source: Exerpt from CareerProNews

It’s clear we need to change our power sources. But so far, the answers are expensive. Alternative energy researchers are trying to find new ways for natural resources to power our lives at lower costs. Natural renewable resources — like wind, solar and geothermal power — renew quickly and are cleaner alternatives.

But there aren’t enough qualified people to work in the field of alternative energy, says Craig Dunn. He is president of WellDunn Consulting, a geological consulting firm for the energy industry. He says the demand for alternative energy is going to increase. Companies involved in alternative energy are going to keep growing. However, at the same time, the workforce is getting older.

“I would suggest the engineers and scientists that are willing to venture into the youthful alternative energy industry will have skill sets that will put their services in demand in future,” says Dunn.

What needs to be done?

“There are a lot of areas that need to be improved, from developing better technologies, to figuring out how to get that energy to the places it’s needed,” says Bonnie Jonkman. She is a scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “In the U.S. right now, there is an effort to increase wind energy to 20 percent of our total energy mix. To meet that goal, we will need more people working in this field.”

Investors have caught on to alternative energy, and green is the new gold. Although renewable energy produces only a small percentage of the world’s total energy, it brings in 18 percent of the world’s investment in power generation. That’s according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2007. Wind generation is bringing in the most investment, with solar and biofuel energy technologies growing quickly as well.

Energy blowing in the wind

Wind turbines take energy out of thin air. The wind turns the blades of a turbine to generate electricity. Compared to other sources of renewable energy, the wind sector is fairly mature. The UNEP says money is pouring in to develop new technology, and to manufacture and sell it.

“Wind turbines are getting larger all the time (with rotors bigger than a Boeing 747), and the number of wind turbines being installed is increasing every year,” says Jonkman. “It will require a large workforce with a variety of skills to address the technical challenges and to meet the demand for more turbines. We need construction workers to erect wind turbines, maintenance workers to keep the turbines running, engineers and scientists to solve the design challenges, and politicians to develop sound policies.”

Energy in plants

Biomass is plant matter grown for use as biofuel. Researchers in this area try to find out whether burning plant matter, such as corn and sugarcane, is better for the environment than burning traditional fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas.

Biofuel is second only to wind power in the amount of money being invested, says the UNEP. It says there was a huge growth of interest in 2006. Interest was due in part to the growing corn-based ethanol industry in the U.S.

Although energy can be harvested from corn, the method for doing so is inefficient. Alternative energy researchers must refine the method to make ethanol. It must become more efficient — and less expensive — before it can compete with gasoline as a fuel source.

Energy beaming down on us

Heat from the sun produces solar power. Photovoltaics is one device that can harness the sun’s energy. The energy travels through an electrical circuit to power anything electronic — from your calculator to your home.

Photovoltaics has been around since the 1970s. However, in the past decade prices on solar power have dropped. Scientists hope the next generation of photovoltaics will keep shrinking the price-tag on solar energy.

Experts predict that in the next 10 years, alternative energy researchers will be able to cut the cost of solar energy to make it competitive with petroleum. Solar energy has the potential to meet the entire planet’s electric and fuel needs. That’s according to chemist Harry Gray in an article entitled, “Expert foresees 10 more years of R and D to make solar energy competitive.”

Energy from the depths of the Earth

Geothermal energy is heat taken from far beneath our feet. Although the surface of the Earth is cool, the base of the Earth’s crust is about 1800 F. This heat can be converted into renewable energy.

That’s what Craig Dunn works towards. “We are offering opportunities to improve and solutions for the next generation,” he says. Research is the first step, he adds. He warns that newcomers to alternative energy need courage. Alternative energy is all about venturing into new research areas.

“There is a great deal of uncertainty in the energy industry in general and with emerging or alternative solutions. And there is no clear cut solution for North America’s energy needs. Continued education is fundamental to your work if you hope to stay ahead of the curve,” says Dunn.

Energy flowing in rivers and oceans

Water is key to a few types of alternative energy. Hydroelectric power comes from moving water — often a dammed river. The water drives a turbine and generator. This generates electricity. The flow of the river constantly renews the energy needed for hydroelectric power. That’s why it’s a “renewable” source.

Similarly, tidal power uses the natural energy from tides — the rising and falling of sea levels. Also, waves create energy on the surface of the ocean. This energy is being captured too.

In the U.S., there is a lot of potential to develop more hydropower plants, according to the National Hydropower Association. It estimates that 5,400 sites could be developed. This would boost hydroelectric generation by more than 50 percent in the U.S.

There are always new technologies being developed to capture energy more efficiently and cost-effectively. Opportunities will flow to alternative energy researchers in the hydroelectric field.

Imagination is important

“I think [the alternative energy research field] is just going to get bigger. It’s a growing job. The word ‘green’ is bigger than ever. You see it all over the news and in so many industries. It’s a huge market,” says Jay Gill. He is the national sales manager for Global Resource Corporation.

Global Resource is a petroleum research, engineering, development and manufacturing company. It discovered a way to use microwave technology to harness the energy in automobile tires to make oil and gas. Yep, that’s right — they zap old tires to create energy.

So the limits of alternative energy research are really only limited by researchers’ imaginations. Ever dream of being a superhero? Alternative energy researchers work every day to save the world — and they don’t have to wear tights.

Net Sites

Energy Kid’s Page
Find games and fun facts about energy

http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/

Climate Change Kids Site
Read about climate change from the United States Environmental Protection Agency

http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html

TIME for Kids
Read a special report on global warming

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0

,6709,1113542,00.html

Bytesize Science
Watch or listen to educational podcasts for kids

http://feeds.feedburner.com/bytesizescience

Careers in Wind
Search the job board from the American Wind Energy Association

http://www.jobtarget.com/home/index.cfm?site_id=77

0

American Wind Energy Association
Learn more about the association for wind energy companies

http://www.awea.org

National Hydropower Association
Learn about “blue energy”

http://www.hydro.org/

Investors have caught on to alternative energy, and green is the new gold. Although renewable energy produces only a small percentage of the world’s total energy, it brings in 18 percent of the world’s investment in power generation. That’s according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2007. Wind generation is bringing in the most investment, with solar and biofuel energy technologies growing quickly as well.

Energy blowing in the wind

Wind turbines take energy out of thin air. The wind turns the blades of a turbine to generate electricity. Compared to other sources of renewable energy, the wind sector is fairly mature. The UNEP says money is pouring in to develop new technology, and to manufacture and sell it.

“Wind turbines are getting larger all the time (with rotors bigger than a Boeing 747), and the number of wind turbines being installed is increasing every year,” says Jonkman. “It will require a large workforce with a variety of skills to address the technical challenges and to meet the demand for more turbines. We need construction workers to erect wind turbines, maintenance workers to keep the turbines running, engineers and scientists to solve the design challenges, and politicians to develop sound policies.”

Energy in plants

Biomass is plant matter grown for use as biofuel. Researchers in this area try to find out whether burning plant matter, such as corn and sugarcane, is better for the environment than burning traditional fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas.

Biofuel is second only to wind power in the amount of money being invested, says the UNEP. It says there was a huge growth of interest in 2006. Interest was due in part to the growing corn-based ethanol industry in the U.S.

Although energy can be harvested from corn, the method for doing so is inefficient. Alternative energy researchers must refine the method to make ethanol. It must become more efficient — and less expensive — before it can compete with gasoline as a fuel source.

Read the full article on the Career Artisan Blog

Energy beaming down on us

Heat from the sun produces solar power. Photovoltaics is one device that can harness the sun’s energy. The energy travels through an electrical circuit to power anything electronic — from your calculator to your home.

Photovoltaics has been around since the 1970s. However, in the past decade prices on solar power have dropped. Scientists hope the next generation of photovoltaics will keep shrinking the price-tag on solar energy.

Experts predict that in the next 10 years, alternative energy researchers will be able to cut the cost of solar energy to make it competitive with petroleum. Solar energy has the potential to meet the entire planet’s electric and fuel needs. That’s according to chemist Harry Gray in an article entitled, “Expert foresees 10 more years of R and D to make solar energy competitive.”

Energy from the depths of the Earth

Geothermal energy is heat taken from far beneath our feet. Although the surface of the Earth is cool, the base of the Earth’s crust is about 1800 F. This heat can be converted into renewable energy.

That’s what Craig Dunn works towards. “We are offering opportunities to improve and solutions for the next generation,” he says. Research is the first step, he adds. He warns that newcomers to alternative energy need courage. Alternative energy is all about venturing into new research areas.

“There is a great deal of uncertainty in the energy industry in general and with emerging or alternative solutions. And there is no clear cut solution for North America’s energy needs. Continued education is fundamental to your work if you hope to stay ahead of the curve,” says Dunn.

Energy flowing in rivers and oceans

Water is key to a few types of alternative energy. Hydroelectric power comes from moving water — often a dammed river. The water drives a turbine and generator. This generates electricity. The flow of the river constantly renews the energy needed for hydroelectric power. That’s why it’s a “renewable” source.

Similarly, tidal power uses the natural energy from tides — the rising and falling of sea levels. Also, waves create energy on the surface of the ocean. This energy is being captured too.

In the U.S., there is a lot of potential to develop more hydropower plants, according to the National Hydropower Association. It estimates that 5,400 sites could be developed. This would boost hydroelectric generation by more than 50 percent in the U.S.

There are always new technologies being developed to capture energy more efficiently and cost-effectively. Opportunities will flow to alternative energy researchers in the hydroelectric field.

Imagination is important

“I think [the alternative energy research field] is just going to get bigger. It’s a growing job. The word ‘green’ is bigger than ever. You see it all over the news and in so many industries. It’s a huge market,” says Jay Gill. He is the national sales manager for Global Resource Corporation.

Global Resource is a petroleum research, engineering, development and manufacturing company. It discovered a way to use microwave technology to harness the energy in automobile tires to make oil and gas. Yep, that’s right — they zap old tires to create energy.

So the limits of alternative energy research are really only limited by researchers’ imaginations. Ever dream of being a superhero? Alternative energy researchers work every day to save the world — and they don’t have to wear tights.

Careers in Wind
Search the job board from the American Wind Energy Association

http://www.jobtarget.com/home/index.cfm?site_id=77

0

American Wind Energy Association
Learn more about the association for wind energy companies

http://www.awea.org

National Hydropower Association
Learn about “blue energy”

http://www.hydro.org/

America is aging. The first of the baby boomers — people born between 1946 and 1964 — are getting ready to enter their senior years. Who’s going to look after them as they start to face the health problems that can come with age?

Geriatricians are the doctors who care for seniors. There’s already a shortage of geriatricians in the U.S., and it’s expected to get worse. That means there will be plenty of opportunities for geriatricians.

“With millions of baby boomers reaching retirement age, there is a growing shortage of geriatricians and other geriatric health care providers to care for them,” explains Dr. Maura Brennan. She’s the director of geriatric consultation at the Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts.

“The estimated current need for certified geriatricians is 14,000. However, the U.S. has half that number. And while the overall number of doctors has increased over the last eight years, the number of doctors certified in geriatrics has dropped 20 percent, from 9,000 to 6,700.”

But if we know the population is aging, why is there such a shortage? Experts say there are several reasons. One factor is society’s view of the aging.

Geriatricians say we need to do more to expose young people to the world of the elderly. Many of today’s high school students haven’t had much contact with senior citizens beyond their relatives.

“High schools could put something in place to expose students to older adults,” suggests Dr. Chris MacKnight. He’s a professor of geriatric medicine.

“For example, there’s a school that I’m aware of in St. Louis that’s a combination elementary school and nursing home. If people in schools had more exposure to older adults then they might feel more comfortable with them.”

Brennan agrees that schools could be playing a major role by introducing students to the field of geriatrics.

“Many adults and most children have no idea that there even is such a specialty as geriatrics,” she says. “I don’t think our society really stresses the joys of interacting with older adults. There is a lot of bias and fear that is directed towards seniors.”

Popular media also contributes to this lack of exposure. While movies and TV shows glamorize emergency room doctors and all kinds of surgeons, you rarely see a geriatrician gracing the screen. To make matters worse, even those who decide to make a career of medicine don’t get much exposure to the field once they’re in school.

Medical students often have more exposure to other specialties like psychiatry, pediatrics, surgery and family medicine.

“There is very limited exposure to the field of geriatrics in medical school, although this is beginning to change,” confirms Brennan. “Many schools are just starting to include geriatric topics in their lectures and clinical experiences.”

Even if medical students are undecided about their specialty training, they may not consider geriatrics for other reasons. For starters, these students want to make sure that they can make a good salary.

“Right now, most medical students…are deeply in debt,” says MacKnight. “They’re going to be looking for an area where they’ll be sure to get work and they’ll be sure to earn enough to meet their debt load.”

“And geriatrics is among the lowest-paying of the medical specialties,” says Brennan. “Unless our whole approach to paying doctors shifts, this is unlikely to change in the near future.”

Although government cutbacks to geriatric positions have also discouraged potential geriatricians in the past, many hope that as the government and the medical world become aware of the shortage in this field, there should be more positions for geriatricians.

“By 2030, we anticipate that there will be a need for 36,000 geriatricians to care for the number of adults aged 65 and older, which will have nearly doubled to 70 million,” says Brennan. “Anyone who goes into geriatrics will have no trouble finding a job. New graduates from my program are usually courted by multiple potential employers while they are still in training.”

A number of initiatives exist to increase recruitment to the field of geriatrics. Several foundations and organizations promote the specialty to young physicians, and all are committed to increasing the number of trained geriatricians.

For those who do enter the field, a wide range of types of jobs exists. Doctors could work in nursing homes and take care of very frail patients or choose to look after healthy older people in the community. Others may do much of their work in hospitals and assist other doctors as they care for the elderly. Many more could end up in research or private practice.

Because there are so many areas to fill, it is easy to find a good fit. And not only will graduates be able to find work in areas that matter to them, they are also likely to be happy with their career choice. In a study published in 2002, geriatrics was the field in which the most respondents said that they were “very satisfied” with their career.

That doesn’t surprise either Brennan or MacKnight. “Geriatrics is a great field,” says Brennan. “The patients are interesting and have fascinating life stories. They often have much to teach us in terms of strength of character and maturity. I look forward to coming to work every day.

“They are very appreciative, and true caring and attention by the doctor can really make a big difference in their lives. We just need to help high school students understand this.”

And what you need to understand is really very simple. “You’re helping people to lead a better life,” concludes MacKnight.

The American Geriatrics Society
This group is active in all areas of the field, from research and policy making to hands-on health care

http://www.americangeriatrics.org

National Institute on Aging
This organization leads the “effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life”

http://www.nia.nih.gov/

In part one of this article, we looked at the facts and fallacies of the hidden job market including why you should consider tapping into it, why you should consider sending your resume to a company that has not advertised positions matching your skills and the level of experience you should be at in order to benefit from the hidden market.

Now I bet you are wondering precisely how to tap into the unadvertised market. There are three strategies to quickly get you started focusing on and finding great jobs that will never see a major job board.  

Tip #1: You have to have a plan

If you are going to launch a proactive job search (i.e. knowing precisely what you are looking for, then reaching out to get it) vs. a reactive job search (i.e. passively scanning posted jobs, waiting to find the one that fits you) then it’s crucial you know the following things:

Ø      Your primary target markets

(e.g. biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device)

Ø      Your primary positions

(e.g. sales executive, VP of sales and marketing, business development director)

Ø      Your geographic parameters

(e.g. can’t leave Minneapolis, all of US, California only)

Ø      Your timeline

(e.g. need a job NOW, in the next 30 days, would like to make a change in the next 6 months)

Tip #2: You have to pick three main job search strategies for tapping into your market

Now that you have your plan, you should be crystal clear on what you want! Here are just a few unadvertised techniques you can utilize:

Growing/changing or moving companies: These are companies that are expanding, merging, acquiring other companies, are rolling out new products or services or are moving. These companies that are actively changing and/or growing offer you, the job seeker, an opportunity to offer your skills and strengths in order to help them.

Executive Recruiters: Identify executive recruiters that are familiar with your industry and/or level of position. They often have contracts to fill positions of which the majority will never be advertised.

Tip 1: If you are radically changing industries, a recruiter may not be the best source for you as they will be looking for “a match.”

Tip 2: If recruiters are a good source for you my absolute favorite company (they have the best value and the best reputation) for resume distribution is executive agent. You can find their link on my site.

Direct company contact: The secret here is in the numbers. Contacting a company directly (fully knowing they probably have multiple open positions that are not advertised) is a great way to take leadership and control over your job search. Are you interested in looking at the higher education market in your state or the top organic food manufacturers in the US? Or maybe the fastest growing healthcare oriented businesses in your city? All of these “lists” are accessible to you and allow you to easily tap right into your market of focus!

Tip #3: Manage your job search like a marketing campaign

Once you have your plan and have determined the best place to gather your resources and your general strategy, you must make a simple plan to move forward. Depending on your timeframe, pick the hours and the days each week that you plan to invest in your next career move. Block out those times and stick to them! Honor your commitment to your job search just like you would honor your commitment to your present employer to show up on time each day.

During your job search activity, keep things really simple and focus on the actions you are taking, not the results! This way you can celebrate your initial “successes,” which in the beginning are the completion of each of your daily and weekly goals. The results will unfold elegantly and abundantly and you will enjoy feeling that satisfaction of success whether you are investing in marketing yourself or basking in the warm glow of landing your third or fourth interview!

Be careful not to devalue the importance of this tip. This strategy is one of the main points to averting thoughts of despair and feelings of overwhelm.

In this segment, we have learned the basic logistics of tapping into the hidden market. In our final part – part III – I will give you three real life examples of clients that have used these very strategies and share the results they achieved.

When I talk with new clients one thing I almost always hear in our first conversation is that they have been sending out countless resumes over the internet with nearly zero response from potential employers.

The internet can be a successful way to find jobs but if you do it wrong you can find yourself feeling burnt-out and anxious from hours of surfing, sending and waiting.

Here are three powerful tips to get your internet job search activity running smooth and easy with lots of great results.

Tip #1: Use a job aggregator

This single tip is worth its weight in gold. Using a job aggregator (a beta search engine) works just like Google. You type in what you are looking for and where you are looking for it and it brings you back results from major and minor job boards, associations and companies. My favorite is indeed.com. It’s super easy and intuitive.

Tip #2: Don’t just use the internet to search for jobs

To truly be committed to making your next career move a really good one you must honor that commitment by using other, non traditional methods to look for jobs. I prefer tapping into the 80% of the job market that isn’t advertised. Through doing this you can quickly identify your target market, best companies and associations to contact, land more interviews and get bigger offers.

It works like this because positions that have yet to be advertised are generally more creative and flexible in terms of what the company is looking for, salary ranges and the hiring process in general is strikingly easier and more informal than the typical rigid HR process a job that has been turned over to them entails.

Now if you are interested in finding out more about the unadvertised market for a very tiny investment I suggest you look at the “Events With Mary Elizabeth” section of this newsletter where I am offering you a very special pre-release price on my new electronic guidebook which is all about the hidden job market.

Tip #3: Delete you other job board email alerts

If you have been jumping from board to board setting up email alerts and accounts now is the time to delete (yes delete) all of your email alerts from the various job boards. This will get rid of all that overwhelm (and lots of junk advertisements) that come into your email in box. Replaced with the elegant and powerful job aggregator that you can easily set up email alerts on – brand new positions that are matches for you will be delivered to your email in box daily.

And one last small tip – I recommend spending no more than 30 minutes each day on reviewing jobs on the internet. Yes you may find your next dream job from the internet but creating a plan to use 2 or 3 other techniques for landing the job you really want will serve you much better than the small 1 to 4% response rate internet jobs generally yield from electronic job boards.

 

Ahhhhhh….the mysterious unadvertised job market.

I dedicate this article to all those professionals out there who have heard about the hidden market but wonder why you should concern yourself with it.

This is not only a topic I love because I specialize in showing my clients how to succeed in landing a job using the unadvertised or hidden market, but a topic I can talk all day about! So I am splitting this article up into small, easy to digest sections in order to bring you the straight talk about the benefits you stand to gain by using non traditional job seeking methods.

So lets begin with a true or false:

True or false: With all the jobs listed on the internet today I don’t need to concern myself with any “hidden” job market.

False. That is, if you care about getting more than a measly 1-to-3% response rate from the resumes you send out using major job boards.

In other words, did you send out 50 resumes using job boards and you still haven’t heard anything back? Well by these standards your only problem is you haven’t begun to send out enough resumes yet…yikes!

The good news about these stats is that there are a whole bunch of job seekers out there that just started to feel a whole lot better about themselves. The bad news is that this proves job boards are a really depressing, hard and painful way for the majority of us to land great jobs.

True or false: I should only answer jobs that are advertised – because I will look stupid if I send my resume to a company when I have no idea if they need someone like me.

False. Way back when I had my own executive recruiting firm I remember client companies telling me “we don’t have any immediate needs right now but if you find a superstar please don’t forget about us, we want to see their resume!”

Not only do companies always make time for people who are “superstars” (and a lot of this has to do with the way you market yourself to them) but most companies go through at least five steps to fill a position before they will post the position to a major job board.

Think about it: if you have a key position that just opened up in your company is the first thing you do pick up the phone and call Monster? No of course not!

You get on the phone to a few trusted colleagues. You look to see if anyone already on board is qualified to be promoted to it or alert your staff to refer someone they might know. You launch an intimate grass roots campaign to try and fill this position wwaaayyy before the general public is notified. And if after a few weeks if the position is still not filled perhaps you contact a related association to post the job on their member’s only job board or you contract a recruiter.

True or false: I have heard the interview process is shorter and the salary package can be significantly higher with unadvertised opportunities.

True! Why? Because when you pursue unadvertised jobs you are almost always talking with the company key decision-makers right from the start. You have more creativity to sell your skills and build the value of who you can be to the company. And finally because these interviews usually lack the formality of a full blown-human resource driven candidate-search, your competition is significantly lower AND the salary terms are less likely to be chiseled in stone. I have seen this play out to my clients favor time after time!

True or false. I am not “high enough up” the ladder to seek out unadvertised opportunities. The hidden job market only applies to executives.

False. ANYONE and I mean even if you are right out of college can enjoy the benefits of the hidden job market. These jobs are available on all levels and in virtually all industries.

The trick is to hone your focus so you actually achieve the results you want. (more on that later!)

So why should you care about the unadvertised market? Because for you, it means more job opportunities, more market leverage, less competition, shorter interview processes and bigger offers. Golly, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to keep pumping out resumes via the internet when you can have all of this control over your next career move!

Stay tuned for next weeks article where I will reveal powerful tips on tapping into this market yourself!  

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty details of how to counter a job offer.

Most professionals, when asked why they don’t counter their job offers share that they are simply afraid they will loose the opportunity.

After helping hundreds of professionals negotiate job offers I am happy to share with you I have never seen an offer pulled as a result of a counter offer.

That’s not to say it could never happen.. but my question would be –all things being equal if a potential employer did that, would you really want to work for them?

But back to point: the first thing to do when you receive a job offer is first off; make sure to get all of the details of the offer.

Then enthusiastically thank them! You might not be thrilled with the details of the offer but now is NOT the time to negotiate! Thank them and ask for a day or two to go over the details of the offer.

Now compare the terms of the offer with your professional goals. How many points does the offer satisfy…starting with the salary?

Make notes on each point of the offer compared to your professional goals. You must determine how important each point is to you. Title them A, B and C. Put the A’s at the top of your list. For example:

A list

Salary offered: $125k

Salary goals: $145k

Vacation offered: 2 weeks

Vacation goals: 4 weeks

Relocation package offered: 15k

Relocation goals: 20k plus temporary housing

When you are ready, connect with your potential employer and let them know you are excited to discuss the offer with them. A key point here is you will do well to smile and be as positive and enthusiastic as possible! If you act somber, concerned or pessimistic you will bring down the energy of the deal and in turn dampen the excitement of your contact person!

So, begin where you left off by thanking them for the offer and sharing with them how excited you are about the opportunity.

Then indicate that you would like to go over a few points of the offer.

If you are negotiating the salary range, always begin there. State to your contact that although everything about the offer is great, you were hoping that the salary range at the level and responsibility of the position would be more along the lines of $­­­­____.

If the salary is in a competitive range for your position you might do well to stay within a 20% negotiation range (You can check salary ranges by title and location using salary.com).

Wait for them to respond to your statement before you say anything else.

If they indicate that is a do-able figure then congratulations! Now you can discuss whatever other points are important to you… be it stock options, vacation time, relocation, bonuses or insurance.

If however your contact states they cannot offer you more – you can do one of two things:

You can state that you are still excited about the position and ask to move forward to discuss a few other components of the offer.

OR

You can state that you are still excited about the position and that you know they can work something out that is a WIN for everyone. Then ask if you can make another suggestion. That suggestion can include a signing bonus and/or a six month job review/raise based on your performance.

Using these negotiations techniques here are just a few successes I have seen my clients have over the years:

5% to 20% average increase in original salary offer

2k to 25k signing bonuses

25% increases in bonuses

4 months relocation housing covered

10% increase in relocation package

…and more!

I hope these simple methods will help you too…ask for and get more money!

I am always surprised when I am talking to an executive in the midst of an interview…and they share with me how they approached the money topic.

Here are two very common things I hear:

“They asked me how much I needed and I said at least $250k”

“I asked them what they had in mind for their salary package”

What most people don’t realize is that these two statements put ALL the power in the hands of the employer! So, to alleviate these negative events from happening and successfully negotiate the maximum salary package possible, here are several powerful tips:

Tip #1: Never give financial ultimatums before the actual offer is made

The first statement automatically puts the primary focus on the money.

While the value that the executive brings to the company (you know all those things the company should be getting more and more excited about?) takes a back seat!

So save your ultimatums for after the formal offer (more on this later).

Tip #2 Never be the first to bring up money

The second statement simply shows that the executive is willfully putting the money ahead of his or her value to the company – not exactly a motivator for the company, is it?

Tip #3 Focus on the value you bring to the table

The more they want you…the more they will pay to get you. Simple as that.

Remember the last big thing you really, really wanted? It’s funny how we can come up with the money for things we really want because we place its value at the top of our list. And even though people are not things, the emotions that get evoked in a job interview when a company really, really wants someone – are essentially the same.

So the object of your focus should be – what can I focus on that is going to make this company get really, really excited about hiring me? I guarantee you the answer to that is not going to be how much they are going to pay you..unless you have offered to work for free.

Tip #4 Give money ranges

When asked how much salary you need or how much you made in your previous position you can give a range. This does two things: it doesn’t allow the company to fix a salary point on you (i.e. 50k or 100k or 350k) that could very well be too high or too low or just a continual point of focus. You need that potential employer to be focused on how they can get you on board (because of all the great skills and abilities you bring to them – that is going to help them drive revenue, increase productivity or launch a new product, service etc…)

So you can say something like:

“For the last couple years my total compensation package has ranged between ___ and ___. The wider your range the better”

Then you can add:

“Since we are on the subject do you have a range in mind budgeted for the position?”

Tip #5 Don’t negotiate at the time the offer is made

When you are receiving your offer – no matter what the offer entails, keep a straight face! You can ask to have a day or two to go over the offer and get back to them which will give you time to formulate your thoughts. You really need this time to come down from the “WOO HOO I got an offer!” high.

If the offer is your dream offer you can accept it. If the offer is too low you can put a counter on the table.

Anyone can negotiate the best offer possible using these techniques that honor you and the value you can bring to your next career opportunity!

More on specific negotiating strategies in part II!

 

Knowing what triggers a company’s interest and quickly motivates them to sit up and take notice of you is powerful knowledge that you can use over and over again.

Of course, each situation is different but the running themes that connect them are the same. Here are several motivators you can begin using to increase a companies interest in you:

Motivator #1 You can solve a problem they have

Perhaps you read about it in a job ad or in a news article. No matter where, a company that has a challenge will appreciate your attention to it and willingness to be either a part of the solution or THE solution!

Motivator #2  You have little, if any competition

Don’t wait for a job ad to post on a major job board before you connect with you companies of choice!

Connect with a decision maker (not human resources) and express your interest and qualifications. Companies ALWAYS have a need for talented people across all departments – so why wait when responding to a job board ad means competing with hundreds of other resumes? Compounded by the fact that over 80% of jobs aren’t even advertised!

Motivator #3 You have a REALLY impressive resume

This is where hiring a resume writer really pays off. One of my clients told me he landed a great interview in a new industry he was targeting. When he got there, the first thing the interviewer told him was “I just had to meet the man behind this resume!” Needless to say, the interview went very well and he got the job!

A compelling resume is just one component of a successful job search, but it is a powerful help to have your interviewer “primed up” by impressing them with a resume that builds the excitement of meeting you!

Motivator #4  You are enthusiastic

You will score BIG BIG POINTS if during your interview you find an opportune time to say “I am really impressed with your company and I can definitely see myself working here” or “I am really excited about this position” or even “I want this job!” Just think about it, would you want to hire someone who didn’t want to work with you? Of course not!

Motivator #5  You are positive

There is no deal breaker like a string of negative questions and answers. People that are critical thinkers have to be especially careful about coming off too quiet or too questioning in interviews (my engineering, technology and finance friends you know who you are J).

You don’t have to be something that you are not – but take a little time to prepare for your interviews putting a special focus on the positive responses you can give, PLUS (and this is a big plus) stories about your accomplishments! Critical thinkers and introverts can display their brilliance and their aptitudes just as easy as outgoing people as long as they take time to prepare for their interviews.  

These are simple but tried and true techniques that are easy to overlook but pay off in more generous offers if you take the time to incorporate them into your job search strategy!

Cover letters are so critically important to making the right first impression; you just can’t afford to go wrong here.

It can be tempting to want to skimp on really making sure your cover letter shines if you are applying for multiple jobs each week. But the good news is there are some really powerful tips I am going to share with you that will make this task efficient and highly effective!

These are the same tips I apply to my clients’ cover letters – letters that secure them multiple interviews!

Here are several ways to easily get started crafting highly compelling cover letters that get great results:

Tip #1 Shorter is better

I know a career consultant who writes cover letters for 500k+ executives who never uses more than 100 power-hitting words. I fell in love with this technique the moment I heard of it. It makes total sense!

Here’s how to do it:

Write your letter, then come back in a couple hours and take out all of the superfluous words and phrases you find. Next, highlight all of your BEST words and phrases (you will probably have a couple to add or reword at this point). Finally, revisit your letter in an hour and edit any erroneous words just one more time. Now you are left with a tight, crystal clear letter, brimming with power hitting terminology!

You won’t have to do this with every cover letter you write. After you practice this technique a couple times you will quickly learn to get it right the first time!

Tip #2 Simplify your language

Want to know the mark of a really good cover letter? Give it to someone to read who is in another industry. If they are impressed by your accomplishments and can understand what you are communicating, this is a really good sign you have an effective letter! 

Specifically, your letter should be understandable by someone not directly linked to your position of interest. It should be simple and clearly outline your accomplishments.

A big mistake I often see in executive level cover letters is a string of hundred dollar words in a sentence. Check your letter and remove any strings of “eye-glazers” as I like to call them. You will be amazed how this will lighten and brighten up your letter instantly.

Tip #3 Be focused – be clear

You must know why you are writing what you are writing. Either you are writing a general value proposition about your strengths and achievements in a particular role (CEO/COO/VP of Operations etc.) or you are responding to a job opening.

In either case, you want to be completely focused on communicating your maximum value. If you shine in two key areas, write about them and remember to finish your statements with examples of results you have obtained. If you can add a % or $ to those results, that is preferable.

If you are responding to an actual job description, the most important thing you can do is highlight all the key words and phrases in that job description that you match and parrot those key words and phrases back in your cover letter. If you have ever written a job description, you know just how maddening it is to read through a stack of cover letters that mention little, if anything that matches what you are looking for! A resume attached to a cover letter such as this rarely gets read.

Using these three simple, yet powerful, tips will help increase companies’ interest in you as you confidently set the tone and pace for leadership and control, so you can secure more interviews!