The Secrets of Salary Negotiation

Before accepting a job, a salary must be discussed at some point.  To be prepared for such a discussion with your employer, you should want to and be able to negotiate your salary.  Without going into extreme detail, there are six main secrets to salary negotiation that everyone should pay attention to.

• Do not discuss salary with the employer until after the employer clearly states that they want you.
• This next one is key.  The main purpose of salary negotiation is to reveal the most that the company or organization is willing to pay you to get you in the door.
• When salary does come up, don't be the first one to bring up a salary figure
• Do your research.  Before your interview and before discussion regarding salaries, it is important to carefully research what is a typical salary for your field and in that particular organization. (I find www.salary.com to be extremely helpful!)
• In addition to doing your research on typical salaries within your field/organization, it is also a great idea to research the range in which the company has in mind, and in addition to that, to define a salary range for yourself based on the employer's range. 
• Last but certainly not least, the sixth secret of salary negotiation is knowing how to close the deal.  Avoid leaving the salary an open conversation to save for later.  An important thing to remember about closing the deal on salary is to get it in writing and a signature.  This serves as a contract between both you and the employer.  

Hope these tips have been helpful!  Negotiate away!

Mistakes Made in a Job Interview

Nothing is worse than wondering to yourself for days and months on end why you didn't land that job you really wanted.  Where did you possibly go wrong?  There are ten major mistakes that are made in terms of job interviews that result in a decrease in chance of you landing a job.  These mistakes are described in the best seller, What Color Is Your Parachute?, written by Richard N. Bolles.

1. Limiting yourself to large organizations only.

Going after only large organizations limits your options and your chances are lessened greatly. Landing an interview may be more difficult and you're being compared to tons of other candidates.   

2. Doing the search by yourself for places to visit.
No one wants to go about this type of search alone.
3. Not doing prior research about the company or organization before the interview.
It is like not doing your homework before class.  You are unprepared and have no knowledge about the subject you are supposed to know.
4. Interviewing with the Human Resources department.
Usually the HR department looks for reasons to screen you out, not bring you in..
5. Overstaying your welcome.
If you are being interviewed, you need to have an understanding of when it is over.
6. Only talking about your resume during the interview.
Sure, your resume is important but it is important to talk about other topics also.
7. Talking only about yourself through the interview
It is important to show interest and ask questions to your interviewer.
8. Lack of support in backing up skills you claim you have.
Your resume says you have certain skills but if you can't use examples of how these skills can be applied, you might as well not even list these skills.
9. Acting as if you are begging for the job.
Approaching an employer as if you were a job beggar, is not at all appealing to an employer.
10. Not sending a post interview thank-you.
Saying "thanks for having me" is a huge must after an interview.  They took the time out of their day to listen to you, now take the time to say thank you.  It is courteous and wins in the long run.

There you have it.  Prevent yourself from making these careless mistakes to higher your chances of landing the job!

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great source to use for both personal and professional experience.  Through LinkedIn, you can: build your own network, find job postings and job opportunities, connect with current and former colleagues and  students, showcase your experience and projects, and so much more.

In my case, I am fairly new to LinkedIn and use it to represent myself.  If you are looking to create a LinkedIn profile for a company, you should have an official website and a company e-mail address.  You may connect and link this profile to your personal, individual account.  

A good LinkedIn individual profile should include the following: a summary reflecting yourself, work experience, volunteer experience, skills, endorsements, projects completed, and relevant coursework.

The truth of the matter is, people are always searching on LinkedIn for new opportunities and ways to connect with unique individuals like yourself.  It is important to maintain your profile in order to maximize your opportunities.  

Check out my LinkedIn!  www.linkedin.com/rebeccajordanwatson

The Terrifying Search for Internship

Looking for a job but not sure where to start?  Do you ever find yourself wanting to jump right into getting out into the professional world, but don't want to sign on with a company for a set amount of time just yet? Gaining and trying new experiences is extremely important when trying to figure out what it is exactly you want to do for the rest of your life...

That is where the internship comes in.  Not only are internships something that companies look for when hiring a candidate to see whether or not that person has experience in their field, but they are and should be also essential to your search... your search in determining what you enjoy, and what you don't.  

But of course internship searches are questionably just as intimidating as finding your first entry-level job.  Chances are you are a college student wanting to gain valuable experience to your field.  So where do you start?  Where do you find these internships?

The search for my first internship was over nine months long.  I searched for several months trying to get an idea of what companies want, the related requirements, etc.  Time had passed and I would regularly check for new internships on different sites, applying to some, but not exactly being as proactive as I should have. 

One day it clicked.  I was only a couple of months away from entering my senior year of college.  It was my time to get the experience I needed, and to find an internship where I would be taking all that I learned from my years of schooling and applying it in the real world.  

Yes, finding an internship is intimidating.  For the longest time I put it off.  Here's the good news. You try it, you don't like it, you gained experience.  Time to try something new.  My suggestion is to jump right in, find an internship that appears to suit you, and apply.  I would highly recommend Looksharp.  It is a career site that it is easy, convenient and I suggest it to everyone.  Good luck in your search, but remember, you're here for the experience!

Twitter

What is a better way to get involved in social media than Twitter?  If unfamiliar with twitter, the best way to understand  this social media source is by getting directly involved by creating your own account.   

Known for the infamous hashtag (#), Twitter allows users to search for or find a main keyword(s) that is relevant to a specific tweet.  Another great tool twitter uses is the @ sign, allowing users to directly include a username in their tweets.  Not only that, but Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters each, so the information is very brief and concise, getting to the point.  

In regards to a company, Twitter is great in the sense of promoting a service or product because many people tweet about them, giving their opinions and recommendations. It is always a great idea for a company to be directly involved in social media, including Twitter.  You can gain followers to keep current and potential customers in the loop.  Another great way to use Twitter and social media in general is to see and monitor what is being said about your company.  

So, if you don't already have an account, all you need to do is go to www.twitter.com and click "sign up". From there, you are asked for basic information.  Then, you can create your own unique Twitter username and password.  Once that is completed, you are ready to go and can start using Twitter.  #ENJOY!

Social Media Marketing for Beginners: Working with Content

What content is important when it comes to social media? What are some of the tools that I can use to do it myself?  There are a ton of things you may try when working with social media.  In Todd Kelsey's book "CASA Marketing: Into to Social Media Marketing", he introduces concepts and tools that he feels are worth trying from personal experience.

Curation/Creation/Collaboration
In terms of content, each of these areas have importance.

• Curation: When curating content, it is pretty much simply gathering and collecting information, or finding it, sharing, reviewing, and commenting.  The main goal here is to create an awareness for what you are marketing (site, blog, etc. for the company or organization you're doing it for).
• Creation: This is about creating content to share on social media.  Examples of this include: writing an article, making a video, creating blog posts, etc.  You have the power to create whatever you want for whoever you want.
• Collaboration: Find someone you can work with, or collaborate with for experience.  When working with someone else, you get the benefit of seeing things from another perspective.  It is a great place to start or great for professional experience!

To make working with content more doable, here are some suggestions:
1. If you don't already have a Google account, get one! - Google has a lot of useful, free tools that make it easier working with content.
2. Start a blog.  As you can see here, I am using blogger.com, which I find easiest to use!  If you are the slight bit interested in social media marketing, blogging is an awesome way to start.
3. Create a free website.  This website can be used for your own social media presence or it can be used for a specific professional project, campaign, etc.
4.  Work on a video!  Whether it is making a video from scratch, or simply editing a video, having a background in working with video media is extremely attractive to businesses.  Showcasing this kind of skill via social media not only gives you experience, but makes you an attractive candidate for a position.

These are only a few of the many options one may get started with... While social media marketing can be intimidating, it is important to remember to start somewhere and work your way up.  Now get out there and dive in!

Resumes Then vs. Now

Years ago, all anyone had to do was put together a piece of paper consisting of experience, what you've done, where you've been, for how long, etc.  Things were once so simple.  Your resume was made by you and it could be anything you wanted it to be.  Of course today people still use resumes. I know I do.  It may just be a paper, but it is a paper that showcases who I am and what I have done.

While resumes are still very relevant today, there is actually another major way of finding of who you are.  Ahhhh, the internet.  Google specifically holds the power of allowing employers to search your name with just a click of the search button.  And just like that, anything that you once didn't want revealed on your piece of paper resume can now be accessed by employers.  Richard N. Bolles, author of "What Color is Your Parachute," explains that more than 69% of employers have rejected some applicants on the basis of what they found.  Inappropriate content on social media is the number one reason for this.  With that being said, if you want a job, it is crucial to understand that it takes more than just a piece of paper with experience to get you hired.  How you are represented online today is huge and has become a resume in itself to employers.

There are a few things you can do about this new resume of yours.  You can edit, fill in, expand, and add.  How?  You can start by searching your name via Google and just like that, pull up the things you have published (whether it is professional or recreational) through social media or whatever the case may be.  Do the results that pop up represent you in a positive manner?  If not, it is highly recommended that you have it taken down or changed.  You are going to want to edit anything that portrays you in a negative manner,  You are then going to want to expand the results.  For example, being specific is key.  Also, expanding how you appear via Google is also extremely important. Make yourself appear on LinkedIn.  Create blog posts.  Showcase yourself via social media in a way that intrigues potential employers.  And last but not least, add anything about yourself that you want employers to see.  Just as you would on a normal resume, add anything you want an employer to know.  Make yourself stand out.  What makes you unique from other candidates?

And just like that, you have not only an old fashioned resume, but you also have the internet on your side (or not.... depending on what you share with the online world.)  Remember, what you put on the internet is anyone's business.  So keep that in mind the next time you consider applying for a job!