family, friends, and associates, where conversations of agreement, differences, and alternatives occur. These opportunities were missing, and we experienced a flood of new and different sources of information and the birth of “alternative facts,” also known as lies, in news reporting.

We currently have headlines and click bait, but not true dialogue. Zoom meetings are not team meetings. We have become physically compartmentalized, with limited interaction. Even when we do engage in dialogue, we are missing the discussion and arguments needed to clarify, collaborate, and negotiate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we stayed close to home with family and friends and carefully chose a few social pods to interact with, limiting our range of interactions for reasons of personal safety. However, this also has limited our perspective and depth on many subjects. We have become disconnected with what is going on outside our comfortable nests.

A big influence on our isolation is our exposure to news events, specifically the disbursement of news itself. Not long ago, we tuned in to regular, summarized news cycles which were broadcast over a handful of media outlets, each committed to the journalistic process, designed to ensure accuracy, objectivity, and reliability.

The journalistic process has changed dramatically, leaving us to make choices based on presentation, sensationalism, and political preference, rather than the objectivity and accuracy of its content. This has led to the polarization of the news media and has become a tourniquet to the free flow of unbiased news reporting.

Historically, the news departments of radio and television companies were cost centers, insulated from lobbying, advertising profits, and possible conflicts of interest. Objective reporting of the news was considered a matter of public trust and responsibility. Moving news programming from its own department into the entertainment arm of a broadcast or cable network is how news programming morphed into just another corporate profit center.

As consumers, we now turn to the news reporting we believe supports our views and opinions. It’s more easily digested, and it’s non-confrontational. But slanted news reporting of any kind is polarizing and divisive. Objective news reporting is rare today because sensational and subjective content draws more attention. That attention then leads to higher ratings, which are then used to charge more for advertising time, and higher ad rates bring in higher corporate profits.

Prior to personal isolation, we had access to individuals who might agree or disagree with our thoughts on the issues of the day: friends, neighbors, associates, even strangers. Whether it was our legal system, global warming, infrastructure upgrades, equality issues, immigration, or international trade, we informally heard different sides of a story, then developed an opinion based on our sources, our personal interactions, our ethics, and our experience.

The personal isolation we experienced because of the pandemic has narrowed our already capsulated world view. So how does this affect your job hunt?

A Changed Job Interview
During our gradual return to face-to-face contact, we are once again hearing varying opinions on a wide range of issues. The problem is that viewpoints have become more rigid, with little flexibility for competing opinions. This harder line on political and social views is part of the new reality when you interact with strangers during your job-hunting process.

This rigidity may occur in a conversation with a hiring manager, recruiter, or human resources representative. There are new people to meet, with many differing opinions. My advice here is to use caution about jumping into a personal, social, or political conversation because of the potential hidden traps and agendas already involved in a job interview.

For example, asking about your hobbies sounds innocent enough. But what can your answer reveal to a hiring manager if you tell them how you spend your free time? How you answer can reveal, among other things, your marital and family status, your religious affiliation, sexual orientation, social life, thrill-seeking behaviors, or political standpoint. These are factors which have nothing to do with your ability to do a job, but everything to do with how you fit into a potential employer’s company culture.

Particularly in a time of polarization of ideas and ideologies, you, as a candidate, want to project openness to change, collaboration and consensus building. You want the hiring decision to be based on your qualifications, not on your personal activities and preferences.

It’s not possible to anticipate the motive or agenda behind a question. However, judiciously applying a filter to the answers you provide to non-job-related job questions is advisable.

I review typical interview questions in my upcoming book, Job Hunting – Launching to Landing. Many questions are designed to be elimination questions but are not relevant to any job requirements. I red-flag many of the traps behind interview questions including those designed to reveal personal information, preferences, or opinion. By reviewing my sample questions, job candidates have found them to be essential to their interview preparation and success.

See additional blogs for further discussion of networking and interview questions.

Ben

The New Normal: Work/Home Challenges

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Our new normal is taking root now that the COVID-19 pandemic is long over. However, what remains is the readjustment of our personal, social, and professional interactions. We need to rebuild the relationships which may have languished during our time of isolation, and to forge new ones.

As a job hunter, you need to get past this awkward, re-acquainting stage, and transform these relationships to referrals and information-gathering resources.

During the pandemic, job hunters discovered new tools available to close the gaps between work associates, friends, social acquaintances, referrals, and recruiters. Communication apps such as Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime have become valuable supplements, professionally and socially. While they are great tools, they lack the undefinable element that makes in-person contact particularly important to human relations – that “je ne sais quoi” – a quality or essence that cannot be adequately described.

What has returned to our interpersonal and professional inventory of communication tools is the ingredient that provides the best communication available to us: in-person contact. This has returned to its rightful place in our toolbox.

Re-discovering our reliable cell phone?
One of the best tools in our communications toolbelt is one that has been around since 1876: the telephone. Throughout history, in its many shapes, sizes, and various evolutions, the telephone has been one of the best tools available to improve our communication. Using a mobile phone continues to keep us connected, whether we use it for professional or personal contact.

I encouraged the use of the mobile phone during the pandemic to ensure connections continued to be firmed and new ones established. Now, our mobile phones are an important tool in repairing lost contacts, and seeking out new ones.

The advantages associated with the telephone may seem obvious, but it continues to be the best way to break barriers because of its flexibility. You may be in your work office or in your kitchen making a second cup of coffee. You may be on a beach in Tahiti, and yet capable of conducting a serious or humorous conversation. You are not constrained by sitting in one position staring at a camera, nor watching similar deadpan shots of the other meeting participants.

The phone creates an opportunity like a conversation that you might have had during a break from a live meeting. Often, not-yet-fully-developed ideas, comments, or questions can take shape in sidebar conversations or during breaks.

Using the phone is not the same as an in-person connection, but is not as stifling as the Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime meeting, and it lends itself to a more natural response, especially during conference calls.

We have allowed texting to speak for us. It’s time to pick up the telephone and connect in real time.

Use your phone often and with a purpose, whether it’s for sharing or requesting information. The main purpose of supplementing virtual meetings is to connect the dots; to keep connections fresh and vital. Your actions prevent relationships from souring or becoming stale.

We are seldom without our mobile phones. It’s our home, our professional office, our social calendar, our project planner, our source of research, and our database of collected information. And it’s an obvious and invaluable tool when job-hunting.

See additional blogs for further discussion of work/home challenges and creating new contacts and referrals.

Ben

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