Salary negotiation is the one part of the hiring process that people on both sides of the table look forward to it about as much as a root canal.
The key to successful negotiations, I think, is to take emotions out of the process as much as possible. Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you, as a job-seeker, make an effective, objective argument during the process.
Do:
Research salaries and benefits for similar positions, and use this to frame the discussion
Visit the institution’s HR site to understand what benefits are offered and the costs of these benefits. Even though many job seekers don’t consider the costs of their benefits, the employer has no choice but to pay for your benefits. They don’t come from thin air, and today, costs of healthcare have especially impacted the bottom line.
Consider the level of experience you have and be open to hearing what range they can reasonably offer. One way to do this is to ask how they came up with the offer, and how they factored in your previous experience.
Give examples of your experience, and how you will apply it in the job to earn the salary.
Don’t
Talk about your financial needs, debts, or your “ego” needs for a certain salary level (These are your problems, not theirs.)
Compare your potential salary to that of other people you know at other institutions (they are not hiring these people) in other regions (cost of living varies) or other industries (student affairs salaries do not compare with corporate salaries.)
Get angry, act as if you have been insulted, cry, or threaten to walk away (they won’t care if you act that way, anyway.)
Another piece of advice:always ask for time to think the offer through, and a get a solid deadline for getting back to the employer. Even if you want a job, you’ll probably feel better knowing you did your best to be fairly compensated, and you won’t second-guess your decision and feel you “sold yourself short.”
How should you take yourself out of a process when you’ve decided a position isn’t a good fit for you? This seems to be something many candidates struggle with, for one or reason or another, and I’ve seen some do serious damage to their reputations by fumbling these interactions, so here’s some advice on how to approach the situation.
How to Drop Out of a Search Process
Remember that Student Affairs is a small field. Don’t be rude, demanding, or burn bridges. You may cross paths with people on the other side of the hiring table again.
Graciously thank the hiring coordinator for whatever experiences you’ve had up to that point with their institution, even if you didn’t have the best experience. Remember that being invited indicates that an employer is interested in your candidacy, and not some elaborate conspiracy designed to confound or destroy your career aspirations.
Wish them well with their search.
Be tactful about your reasons for dropping out (tell them you got another offer, that you didn’t feel the institution as a good fit for your current needs, or that you need more time to consider options.)
How Not to Drop Out of a Search Process
Ceasing all communication with an institution after they have contacted you to either gauge your further interest or to make you an offer.
Not returning calls or e-mails asking for an update on your status (It’s rude, and may delay the employer’s opportunity to move forward on offering to other candidates.)
Not filling out required forms (application, background check). You will be disqualified from further consideration, and it could result in a contingent offer being rescinded.
By starting arguments with the hiring coordinator about salary, benefits, or reimbursement (There are hiring ranges and standard benefits at most institutions.) The world does not operate around what you think you “deserve.” All conversations about these items needs to be approached from the employer’s perspective.
With commentary about their department or programs not meeting some standards you had going in. (This will come across as arrogant.)
Any other way than thanking them for their time and wishing them luck with their search.
What do you think?
Are there other tips and advice you would offer job seekers about the etiquette related to dropping out of a process?
Do you have any real-life experiences you’d be willing to share with readers? If so, what were your key take-aways from them?
So, you’ve had an interview, and you are really excited and nervous about the prospect in front of you. The suspense is killing you, but the phone isn’t ringing, and your inbox doesn’t have any new e-mails from your contact at the hiring institution.How should you follow up?
Here are some simple tips:
E-mail a brief thank-you to the hiring coordinator and/or members of the interview team. Don’t try too hard to be creative or memorable. “Thanks for taking the time to interview me. It was a pleasure learning more about the position and the department. I appreciated the opportunity.” Going further than that may seem like you are attempting to continue the interview and make your argument. If you didn’t make a good argument in the interview, a card isn’t going to change that. And if you “lay it on too thick,” you risk annoying the interviewer and/or coming across as desperate.
If you didn’t get to ask about timeline before or during the interview, inquire about it in an e-mail to your main contact within the organization.
For the first week or two, e-mail contact is best.
After two weeks, if you’ve heard nothing, call the hiring coordinator. Reiterate your interest and ask about the timeline (or if they told you one, if it had changed as the process went on.)
Frequently Asked Questions:
What’s the typical timeframe for a candidate to hear back after an interview?
Bad news, folks. There isn’t one. So many variables go into an institution’s timeline for following up. Some might include:
Getting in touch with references/having them call back.
Following up on concerns
Conducting a background check
Getting approval from Human Resources
If I don’t hear back about the position, will calling or e-mailing improve my chances (by showing I am motivated and interested?)
While possible, it’s not likely. In most cases, the general impression of your viability as a candidate is set well before the end of the interviewer. So, if you are out of the running, calling or e-mailing won’t help. If you are in the running, and you fumble the interactions with an employer during the follow-up stage, you may actually hurt your chances. In short, it’s easier to get cut from a process than it is to get into (or stay in) one. So be judicious in your follow-ups. Don’t call more than once a week, and every time you do call, ask when would be a good time to call back. If at any point, you are told “We’ll call you,” take that as a signal to move on.
If I don’t get the job, what’s the best way to ask for feedback?
First, and foremost, ask for it only if you can take it gracefully.
Second, go in with the understanding that many employers will not give feedback, or that it will be very minimal, because some legal departments and human resources departments advises against it.
Call your primary point of contact and ask if you could get some feedback on your performance in the interview, how your skills and experience stood up to the finalist, or what factors went into the decision.
One final thought on getting feedback: only ask for it if you are going to use it to better yourself and improve your job search strategy, materials or approach to interviewing.
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Being invited to interview on-site for a job you are really interested in is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. If you are like most candidates, you look forward to the campus interview, but dread the conversations leading up to it. Travel costs add up, and you have to watch your bottom line. So how should you broach the subject with a potential employer?
How to Start the Conversation
First, go in knowing that most employers will not be surprised that you are bringing up the subject. Hiring people costs money, and getting the candidate to the interview is pretty essential for most positions. So don’t be afraid to ask. Just be polite and tactful, and things will work usually work out.
Who Should Pay for Interview Travel?
Well, in an ideal world, the employer would always pay (at least that’s my 2 cents on the matter), but the reality is that some schools pay for travel, and some don’t. Some pay, but cap reimbursements per candidate. Some will pay only if you aren’t offered a position, or if you accept an offer if one is made. (i.e., if they offer, but you decline, you do not get reimbursed.)
What’s the Etiquette?
Ask questions upfront about whether the university reimburses for any part of candidate travel, before formally accepting an on-site interview.
If being reimbursed…
Communicate about costs before booking flights
Keep all receipts,
Log any mileage on your personal vehicle
Ask when to submit receipts (usually with a day or two of your return)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is it really okay to ask about reimbursement?
Yes, employers understand that candidates need to watch expenses.
Should I try to negotiate?
Most employers will have general rules. Ask what their policies are.
Tactful Tips
If there is a cap on reimbursement, understand that, and try to work within it.
Always try to find bargains if being reimbursed.
Don’t accept an interview if you can’t afford to cover your out-of-pocket costs.
Contacts from a particularly persistent publicist about getting me to interview someone from Devry about their new Career Advisory Board and career services they are offering their students and alumni.
We’ve covered other issues related to For-Profit Higher Education before, and honestly, I’ve learned a lot. Here are some takeaways I’ve drawn from the above:
From the LinkedIn group discussion:
There are vested interests on both sides, and very strong feelings about the worth of degrees from for-profit schools. For those who have chosen the for-profit route, they come down to improving themselves without sacrificing their families, or fitting further education into their busy lives. For those on the Brick-and-Mortar: defending the perceived differences in the quality of scholarship between online and B & M programs.
There are legitimate concerns on both sides. For on-line pr iogram graduates, a desire to be taken seriously, and to have access to opportunities to contribute to discussions, associations and even teaching opportunities. For B & M graduates, a desire to protect the legitimacy of their scholarship and their degrees, by insisting that programs meet existing standards and accreditation models.
From the USC Report:
The demand for degrees and for an educated workforce is high, and public institutions are increasingly unable to meet this demand, in the face of funding cuts.
There is an emerging public interest in creating common standards about basic courses that would ensure their transferability between institutions, regardless of their public/private status.
Online education will increasingly be a part of the picture, especially for introductory courses.
From my interactions with the publicist and the interview that resulted:
There are for-profit institutions that are trying to serve their students and graduates and make sure their investment results in good jobs that will provide a good return on their investment.
There are some really nice people in the for-profit world, and despite the controversies surrounding for-profit education, their intentions are good, and should not be discounted out of hand, by people who are just more comfortable with the way things have always been.
I share a few more thoughts in today’s BlogTalkRadio podcast, which was pre-recorded, and think that Devry is making efforts worth noting. Please listen and share your comments.
A while back, I sent in an article to David and Michelle Riklan, the operators of SelfGrowth.Com for possible inclusion in their cooperative book project, titled “101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career”. This is a compilation of 101 articles with practical, solid advice on how you can take action and improve your career.
I am extremely excited to be a part of this, and am equally excited to be a contributing author along with Tory Johnson, Laura DeCarlo, Brian Tracy, Charlotte Weeks and many more of the world’s leading career experts.
This book was created by David and Michelle Riklan, the founders of the #1 Self Improvement website in the world, SelfGrowth.com. They tapped into the minds of today’s greatest career experts and pulled together a nice collection of 101 insider secrets that shows you how to instantly and positively enhance your career!
In these days of decreased professional development budgets, many higher education professionals are having to scale back their funding for conferences and events. This book offers a practical alternative. All the articles are short, thought-provoking and easily digested–perfect for a professional development reading group, or to share with your staff during team development meetings.
David and Michelle have also bundled the book with some “bonus gifts,” and have created a package of $1,500 worth of absolutely free gifts that you get by purchasing just one copy of our book. I’ve contributed one of the bonuses (my “Mastering the Job Interview” presentation), and have been impressed by the range of topics covered in the other bonuses.
SelfGrowth.Com is so confident you will love it, that they are backing it up with a completely solid guarantee.
Go there and take a look for yourself – and make sure you check out the bonuses.
(Please note that all links above are affiliate links. Sales of books made through these links will support the growth of this site, and help bring career coaching and resources to those who need it. In this vein, I plan to apply all profits made from affiliate sales of this book toward providing free coaching sessions to unemployed or financially disadvantaged higher ed job seekers.)
Work with Sean. I help higher ed professionals take control of their careers with tailored services including resume and CV development, LinkedIn profile optimization and networking strategy, interview coaching, and one-on-one career guidance.
