Career Research Article Collection FALL 2022

Click one of the titles below to see all the articles related to that topic.

Stress & Anxiety Prep
Career Research Prep
Networking and Career Fair Prep
Interview Prep
Negotiation and Offer Prep

STRESS & ANXIETY PREP:

Resilience is Tough when it Feels Like your Difficulties will Never End. Here’s How to Cope:

Resilience is a skill, not a personality trait, so you can strengthen it with various strategies. One of the strongest strategies for coping with adversity is to build a strong support network of people whom you care about. It allows you to talk through what you are going through in a safe space and get advice from others with different perspectives.

Five Steps to Beat Job Search Procrastination

When you procrastinate you always sidetrack yourself with a diversion, such as playing computer games, daydreaming, wringing your hands about whether your resume is good enough or complaining about a dead job market. Once you realize what you do when you procrastinate, you can see the vulnerabilities in this process. If you recognize procrastination thinking, you have a fighting chance to shift to do-it-now thinking: doing reasonable things in a reasonable way within a reasonable time to profit and flourish. The path of a fearless job hunter is the path of a realistic optimist. Commitment, hard work and practicality pave the path.

How To Be More Confident In Yourself And Influence Others At The Same Time

Confidence is essentially an assurance in oneself and one’s abilities. With it, you can trust your instincts and go for what you want instead of sitting back and waiting for things to happen. The difference between those who have high levels of confidence and those who don’t is that those who have high levels learn from their mistakes and failures while those who don’t give up.

Practice Mindfulness to Live in the Present Moment 

Multitasking has become a need for everyone. While rushing to do required duties, you may lose touch with the present moment, missing out on what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. This can result in increasing stress and worry. Mindfulness is now being examined scientifically as it plays a key role to reduce stress and anxiety, improving attention and memory, and promoting self-regulation and empathy. It is known to improve one’s overall well-being – physical and mental.

5 Ways To Find Motivation And Get Your Life Back On Track

We all go through tough times in our lives where we feel like we can’t do anything right and that everything is just too hard. With a bit of effort and determination, you can turn things around and start living the life you’ve always wanted. If you’re feeling lost and need some help getting your life back on track, be patient with yourself and keep moving forward one day at a time.

Resilience: Build Skills to Endure Hardship

When you have resilience, you harness the inner strength that helps you rebound from a setback or challenge. Resilience won’t make your problems go away — but resilience can give you the ability to see past them, find enjoyment in life and better handle stress.  If you aren’t as resilient as you’d like to be, you can develop and learn skills to become more resilient.

Why Optimistic Job Seekers Do Better (And How to Become One)

Job seekers who think positively will interview more effectively, receive higher salaries and enjoy more career options. During their job search, optimists know that rejection will happen, but they also believe that rejection is one step closer to a successful outcome. Luckily, your thought process and fortunes can change. It just takes some practice. Life is about making corrections and learning from your mistakes.

Managing Stress and Anxiety during Job Interviews

Feeling a little anxious before a job interview is normal. However, too much stress and anxiety can sabotage your chances of landing your dream job. Focus on your breathing and speak slowly but as confidently as possible. Remember, having excellent communication skills is critical. Accept your stress, and try reframing your anxiety as excitement.

Recruiters are reportedly leaving job openings — that they don’t intend to hire for — posted online and open to applications, much to the chagrin of job seekers. In a survey 50% of hiring personnel with open job postings — but who are not seeking to actually fill them — said they are doing so because they are “always open to new people.”  43% of the group said they left job listings up to “give off the impression that the company is growing.”
We all have been in a job interview where we have felt we made a good impression and we have left the meeting feeling optimistic. Companies say they will communicate with us. The days pass and turn into weeks with no communication at all. That is a case of employer ghosting, which is one of the most uncomfortable situations for candidates.
Looking for a new job can be fun and exciting, but it’s not uncommon to have some job search anxiety. It’s easy to get down when you’re searching for a job without success. That’s when negative self-talk can happen, which generally decreases your motivation and performance. Studies indicate that if you use positive self-talk (“I’m going to do great in this interview!”), you’ll perform—and feel—better. So, do what you can to stay positive and upbeat during your job search. Employers will notice!

What is a Growth Mindset and How Can You Cultivate One? 

A growth mindset is a way of thinking that emphasizes the importance of effort and personal development over natural talent. By developing a growth mindset, you can begin to see challenges as opportunities for learning and growth instead of roadblocks. People with a growth mindset don’t just achieve more, they also enjoy the process of learning and growing more. They see setbacks as an opportunity to learn and grow, instead of proof that they are powerless or incompetent.

How People Are Judging You, Based on These 10 Subtle Traits

Something as small as your handshake could send signals about your personality. Visual clues (consciously or unconsciously) could send negative signals: failing to make eye contact, using closed or defensive body postures, and not nodding periodically. To be perceived as warm and friendly, maintain eye contact, lean forward in a discussion, and comment from time to time to reassure the speaker that you’re paying attention.

5 Tips for Staying Positive During a Job Search. 

Though daunting, the job search process does not have to include self-doubt and frustration. Instead, a positive perspective can make all the difference. The mind is powerful, and you have a choice in how you choose to deal with adversities. Nothing worth having is easy, but staying positive will help motivate you to continue with your search.

9 Tips for Finding Motivation for Your Job Search. 

There are a wide variety of strategies to help improve your job search process and maintain a healthy level of motivation. Motivation is important because it can help you spend more time researching opportunities and preparing applications, which can improve your chance of connecting with your ideal company. Sometimes beginning to work before you feel fully motivated can help you gain motivation.

 

CAREER RESEARCH PREP:
It’s not just about finding a company seeking your qualifications; you also want to make sure that they are a good fit for you, your values, and your career goals. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel.
To increase your chances of converting to a full-time employee, you need to exceed expectations and leave a positive impact on the people you encounter during your internship. If receiving a full-time offer is your goal, be intentional with your time and exemplify your strong work ethic.

 

Today’s job search relies on a sophisticated mix of online resources with social media, portable technology, and digital self-promotion. Those who recognize that new digital tools are available while still maintaining an interpersonal aspect of job searching succeed more than others do when it comes down to the hiring process. While the process of finding a job has changed in recent years, the best way to find employment is still by networking and building relationships.

Surveys say: Employers Leaning More into Hiring those with Skills Versus Experience

About 45% of companies are adopting a “skills first” approach, a strategy that helps reduce bias, and 33% are replacing resumes as a top gauge with other skills-based assessments. The traditional way to view a potential employee is through a resume and a vita, but that’s quickly changing. Those two methods can be limiting in terms of determining someone’s potential and skill set.
Employers appreciate employees who have interpersonal traits that contribute to the success of the organization as a whole. In other words, they prefer people who can work as a team. While technical skills may get you the job, soft skills can make you or break you as a member of your organization. Soft skills are all about how effectively you work and how harmoniously you interact with others. Learning hard skills is absolutely important for your job role, but developing soft skills can help you shine.
Employers are looking for qualities in their new hires that are never listed in the job ad. These standout qualities include: authenticity, positivity, confidence, passion, impact, and gratitude.
Making a good first impression can go a long way. The true secret to building a lasting connection reaches much deeper than what you wear. Everyone (consciously or subconsciously) asks two questions when they meet someone new: Can I trust this person? And can I respect this person?
These things make your resume look out of date. Number one, your address. Two: objective statement. Next, work history, weak action verbs, and finally, references. Résumé norms can be very different from one industry to another. When in doubt about what to do with yours, it’s a great idea to talk to some colleagues or a mentor for more targeted tips.

 

In your cover letter make sure you express what is unique about you and why you are the best candidate for the company you are applying for and succinctly summarise your resume. How you present your information in your cover letter will determine the hiring manager’s first impression of you.

A recruiter said they mainly search for a combination of job titles, skills, and other keywords to find the right candidate for the job — so a LinkedIn summary that is keyword-rich is bound to stand out and score an interview. A complete profile shows that a candidate is willing to put in the extra effort to present themselves well on LinkedIn. It also allows you to get a better sense of the person’s professional background and qualifications. Recruiters should be able to get a sense of who you are, not only as a professional but also as a person.
Asking for a reference from the right person is vital for anyone on the hunt for a job. According to a survey, senior managers remove a third of job candidates from consideration after they’ve made a reference check. No matter who you’re asking, be sure to always ask their permission before listing them. This way, they aren’t surprised, or worse, unsure what to say when they are contacted.
An HR Director from a Fortune 500 company was asked what she looks for in a resume and how she determines which resumes get reviewed. Her response was: “I flip through the corners of the stack, anything that grabs my attention I pull out and place to my right. It might be a color, a font, a photo, an interesting quote, or a different texture of paper. It doesn’t matter at that point what I notice just that I noticed it.” She went on to explain that when she is hiring top-level positions or even entry-level positions that may lead to advancement, she is looking for someone who understands who they are and understands the company. A resume that gets noticed does both.

Think of Your Resume as a Marketing Tool: Is It Selling You?  

Your resume is your 30-second commercial advertising you – your professional brand, value-added contributions, and competitive edge. You can improve your resume by implementing marketing principles and translating them into the language of hiring managers. Showing prospective employers how former employers have benefitted from your contributions will enable them to envision you as a successful member of their team.

 

Your cover letter should serve as an introduction to your resume, highlighting why you’re interested in the position, what you’re looking for in your next role, and how you can potentially add value to the position or company. The best indicator of what an employer is looking for in a cover letter is the job posting/description.
The average number of people who tend to apply for a single job is 118, while only 20% of them get invited to an interview. Statistics show that employers look for confidence and self-esteem, in addition to friendliness, and appropriate eye contact goes a long way towards showing all of those things. Referred applicants are significantly more likely to be hired: five times more likely than the average applicant, and 15 more likely than an applicant who found the position via a job posting. As many as 78% of recruiters feel that referrals are the best way to find qualified candidates, and referral hires reportedly have better job satisfaction and stay with companies longer.

Despite concerning job cuts at high-profile tech companies, the report suggests that workers will have the upper hand in the labor market next year. Both of the job sites found that employers are increasing their benefits, and advertising them, in order to attract talent, and that workers prioritize their happiness and well-being more than they did before the pandemic.

11 Reasons To Job Search During the Holidays. 

Don’t think for a minute that companies aren’t hiring. Check the job boards and you will see thousands of available jobs that employers need to fill. Keeping your job search going could give you a chance for an interview that you may not have gotten during another time of year. That’s because the candidate pool was more competitive then.

How To Tell Your Story In A Cover Letter.  

A story in your cover letter will engage your potential employer on an emotional level. It’s an effective way to demonstrate your experiences, skills, and accomplishments without just stating them. Starting a cover letter with a story is a perfect way to grab your employer’s or recruiter’s attention and showcase what makes you a suitable candidate for the job.

NETWORKING/CAREER FAIR PREP:

Networking isn’t about using other people or aggressively promoting yourself — it’s about building relationships and connecting with others: people you know, people you don’t really know, and new people you’ve never met before. And while it may sound intimidating, it can be rewarding and fun, even if you’re shy. Tapping the hidden job market through networking may take more planning and nerve than searching online, but it’s much more effective.
Networking is simply building and maintaining mutually-beneficial long-term relationships with others, and it’s an important part of professional life. Building your connections can provide you with invaluable opportunities to exchange information, get advice from experienced peers, and in many cases achieve your career goals.
Don’t think of career fairs as just a way to get immediate opportunities from employers. You should also think about building a long-term relationship with each company that you find interesting. Employers prefer to hire candidates they know/trust, so students and early-stage professionals can get ahead later in their careers by starting to build relationships with key people at top companies before they need that relationship. Even if a company isn’t recruiting for your exact talents or level at the moment, consider exchanging contact info with a recruiter to stay in touch. It’s worth attending at least one career fair to see what opportunities exist and practice talking to employers.
Whatever industry you work in or job you hold, networking skills are always going to be essential to furthering your career. Networking can lead to new job roles, learning opportunities, and friendships, giving your career a boost in the right direction. Any skill that can help you to build relationships and seek opportunities can be classed as networking skills. New opportunities can come through finding mentors and gaining advice from those succeeding in your industry, adding to those who can vouch for your character and ability, and developing the all-round skills needed to work well in the roles you want.
There’s no big secret; it’s about redefining what “networking” means to you and then understanding how to go about it. Reframe networking as having a conversation — something you’ve done numerous times. Think of ways you can make it less scary, like bringing a buddy along with you or warming up by chatting with someone you already know.
Networking plays a crucial role in any job search, increasing a job seeker’s chances of landing their dream job. While both online and offline forms of networking are essential, online networking on LinkedIn is popular, convenient, and quicker. Your personal brand is reflected in your LinkedIn profile which is a key motivator for people to respond to you. Thus, it is an essential tool to use while devising your LinkedIn networking strategy. Your experience, skills, expertise, attitude, and personality form your personal brand identity. LinkedIn groups are a good source of connecting with like-minded people with similar interests.

For better or for worse, it’s not just what you know or are capable of doing, it’s who you know, that’s important for career advancement and business development. Connections open doors, but relationships close deals. Networking is not just about exchanging business cards and connecting on LinkedIn. Networking is most valuable when long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships are formed.

93% of recruiters are now using LinkedIn as their preferred means to find the right candidates. When you’re searching for a job, adding new connections could open up the doorway for recruiters or hiring managers to find you. Meaningful connections associated with your target job is the goal here.

Networking Skills If you only network when you need a new job, neither your networking nor your job-hunting will be very successful. Networking is the process of building and maintaining a network of contacts, and successful networking needs to be ongoing. It needs to happen all the time, in your casual contacts with people by email, on the phone and face-to-face as you go about your everyday life and work. Networking is important because we all prefer to do business with people we know, or who are known to people we know. Broadening your network therefore opens up your business opportunities, whether to sell, buy, recruit or get a job.

How to Prepare for Career Fairs: 4 Tips For Success Career fairs are great opportunities to get your name out, network with the movers and shakers of your industry, and meet employers that you wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. It can also be a great way to connect with other professionals in your field. You can expect to see a variety of employers, from small businesses to large corporations and various jobs, from entry-level to executive-level.

The Most Important Skills for Networking Successfully  Of the networking skills you can develop, the two most important are listening and asking questions. These two skills will impress new contacts. Good listening validates the value of others and shows respect. Asking thoughtful questions shows sincerity and builds trust because it actively shows an interest in someone else’s opinions and thoughts.

6 Professional Networking Tips for 2022 Remember, small talk helps establish a connection and discover what someone is about. So, instead of jumping right into a conversation, start easy with a common question. Never try to over-sell yourself. Speak facts and tell them what value you can add. Communication is the most important part of the business world. Your proficient skills might be great, but if you cannot communicate properly with people, chances are you will lose opportunities.

The Importance of Career Networking  Networking can be a good way to hear about job opportunities or get in at a company you’d like to work with. Career networking involves using personal, professional, academic, or family contacts to assist with a job search, achieve career goals, learn more about your field, or another field you’d like to work in. Career networking should become a part of your daily work and career-related endeavors and be in place for when you need it, both for job searching and for moving up the career ladder.

How To Introduce Yourself at a Job Fair Your introduction is the first opportunity you’ll have to make a good impression. You might not be comfortable putting yourself out there and talking to people you don’t know well. It can be challenging to sell yourself to prospective employers, so it will help to learn how to introduce yourself at a job fair. Remember, the people you meet with are interested in finding new talent. They might be your future employer. They’ll do their best to make you feel comfortable.

9 Networking Tips to Expand and Strengthen Your Network  The relationships you build through professional networking can be an essential piece of your career development. Your network can be your work-related support system you can go to when you want to discuss industry trends and news. Your network can also be valuable when considering career advancement, from recommendations for skills you should sharpen to securing an actual position.

Finding Networking Opportunities Through Career Fairs Career fairs offer the chance for applicants and employers to meet and develop a better feel for what each has to offer. Expanding your social and professional network can make a world of difference when it comes to finding employment or enjoying a greater range of professional opportunities. Getting a better feel for employers and the different types of positions that may be available within an industry can be difficult. Attending a fair, expo or other event may provide you with greater insight and understanding. Making the effort to learn more about a fair or conference can be very helpful in your effort to find employment.

Why the Holidays Are the Best Time to Network Your Way to a New Job. Many people think the time between Thanksgiving and New Years is the worst time to find a position and that most executives are not considering hiring. However, budgets for a new year will start as the ball drops, and executives want to start the year with a full staff. Because it’s a slower time of year, many of the support staff (gatekeepers) may be on vacation, so you can reach the hiring managers more easily, especially since fewer people are looking for work due to these misconceptions and myths. People are generally in a good mood during the holidays working from their home base area and not engaged in business travel. You will typically find executives are more available for interviews.

The Holidays are a ‘Natural Opening for Reconnecting’: Here’s How To Use Them to Network. 

This time of year is an opportunity to strengthen your professional networks. There are several ways to go about sending your end-of-year cheer: e-cards and personalized emails, physical cards, and in-person events. It’s a great time to build relationships and to also build some of that informal connection that happens outside of the office.


INTERVIEW PREP:   

In a second interview, only a handful of eligible candidates are called in for interviews where the questions are more thorough and role-specific, and you will be assessed on how you will add value to the team. The second interview can also focus on probing whether or not you will be a good cultural fit for the company.
ATS software scans resumes and other job recruitment documents for relevant keywords such as skills, job titles, and educational background. To pass the ATS scan, your resume has to be formatted properly, and include the right words. ATS-friendly resumes contain keywords that match the job ad, and highlight relevant work experience and professional skills.
How to Answer Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question in 2022? Before you overlook the weight of this question and skip preparing a solid answer for it, understand that your answer can set the tone for the entire interview. Your answer needs to be concise and has to tell the interviewer exactly what they want to know – a peek into your professional trajectory.
Each interview you get is an opportunity to learn and to get yourself out there. The interviews you do will only be one part of your multi-faceted plan to build your portfolio and make opportunities. The fear that interviews put in you can ruin the experience. Don’t forget to realize why you are there. You have needs just like your employers. Address these and you will develop a thick skin, from which you can fashion your enquiries.

Sending a thank-you note will help set you apart from other candidates and leave a good impression on the interviewer. It may feel desperate or annoying to keep following up, but it shows the hiring team that you are interested in the company and it can also help establish a relationship with them.

Common Zoom Job Interview Mistakes To Avoid

Most people never consider the message their Zoom presence gives. Non-verbal signals can turn off employers. Non-smiling, robotic-like vocal tunes, stiff posture, and bland answers with eyes frequently turned away from the camera can be a real problem for the employer. This is especially true if your role requires a lot of interaction with other people.

Prepare for technical round questions by researching the company and industry to figure out what technical skills they are looking for. Also review your experience and any relevant courses or certifications you have completed. It is common for interviewers to ask technical questions that require analytical thinking. Interviews are a stressful undertaking. The one thing that has been found to reduce stress during interviews is building confidence.
Employers ask similar questions at the end of every interview to gauge your qualifications, skills, capabilities, and confidence level. You need to be confident and precise while answering this question. Try to give some examples while describing your achievements and strengths that make you a good fit for the company.

Today, some of the new questions that employers are asking are challenging to answer. What is your superpower seems to be a hot new question that many people, especially in tech, are being asked. You need to be able to identify precisely why you want this job and to work for this company. Diversity has become a hot issue, and many companies are now asking questions on this subject. Be sure you give a specific work example and not just a generalization.

Interviewing for a job can be nerve-wracking. However, you can become a master at sharing your value with potential employers, presenting yourself effectively at interviews, and getting the job you want. If you create too many filters and requirements, you can easily overlook opportunities. In this type of market you have to get out there and actively uncover opportunities. Don’t dismiss opportunities to interview based upon superficial and narrow criteria.
Recruiters ask a variety of questions to help them assess applicants. These questions may seem random, but more often than not, they aren’t. The key is understanding the question, why it is asked, what is expected from you, and how to answer it the best way. State your experience in the industry, connect your goal with that of the role, and conclude with how you can help the company with the skills you have.
Do you think that checking out a company’s website is enough to be knowledgeable about a company before heading to your next interview? If you really want to WOW an employer, you need to work much harder. These are the six things to research before an interview in order to impress a prospective employer: The Company, The Position, The Interviewer(s), Other Team Members, The Competitors, and The Corporate Culture.
Case interviews are almost exclusively used by consulting firms, although some companies with ex-consultants may also use them. A case interview is a 30 to 45-minute exercise in which you and the interviewer work together to develop a recommendation or answer to a business problem. Nailing your case interviews is critical to breaking into consulting.
It’s essential to go beyond basics when preparing for case interviews. During consulting recruiting, your case interview performance drives around 80% of the first round pass/fail score and around 50% of the second round scoring, when a hiring decision is on the line.
35 Damaging Interview Mistakes (What NOT To Say In An Interview) While it’s always unfortunate to get rejected for a job, it’s especially rough when you walk out feeling confident, only to find out that the interview didn’t go nearly as well as you thought. Though possessing the correct skill set, dressing the part, and having a firm handshake are all important, knowing what to say (or what not to say) is equally vital. An interview generally lasts no longer than an hour, but results from a survey of 2,000 hiring managers found that 33% knew whether they would hire someone in the first 90 seconds.
A typical employer will interview six to ten candidates for one job listing and most job interviews last between 45 minutes to an hour, but you only have seven seconds to make a good first impression. The questions you ask during the interview may just get you hired.
You do not have to be a professional leader or manager to have vital leadership qualities and experiences. When recruiters ask you to describe your leadership experience, they mostly want to know your leadership skills, if any and if you can manage a team well and lead. This is even more essential for managerial roles. Qualities like courage, sincerity, accountability, passion, empathy, coordination, and communication are essential leadership qualities that help you to relate and lead people as well as take charge of projects and deliver.
Job interviews are a two-way process — you’re interviewing your potential boss and employer as much as they’re interviewing you. Be attuned to potential red flags in the interview process that warrant your attention, as they can indicate larger issues with your potential boss, team, or the organization as a whole. Being observant in your interviews as well as attuned to how the process is managed, asking good follow-up questions, and doing your due diligence can help mitigate the chances of making a bad decision.

While the questions you ask might not get you the job offer on a silver platter, they can definitely move the needle and leave your interviewer feeling more confident about potentially adding you to the team. This is a chance to show that you’re thinking carefully about the opportunity and set you apart from other candidates, as well as learn information that will actually help you decide if you want to join this company.

The number one virtual interview deal-breaker that could cost you the job? “Avoiding eye contact or staring into space,” according to the hiring experts interviewed for a recent report. Direct eye contact in an interview is a critical skill to nail because it demonstrates professionalism, establishes trust and is polite. Being intentional with your body language during a virtual interview can also set you apart from other candidates.
Your questions are exactly what makes you stand out among the other interviewees. It’s also what makes you know if you’re really meant to work for the company. Preparing to interview your interviewer will not only help you stand out as being confident, but it will also place you a step further in getting the job.

NEGOTIATION and OFFER PREP:

Negotiating a job offer can be scary because the outcome is unknown, but employers are likely expecting you to do so. Come to the table knowing your worth, and don’t accept less than your bottom line. Be firm and confident enough in your ability to find another job if the employer isn’t giving you what you want.
Before you start negotiating, decide on an action plan in the event that the employer refuses, and keep an open mind and a positive tone throughout. To ensure that the good rapport between you and your new potential employer remains intact, you will want to respond in a professional and appropriate fashion after failed salary negotiations.

Some “career experts” tell you to use the survey data to support your salary request. What they don’t tell you is that the surveys describe a population of people who have similar titles and credentials. They don’t describe you. It’s not uncommon for a company to withdraw a good offer when the candidate asks for more without being able to rationally justify the request.

Research has found that men are more likely to negotiate than their women counterparts, and a study by InHerSight found that half of women have never negotiated their salary at all. In fact, 20 percent of women report never having negotiated at all in their career advancement, even when they recognize that negotiations are appropriate or even necessary. Regardless of gender, negotiating a job offer doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming — not if you think of it as a normal part of the job acceptance process. From CNBC, “Most employers actually expect to negotiate a salary offer, so they never give you their very best offer at first. That means it’s your job to know what you — and this position — are worth and to ask for more money if their offer doesn’t match that.”

Those who negotiate a job offer are often successful in getting a better outcome. Aside from your salary, there are other important aspects to incorporate in your overall or total compensation package. In a 2021 State of Tech Salaries Report, 76% of tech employees are willing to accept a lower base salary in exchange for other forms of compensation, such as equity. Flexibility, work-life balance, and company culture also weigh heavily in the decision to accept a job. Focus the conversation on what value you bring to the role and express your excitement about joining the team.

The Ultimate Guide to Negotiating Your Salary

Negotiation is a standard part of the hiring process when you’re starting a new role. Even if you’re intimidated by negotiating your pay, it’s an essential part of your career and getting the compensation you deserve. A collaborative attitude is always a desired trait in the workplace, particularly with negotiation. Posing your request to your employer so it’s framed like a win-win for both parties can be a successful method.

How to Choose Between Job Offers

Understand your own professional goals and then compare the opportunities against four key metrics: Job responsibilities, Salary, Hiring managers, Workplace cultures. Think critically about not just the job in question but about the doors this type of job may open — either within the company itself or elsewhere. Do due diligence into the company culture of each organization you’re considering. If the company culture is not aligned with your personal values and vibe, you’re likely to get disillusioned really quickly.

What You Should Do Before Accepting a Job Offer

Getting a job offer is a great start. But make sure the numbers, the time and the opportunity adds up to something that will improve your life, not add stress or disappointment to it. A job offer is more than just the amount of pay you receive for the hours you work; your life, and the quality of it, needs to be factored in.

How to Negotiate for More Money After a Job Offer

One common mistake that a lot of people make is that they don’t negotiate their salary. Most companies build negotiation room into their offers and benefits packages, but many people don’t even try to negotiate. When they give you an offer, they like you and want you to be part of the company. Negotiating in a polite and respectful way will not cause any offense. In fact, this can even impress them.

Navigating Multiple Job Offers: Tips on Selecting the Best Job for You  With multiple offers, it’s essential that you consider aspects of each opportunity very carefully; this will help you determine which offer best aligns with your desires and career goals. This is the time to reflect on what’s actually important to you. A high salary may not be worth it if you have to sacrifice flexibility, PTO, and a great workplace culture. When you have multiple offers on the table, take the time to think about your own career drivers and professional goals and ask yourself which offer has the most potential to help you achieve them.
Sometimes, the recruiter simply wants to know if they can afford to hire you. If you state a figure that is too high, and you are unwilling to accept a lower salary, they might have to hire someone else instead. Another big and more subtle reason interviewers ask this is to determine your worth. They want to know how much you value yourself. Someone who knows their worth will charge higher. They know what they deserve and are not willing to sell themselves short. They also have the confidence to ask for what they want, knowing they can get a job with another firm with their desired conditions if they are refused.
Salary is the main event here, however, you can also negotiate your benefits package, vacation days, and other job-related perks as part of the process. Even amidst the pandemic, about 36% of employers say they’re more willing to negotiate with candidates than they were last year. Asking for a couple days to think about it can pay off. Taking time to mull the decision over signals to employers you have options elsewhere — even if you don’t in reality.