Salary negotiation is a really hard process, and one of the top concerns of job-seekers in any industry. It’s the “poker round” of the hiring process, where both sides try to set aside their enthusiasm for working together and think in their own best interest, cards closely held to their vest, and wait for the other to either show their hand or fold. It can be gut-wrenching and nerve-wracking, because nobody ever wants to leave money on a poker table.
Before I go any further with this analogy, I want to say a couple of things. First, I am a lousy poker player and in many ways, a lousy negotiator, because I’m not motivated by money. I’m usually motivated by fear of losing money, and a desire to win. And I struggle with both, and can be frustrating to play poker with, as a result. I am usually the one to fold early, and I have a lousy poker face. Other players can usually tell when I have a winning hand, and they will fold early rather than fork over a lot of money. So take my advice about poker and about negotiation at your own risk! I usually end up leaving money on the table, or having others walk away out of sheer frustration.
But come along for a moment, and let’s break this down, using the poker game analogy, because I think many people can relate to it.
When you are dealt a hand in poker, you know what it is, and depending on whether you are playing stud, or draw, you either know your hand outright, or you can make a couple of trade-outs for fresh cards, to see if you can find a hand worth playing.
If you are playing stud poker, you know your hand from the get-go, and can make your bets based on that hand and your perceptions of the moves others around the table are playing, and whether they are betting, calling or holding.
If you are playing draw poker, you may place an initial bet, based on your gut feeling about being able to cobble something together worth doing, and then raise, call or fold, again based on the moves that other players make in response.
In the salary negotiation process, you also have to start with the hand you are dealt. It starts with yourUnique Value Proposition. This is the where you describe your knowledge, skills and experience in ways that show your potential fit into a position. The keys to putting together this UVP (also referred to in the business world as a Unique Selling Proposition or USP) is that you have to explain who you are, what you can bring to the table, and why you are the best person to do so.
Let’s put a formula to negotiation, using your Unique Value Proposition:
First, describe who you are, in terms of current education, skills and experience.
Second, differentiate your education, skills and experience from other candidates.
Third, describe, in terms as concrete as possible, the value that you will add to the employer’s bottom line, that others cannot. (i.e., how you will solve their problems.)
Fourth, be ready to fold and walk away when the stakes get too high.
As I mentioned before, I am a lousy negotiator and this does affect my bottom line. I’m going to be spending more time in the near term explaining the Unique Value Proposition for this site and for my coaching programs, trainings and consulting services.
In the process, you’ll see content on this site, and the nature of the free and paid programs that go with it, change. I’m doing this for two reasons: so you can clearly see the value offered, and so that I can tweak the business model so that it results in sustainable business. In short, because being a good coach and a lousy businessman isn’t sustainable, and I really want to win, for the sake of my family and all they’ve sacrificed over the last couple of years to help me build my sites and my business.
It’s basic economics in action. Let’s return to what I learned in ECON 201 when I was actually listening to Dr. Benjamin’s lectures in Sirrine Hall my sophomore year at Clemson, when I wasn’t sleeping off the night before, or checking out the cute sorority girls who wouldn’t really even tell me the time of day.
Transactional business is driven by the concept of marginal utility. The success of any business model hinges on the perceptions of price in relation to utility of the product or service. In business transactions, people (including employers) don’t pay for experience. They don’t pay for history or content. They pay for value.
When utility (perceived value) outweighs price (i.e., risk), people will pay more (by upping their ante.) When price (risk) outweighs utility (perceived value), it’s easy to fold and walk away.
Key questions to consider in preparing for negotiation:
How are you presenting your value?
How are you contrasting your unique value against other options (other candidates, or starting over with a search.) This might also be seen as overcoming objections to price.
How comfortable are you in protecting your unique value, by folding (walking away)?
Once you get these points down, you’ll be ready to not only play, but to win.
So are you going to up the ante, call, or fold?
Hate my analogy? Love it? Tell me in the comments!
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This week, I’ve been putting out articles on Interview Ecology, and exploring the risks and benefits of introducing the “new and shiny” into the process. We’ve considered whether bringing a iPad into an interview is akin to bringing an invasive species into an eco-system.
This ecosystem approach relies heavily on the idea that anything that distracts or disrupts may destroy the delicate balance of a search process, and bring up dissonance in respect to person-environment fit, resulting in a candidate not getting a particular position.
Which forces me to bring up a particular pet peeve of mine: the all-the-sudden popular and ugly-as-sin QR code. I hate them, because like many fads, most people rushing to use them don’t understand how to make sure they add value to the experience. In general, I feel that most people might as well take a poop on their résumé as put one of these on it, because adding a QR code without adding something of value to the “interview ecosystem” is well…just a load of crap.
I’m already anticipating the response from candidates and tech geeks who think these things are cutting edge and allow a new layer of interactivity that wasn’t possible before. Well, I call bullshit. Scanning these blotches into a smartphone just allows lazy people to avoid typing a URL into their browser, as if the 20 seconds of time spent doing so will add up, like all the partial pennies Richard Pryor dumped into his bank account in Superman III, and will result in the résumé screener having a richer, more exciting , and complete view of the candidate.
Bullshit. Bullshit. BULLSHIT.
The same can be achieved by pointing someone toward a regular URL or hyperlink. QR codes only add new functionality to a paper résumé, which you probably aren’t viewing anyway. And anyone with half a salt lick of sense in their head can run a long URL into an URL shortener. So if space on the résumé is your major concern, that’s no argument, either.
Now, I will admit upfront to being a résumé geek and a purist. I don’t believe all the hogwash people throw around about résumés going away. Advances in technology and social media are just changing how they are delivered. And nothing takes away from the basic truths at play:
Your résumé needs to be targeted toward your industry, level of experience, and the level of position you are seeking.
It needs to be scannable (visually scannable)
There has to be a sense of logical and visual flow that draws a reader in, and keeps them reading and scanning. And…here’s the big one…
It needs to be attractive and not full of distracting bullshit.
I had a client recently work with me on his CV and he had a QR code on it, at top right. I asked him why it was there. He replied that he wanted to show himself as cutting edge and tech savvy. So I asked him where the QR Code goes, and what value was added by putting it on there. And…wait for it…it went to an online pdf copy of his CV!
We talked a bit and I told him I didn’t see the point of having it there, if it only went to his CV. He was really tied to keeping it there, so we came to a compromise position. He had also been updating his LinkedIn profile, which had some great recommendations on it, and some other links to relevant information. So we decided to point it there, because doing so added some value to the equation. The result: the QR code went from being poop on his résumé to being rich compost instead.
My criticism of his strategy should not be equated with a critique his level of technical savvy or his readiness for the type of job he was applying for, and I’ve told him as much. In fact, I think he’s a great candidate, or I wouldn’t be working with him. I don’t work with clients I don’t believe in, because that’s not fair to people on either side.
Ultimately, I’m grateful for the perspectives his situation has given me, and what it allows me to share with you.
Here are the big take-aways:
New technology is great, and showing comfort with it is just fine. But using tech badly could actually hurt your candidacy. Make sure that your use of technology is appropriate and that there is a clear point to using it (like adding interactivity or pointing to recommendations or portfolio work.)
If using a new way of doing things distracts from your design, content or flow, you really need to weigh the risks of using it against the value added. And if you can’t do this on your own…
It pays to talk this sort of stuff out with a trusted friend, advisor, or career coach.
What do you think? Tell me in the comments.
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Supervision is hard. Developing a coherent supervisory style is even harder. And explaining your supervisory style in an interview? Really, really hard.
On tomorrow’s episode of The Grill, at 11 a.m. ET, John Mayo and I will be discussing how to approach questions about supervision and your supervisory style in a job interview.
As usual, we’ll throw a few typical interview questions on “The Grill,” and discuss:
What an interviewer is really asking (the question within the question–i.e., what they really mean)
How to approach answering the real question
Good ways to answer
Bad ways to answer
And then, hopefully, we’ll take your calls. Call us at 1 (347) 989-0055 to take a stab at answering the questions, and we’ll offer you a live critique and our honest feedback. If you’d prefer, you can also Skype in from the episode page on BlogTalkRadio, by using the Blue “S” click-to-talk button on the page. And whether you listen live or not, we’ll continue the discussions on the Cook Coaching Facebook page, where you can also check out past questions and try your luck at answering those, too. And a few times each day, I add some interesting posts there, and you can discuss any past articles from the website.
Since we did not have a live segment last week, anyone who listened to the previous episode, What Comes Easy and What Comes Hard, will be welcome to call in and give a shot at those questions. I had a few people express interest, and had hope to schedule a follow-up teleconference, but some other business details got in the way this week. So please feel free to call in and answer those questions, too.
Please join us as we throw this week’s questions on The Grill. We’re looking forward to talking to you!
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Please take my reader survey and tell me what you think about Higher Ed Career Coach. It’s 11 questions and shouldn’t take long. Also, SurveyMonkey will be selecting one recipient at the end of June to receive a $25 Amazon gift card. So give your feedback and get a chance to win!
Do job interviews make you feel “dragged over hot coals?”
When preparing for an interview, it’s important to approach every question critically, and read between the lines. In “The Grill,” Higher Ed Career Coach Sean Cook and co-host John Mayo, Jr., Area Coordinator for Traditional Housing at Western New England College, will discuss the “questions behind the questions,” and help job-seekers plan their approach to common questions.
In today’s premiere episode of “the Grill” on the Higher Ed Career Coach show, Sean and John discuss the ever-popular first question: “Tell Me About Yourself.”
As we deconstruct this week’s question, we’ll talk about:
The Question (What they ask.)
What the interviewer really means or wants to know.
Ways that you can answer (that are probably wrong.)
Ways you might answer (that are better)
We’ll also take call-ins from listeners who want to take a stab at this week’s question. If you are still out there looking for your next step, call (347) 989-0055 around 11:30 a.m. Friday and we’ll listen to your answer, give you a critique, and help you refine your approach. Maybe you’ll even get heard by your next employer!
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When the phone doesn’t ring after you think a job interview went well, you might as well be in your own personal hell. The silence can be deafening, but it’s usually soon replaced by the incessant chatter of your worst critic (the person staring back at you each morning in the mirror!)
It’s important that you don’t get in your own way at this point of the process, because no answer is not the same thing as the answer “no.” If you drive yourself to distraction, or worse, drive the interviewer to distraction in the way you follow up, that rejection may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Here are some practical tips to deal with the anxiety that comes with waiting for an answer after a job interview, to help you keep your eyes on the big picture. The right job is waiting for you–whether it’s the job you just interviewed for is beside the point.)
Follow Up with the Hiring Coordinator (Diplomatically!)
E-mail a brief thank-you to the hiring coordinator and others who assisted with your job interview
If you didn’t get to ask about timeline, inquire about it in the e-mail to your main contact
For the first week or two after your job interview, 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, ask if it has changed since you last inquired.) It’s possible that other job interviews had to be rescheduled or that other candidates cancelled, and this can postpone the decision date.
Don’t Get Disappointed Until There is a Reason to Be Disappointed
Colleges and universities are intrinsically bureaucratic, and this slows down many processes. Remind yourself that not hearing back quickly could be a result of this, and not due to rejection.
Don’t tie yourself to the whipping post. You’ll need your self-esteem if you want to keep moving forward. Not getting a particular job doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified. Not hearing back doesn’t mean you didn’t get a job, either. So letting bad self-talk and self-criticism drive you crazy doesn’t solve anything. Don’t do it!
Whether or Not You Hear Back, Move On
Make sure you read that right. It’s not a typo. I did say “whether or not you hear back,” rather than “when you hear back,” because the reality is that some institutions and hiring agents don’t call applicants they rejected right away, and others don’t call at all. There could be other reasons for this. For example, they could still be interested in you, but only if negotiations or a background check on the preferred candidate don’t pan out. Institutions are loath to release viable finalists after they have interviewed them and liked them. Closing out a process entirely isn’t wise, until they have a written acceptance from another candidate. Nobody likes to start from scratch if you still have candidates you have interviewed, are available, and would hire. And, of course, some people will do anything to avoid difficult conversations, so they may just send a form letter out at a later time.
The result is that these realities make moving on to the next thing the wisest choice. So after you wait a couple of weeks, make contact, and don’t get an answer (or don’t get the one you wanted), keep moving. Research opportunities and apply for them. Accept more job interviews. Relax, take care of yourself, and keep doing your current job to the best of your abilities. Don’t let rejection (or the mere threat of it) leave you waiting by the phone, despairing over your circumstances. Doing so means that you are choosing to staying stuck, and that’s no way to find your next job.
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.
