Great Occupations

Yesterday we talked about determining your worth. Again, I want to reiterate that in the Job Search Boot Camp GET HIRED! Module, Jay and I teach you to think about compensation negotiation rather than simply considering the salary when you receive a job offer. However, what do you say when you need to specifically talk about the salary itself?... Read the rest of this entry »

In the Job Search Boot Camp GET HIRED! Module, Jay and I teach about salary negotiation. We encourage you to think about compensation negotiation rather than simply considering the salary when you receive a job offer. However, today I want to talk specifically about the salary itself. Though it’s wise to look at your whole compensation package when determining your approach, you do still need to consider the actual dollar figure you’re worth... Read the rest of this entry »

This week Jay challenged us to set and achieve career goals. Well, I’ve decided it’s high time for me to finally achieve a particular goal that I’ve been rolling around in my mind for more than 2 years.

I’m putting it out there for all to see because I believe that there’s nothing like writing down a goal and then sharing it with others to really help you be accountable to the intention.

My Goal: By Fall of 2010, I want to be involved in delivering a special session which teaches women how to be more empowered during salary negotiations. (I’d say that’s a SMART goal!)

By the way, if you think of a snazzy title for this class, I’m open to your suggestions!

Jay and I cover salary negotiation in the GET HIRED! module of The Job Search Boot Camp program, but we women seem to need an extra push in this area. I’ve long felt that a specific class is in order…

So check this out! Yesterday, I found an excellent article by Ronda Templeton, a columnist with the San Antonio Express-News. It put an arrow right into heart and re-ignited my desire to teach this topic.

Ms. Templeton quotes numbers compiled by The Washington Post:

• Men are eight times more likely than women to negotiate a starting salary and benefits.
• Men ask for raises 85 percent more often than women.
• Though they recognize the importance of negotiation, 22 percent of women say they never do it.
• Perhaps worst of all — women, on average, ask for 30 percent less money than men.

Jay is fond of saying that most people generally leave 20% to 30% “on the table” during negotiations. Considering there’s that much room left, think about how much room is left for the women who fall under the categories pointed out in the statistics!

Oh, and another thing… We often hear talk in the media about the disparity between men’s and women’s salaries – about how women earn less money than men despite having similar skills, experience, education and training. While I’m not denying the existence of gender discrimination in hiring practices (unfortunately, I personally witnessed it while I was a recruiter), it seems to me that we are not truly “comparing apples to apples” when making such claims. Not if 22% of women never even negotiate, if they rarely ask for raises, and if they ask for 30% less money than men!

If you’re interested or know someone who’d be interested in taking a special class designed to empower women during salary negotiations, let us know.

Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, webclasses and 2×1 individualized coaching services. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more about their programs & services at www.greatoccupations.com. NOTE: For a limited time during Graduation Season, Angela & Jay are offering the perfect new grad gift: The Job Search Boot Camp for College Grads, a live, interactive & intensive program. For more details, click here.

One of my favorite sites about employment, job forecasts, and earnings is the Bureau Of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. This is a free online publication put out by the US Dept. Of Labor.

How Can You Use It? This site is a wealth of information right at your finger tips. For hundreds of different types of jobs, the Occupational Outlook Handbook gives you job specific information on:

• the training and education needed
• earnings
• expected job prospects
• job duties and responsibilities
• working conditions

If you are researching a new career, put in the keyword of job title and equip yourself with the information you need to decide if this is the right career for you. If you are considering a new job or asking for a raise, this site can help you when you take into account the normal working conditions and earnings.

Your Tax Dollars At Work Sure…there are plenty of government programs that you may never benefit from, however this is an online resource that is a great use of our tax dollars. Having all this information available to you allows you to make an informed and logical decision. Use this resource, and use it often!

Jay Markunas is a Career Coach, and is a big fan of online research tools. Jay brings all that experience and expertise to The Job Search Boot Camp (now available on a 3-DVD set!).

Yesterday I spoke at one of the Amplify Career Fair’s learning sessions (Amplify’s job fair will be on Friday, May 14th). The learning sessions are open, and audience members are encouraged to participate by asking questions and adding comments. My session was filled with great audience members, great questions, and wonderful comments. One comment in particular taught me something, and as usual…I share it with you!

Related Jobs PayScale.com has a great feature which states salaries for related positions. When I mentioned this, one of my audience members stated that the job site Indeed.com also contains a salary search tool which shows related positions. According to Indeed’s site, “Indeed.com is a search engine for jobs, allowing job seekers to find jobs posted on thousands of company career sites and job boards.”

Their salary tool operates much like Salary.com and PayScale.com. Just put in the what (job title or keyword) and the where, and you get the average salary of the position. You also get a national trend and average salary of related jobs. The best part….those related jobs are hyperlinked to the actual jobs in the area. Clicking on the job opens the hiring company’s website and job description. Pretty handy if you are looking for a broader range of positions.

Indeed this is yet another great tool for your job search toolbox!

Jay Markunas is a Career Coach, and with partner Angela Loeb he talks on salary negotiation in The Job Search Boot Camp’s new DVD program! This program , currently taking pre-orders - just email [email protected], contains all the materials you need to READY, AIM, and GET HIRED!