But you know what?

These bosses found out that they could continue to “make do” with the reduced staffing levels and still keep things moving.

After all, overhead expenses (read: salaries) were kept low because a certain group of people were shouldering the burden of the work… and they kept at it, day in and day out.

But beyond just handling additional work that is the direct result of being short staffed, some people simply do more in their jobs than others. Not everyone can be an on-the-job super hero who always seems to have a superhuman ability to get a phenomenal amount of work done without even breaking a sweat.

But these overachievers can and do pay a price.

Sometimes, doing too much can be your undoing.  Some bosses might feel threatened by someone who is super-competent in their job, and worry that you are after their job next. Others might be concerned that you’ll get bored and start looking for new opportunities.  But the worst are the abusers – the supervisors that are only too happy to keep loading you up with additional work… in which case, you become their dumping ground for unwanted or undesirable projects.

And don’t forget about how other employees might perceive someone who is outdistancing them on performance levels.  Co-workers might start seeing you as a “brown-noser” looking for ways to suck up to the boss, or even worse, they are worried about how awesome you are performing because it can cause management to have increased scrutiny to their own activities to see why they aren’t at that same level.

It is a tough situation. You always want to do the best at your job because ultimately, it’s your performance that is what you are judged by in your annual reviews.

And there IS a silver lining of being really good at what you do:  You cultivate a brand of excellence and action, demonstrate competency, and learn new things. But more importantly, you become indispensable.  The job may be eliminated, but you won’t be.

Are you a top performer? What challenges have you experienced by being “best-in-class” at what you do? What benefits have you realized?

Love to hear your stories!

One of them recently just left a business to take a job at a different company and was filling us in on the details of her new position.

But then she paused.

And provided a startling insight that many businesses often overlook… which is very shocking.

At her previous employer, no one (still) has not bothered to check voice mails being left at her old extension, NOR on the business cell phone she had turned in.  Messages coming into her former email address were also still going unanswered, according to a former colleague still working at the company.

Unbelievable.  Given the fact that this person was in a high-profile sales role, it’s not too hard to imagine that many of the inquiries coming in are potential customers looking to get a quote or even book business.

What happened in that moment of inaction and lack of proactive thinking meant that the company has actually exposed a brand weakness: they are not taking care of their clients and sending a clear message: the leadership doesn’t care. All of which further underscores the inelegant handling that many companies engineer around the departure of employees.

Of course, some businesses “get it” and immediately redirect inbound inquiries to interim personnel or support staff to make sure that business continues on uninterrupted.

But many don’t.

In this same conversation, I found out that another industry colleague had left their job at a separate company.

There was, in this case, an auto-responder put on this person’s email notifying people of the following:  ”I am not here.”   Given this is also a high-profile business and position, what on earth is that saying to potential customers if they send an email and get this kind of reply?? I was horrified. This would absolutely turn off any potential customers…  I know I would send my business elsewhere if I got this kind of message in return to a booking inquiry!

The reality is that truly effective HR departments will take steps to smooth over employee departures to make sure the company doesn’t lose any brand momentum and sales.  They will:

1) Determine an appropriate (and capable) interim person to direct callers to who can handle inquiries.

2) If no one is specifically tapped to handle inbound inquiries, then a staff member should be appointed to routinely check voice mails and emails to let customers know that there is a “live body” at the company who cares about their business.

3) If the departing employee is leaving on good terms with the company, it helps to smooth over the transition if they can leave a friendly, helpful outbound message letting customers know how their request will be handled by the company. It preserves the employee’s brand during their time at the company while solidifying the company’s commitment to the customer by making sure they are serviced.

I’d love to hear them…from my own experience, this is a chronic problem that is not addressed at many businesses. What horror stories have you heard about companies shooting themselves in the proverbial foot during employee transitions?

As a career center adviser for a college, she wanted to know how to equip students in handling employer stereotyping and discrimination. Many of the students she was working with made it to the interview stage, but encountered racism and discrimination that ended up in them not getting the nod to be hired.

What an absolutely life-crushing moment.

Students emerge from school absolutely idealistic about the opportunities in front of them, only to have their biggest dreams squashed by small-minded employers who can’t see past their own bias to recognize the wealth of experience and ideas that these students offer.

Discrimination is a real problem that continues to afflict the workforce… whether employers admit it or not.

So what kind of advice could the radio show panelists offer the adviser who was advocating for her students?

The discussion between the three of us on the show split exactly three different ways.

Eric, the moderator, suggested that students should be proud and not be afraid to include information about affiliations that might reveal things about race, religion,political affiliations, and gender preferences.  Bluntly, he said that if employers were going to be discriminatory on those points, then the students probably didn’t want to work there.

I absolutely applaud this viewpoint, and couldn’t agree more.  But again, I see this as idealistic. The reality is that there are a lot of employers out there who do not practice or follow through on diversity initiatives.  This further limits the “pool” of jobs where these students can apply.

Mark, the other panelist, suggested another approach.  Students should  be looking at smaller companies and start ups because they are starved for talent and are more quick to snap up qualified applicants regardless of their background. New businesses are definitely looking to gain the upper hand over competitors and the owners are more hungry for energy and talent.  But the downside to this viewpoint is that while bigger companies might have institutional discrimination at the center of their core, smaller companies often don’t have a formal human resources infrastructure to ensure that discrimination doesn’t enter into some aspect of the application screening process.  Who is to say that at Friday at 5pm the day the application closes, behind closed doors, the employer is sifting through the pile of resumes and sees something they don’t like?  You know what happens next: “Oopsie… I never received that document.”

My take on how to help the caller:  Most career industry professionals counsel clients to leave off any personal activities that are not relevant to the job in order to neutralize the document from potential discriminatory practices.  Does a potential employer need to be informed your religion? Is that relevant to the job being performed? My take: if it is not relevant, leave it off.  That can help in getting to the interview.

But the real tool in helping students navigate through the tricky waters of discriminatory employers lies in networking.   Anything they can do to learn more about the target company culture and what they value is going to help them get past the interview… and into the job.  By activating an internal advocate at the company, not only does that put more weight and gravitas to the student’s application, but this company “mole” can also give advice on what the employer values and if diversity is truly a company culture advocacy area.  Many businesses purport to be focusing on diversity initiatives but stop short before actually “walking the walk” – so having someone on the inside can help give students a better perspective about a culture fit.

I’d love to hear what you think about this issue.

What other advice could you offer this caller and anyone else facing hiring discrimination? What has worked for you? What hasn’t?

The end result?

Many are suspicious of writers, and this feeling has been amplified by similar horror stories (albeit rare) in the media.

Most ethical writers, however, are active members in either Career Directors International or The National Resume Writers’ Association, and genuinely care about their client’s success. Happy clients, after all, refer friends, family members, colleagues, and business contacts as new business to the writer.  Writers are very well aware of the power of referrals and how their service, quality of work, and overall performance factors into their company reputation, and will do anything to try and protect it.

If you are considering hiring a career services professional to work on your resume, take a moment to ask yourself the following questions:

1) Does the writer have a professional online presence?  Resume writing is all about marketing, so being good at marketing clients should also mean that the writer is good at marketing themselves/their business.

2) Does the writer have a strong company/personal brand themselves? Resumes today require a personal branding statement. Does the writer present a strong company brand themselves that would build your comfort level that they could do the same for you?

3) Are they certified? Not every excellent writer is certified, but having an industry designation means that the writer has met a certain criteria level to present themselves as experts in the field.

4) Do they have a strong portfolio of credentials that reassure you about their integrity?  Check and see if they are a member of a reputable organization or local business group.  What does their LinkedIn profile say about them?

5) Is there a culture fit?  Take the time to follow the “rule of 3″ – call three different writers and get a sense of who they are as a person. Do you feel like you connect with any of them? This project, after all, will be discussing some of your most personal goals and career situations, and getting a feel of who the other person is will help you build trust in their ability to best serve you. Not every writer is the perfect fit for everyone. My advice: go with your gut!

6) Don’t rule out virtual writers.  Many potential clients want to meet face-to-face, which is fine for local writers, but don’t rule out the possibility of leveraging Skype or other video chats to make that connection with a writer.

 7) Make sure you understand what the terms are.   Good writers have a project agreement form or contract that spells out the scope of services being provided.   It provides a clear statement of what you are being provided with and what you can expect in exchange for your payment.

8)You get what you pay for.  If you are thinking “cost” versus “investment” – you might want to shift your paradigm.  Cost means that this is something you pay for and get nothing in return, whereas investment means that there is a return on what you do invest (to yourself).   Many people in the “cost” mindset are shocked at what writers charge but the truth is that if viewed from an “investment” perspective, you’ll see the value of shortening a job search with an updated and optimized document which can be easily recouped within the first paycheck of your new job.  So, if you get turned off by the investment required by professional writers and turn to some of the ads on Craigslist… you’ll get exactly what you spent: a $35 resume that goes nowhere.

Picking a career services professional to help you on this important project requires careful consideration and investigation in order to make the wisest investment possible!

As I walked into the crowded room of about 200 professionals, I remembered that keeping up the art of networking requires you to keep working at it. Like exercising a muscle, you need to keep flexing it in order to keep it in shape.

Not that I have any excuse… I have been (ahem) a little negligent myself lately in getting out into true networking situations where I don’t know anyone.  A heavy client load and multiple projects have kept my time constrained to running from appointment to appointment, with no time (or energy) to commit to going to any after-hours networking events. I’ve been too exhausted.

But that is no excuse.

I realized it had been awhile since the last networking event that I had attended, and silently resolved to get myself back out there.

So as I entered that room, I suddenly realized how flabby my networking muscle was.  And I’ll admit it: I was scared since I knew a total of two people out of that crowd.

Why was I scared?

Because deep down, I am actually a horrifically shy person.  And when anyone who is shy is thrust into a setting where it is densely packed and they don’t really know anyone, the natural instinct is to clam up and find a corner of the room for shelter.

It was all I could do to force myself into the heaving crowd.  But I did it.

When people reveal to me that they are shy or have a hard time networking, I know that pain… personally. But you CAN get past it and it can open up new doors in ways you couldn’t have imagined.

During the event, I pushed myself past the shyness envelope, made eye contact with strangers, and stuck out my hand to say hello.  I met a lot of people that night through the power of networking.

One gentleman  I met was interested in resume writing services for himself (he contacted me later to follow up- a good sign); another was slipping past a door I was standing near and I jokingly said, “In order to pass, you need to introduce yourself.”  Turns out he was an executive coach and after chatting, we set up a meeting the very next day to figure out how we could refer business to each other.

And a client of mine (one of the two people I knew at the event) was chatting with another gentleman to whom she introduced me… turns out he was involved with a workforce board and we had a lot to discuss. Since then, we have met in person over coffee and shared ideas over email.

So if you say that you are shy and that is the reason why you aren’t good at networking, that is a self-imposed barrier you have put up in front of yourself.  Yes, it can be uncomfortable.  But here are a few quick tips for you to get through that initial awkward conversational stage and transform the people that you meet at events into powerful contacts in your network:

1) Be fearless. Walk up, stick out your hand, introduce yourself, ask them about what they do, then shut up.  People love to talk about themselves. So let them.  Being quiet means you don’t have to come up with things to talk about and you can take their conversational lead!

2) Be well-read.  Keeping up with current events and business trends gives you a treasure trove to draw from in terms of conversational topics.

3) Initiate a call to action. If you want to learn more, there’s only so much you can chat about comfortably in a crowded room. Suggest to meet the person over coffee in a less busy setting.  You’ll both be more relaxed and the ideas can flow more freely.

4) Follow up in 24 hours. Don’t shove the person’s card in your drawer and call it good. That’s not networking. That’s called disposing of your contacts (I am not talking about the kind you stick in your eyes).  Email messages are good, but even a nice little hand-written note can lend some distinction to your thoughtfulness.

5) If the conversation isn’t working out very well, release the person.  You can always excuse yourself if they have lost interest or there isn’t any rapport building.  (Or if they are looking over your shoulder!)  Say, “Well, it was nice meeting you and we should both probably mingle a little more… thanks again for chatting!” and then let them go.  Sometimes, shy people have a habit of clinging to people that they are able to talk to and then never letting them go.  Don’t be one of those networkers!  The purpose is to meet as many people as you can.

Don’t let yourself become your own worst obstacle to networking.  Get out there, and get a networking workout… the more you do it, the easier it will become!

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Alison Hillman and Mike Del Ponte of BranchOut and learned more about this helpful Facebook application. There are so many people who have built large networks on Facebook (I’m thinking specifically of recent college graduates, but anyone with more than 100 friends is included) and could benefit from tapping into their personal connections to help them find employment. It is yet another tool to help you nurture relationships.

Ali graciously accepted my invitation for an interview to help enlighten readers of the benefits and successes of BranchOut! Enjoy learning more about how BranchOut can help your job search.

Ali: 
BranchOut has been in the news quite a bit lately. Forbes reported that BranchOut now has 3.4 million monthly active users. For those who don’t know about it yet, what are the top reasons someone should be using the BranchOut app on Facebook?

It’s been really exciting, it kind of feels like I am on a winning sports team! If you are looking for a job, a networking opportunity or a sales lead, BranchOut is your one-stop-shop. BranchOut automatically turns your Facebook network (friends and friends-of-friends) into professional connections. This means you can see who you know at the companies you want to work for or network with to get a warm introduction. We also have the largest job board on Facebook.

On BranchOut, you create a professional profile so you have an online presence that you can point professional contacts to when looking for a job or networking. Your BranchOut profile does not include any personal information; our use of limited information keeps your private life on Facebook and your professional profile on BranchOut.

If you are a recruiter, you have a lot to look forward to! BranchOut is offering recruiting solutions that are bridging the gap between passive and active candidates with companies looking to hire by offering the most innovative social recruitment solutions on Facebook. The numbers say it all, BranchOut lets recruiters tap into 3.4+ million professionals on Facebook.

Hannah: What are some ways you’ve heard job seekers use BranchOut to get the attention of people and/or companies that have openings?

Ali: As a Community Manager, I have the pleasure of being the first to learn how BranchOut users leverage their professional presence to find new jobs. I hear all kinds of creative stories from all kinds of users (students, veterans to C-class executives). My favorite BranchOut success story is my own! In fact, around 30% of internal BranchOut employees are BranchOut success stories.

I met Kai Fortney and Rebecca Meissner at a networking event in San Francisco. Despite having a great conversation about an open Community Manager role, I observed that they spoke with a LOT of people that evening and from the looks of it, they had a LOT of great conversations. Rather than email Kai my resume in the same slightly generic way that I assumed most people he met that evening would, I looked on BranchOut to see if we knew anyone in common that could professionally introduce me to Kai and lend me creditability. I made sure that I updated my BranchOut profile’s picture; content and even asked for endorsements from past colleagues who could attest why I was a great employee. I even went so far as to update my twitter to include my BranchOut Vanity URL in my bio.

Turns out the old saying is true, birds of a feather really do flock together! Kai and I had a few professional contacts in common. Once introduced to Kai through a mutual connection, I messaged him and set up time to chat. The rest is history. Without having a mutual connection with Kai, I would not have been able to get the inside connection and my email would have gone into a black hole.

Hannah: You know BranchOut better than almost anyone. What are some of your favorite features for job seekers?
Ali: This is a hard one; I have lots of favorite features to choose from! On BranchOut’s CareerConnect, companies can post jobs onto their Facebook page so that fans can see open listings and even share the listings with their friends and colleagues who might be great fits. Potential applicants can see who they know at companies to get the inside introduction. We are all about friends helping friends find great jobs.
My favorite part about CareerConnect is the ability for companies to show off their company culture via video, Twitter etc. right on their Facebook page so that applicants can get a sneak peak as to what it’s like to work at the company.

Hannah: I am sure you get testimonials a lot. What has been your favorite job seeker success story?
Ali: I recently heard a very heartwarming story about a BranchOut early adopter who had been in and out of the hospital due to a disability that prevented him from finding work and keeping a steady job. He went back to school in hopes that another degree would help him find a job. While in school, he became friendly with a woman whose daughter was also on BranchOut. She worked at a very reputable Internet company and his friend recommended that they connect about a possible opening at the company. They chatted and she felt he would be a great fit and internally recommended him for the role.
Aside from having the skillset and qualifications to be very successful, getting the inside connection was a huge factor for him to be considered. He is now working from home and loving his new job!

Guest Post by Allison Hillman, Community Manager, BranchOut
After graduating UC Davis with a BA in American Studies (think: sociology of American culture), I started my career at Yelp.com where I became fueled by ideas about why certain trends evolve, become talked about and then turn into the way we make our social and spending decisions. I have an affinity for social media and how it intersects with creative problem solving to create effective solutions. After Yelp, I led Levi’s Shape What’s to Come social media campaign as the division’s Community Manager. Today, I am BranchOut’s Community Manager and couldn’t be any happier working for the most innovative, fastest growing and largest professional network on Facebook. If you haven’t checked BranchOut out yet, please join us today! www.branchout.com!

Common sense prevails, though, and most of the time, we silently suffer in hostile and often toxic workplaces simply because we need the money or benefits.

So that begs the question: Is there ever a right time to quit a job?

It depends, say experts. But one thing you never want to do is storm out in protest. You never want to cave into an emotional impulse in the heat of the moment… deciding to quit a job should be a well-thought out and rationalized decision. There are many things to consider.

Leaving a job without having another one lined up puts your entire career at risk due to the potential for an extended period of unemployment while you try to land another position.  Plus, there’s the financial wallop to your savings account until your next real paycheck. Then, there’s the resulting liability on your résumé when a gap appears between jobs which always raises the eyebrows of potential employers.

But aside from these usual warnings, what do you do if things are so bad that you can’t take it anymore?

The decision truly falls on you conducting an assessment of your current circumstances, and you will need to weigh the pros and cons of staying or leaving to figure out the right decision for your unique situation.

But most professionals would agree that the following situations are compelling reasons to pull up stakes and cut your losses:

1)      Someone is out to get you. It could be a boss or a co-worker, but if you find yourself looking over your shoulder and trying to make sure you aren’t being sabotaged every single day, you are playing a losing game.  You should try to resolve whatever issue they have against you – and if there is a human resource department that can act as an intermediary, then avail yourself of those services. But, if after repeated attempts to come to some kind of peaceful understanding, they still are out to get you, you can either leave or continue to put up with it and worry about what they might be up to next.

2)      The company is engaged in illegal activities.  You could be associated with these activities simply by being an employee and possible subpoenaed if there is any legal action taken against the company.   If this is the case, it’s a good idea to consult a lawyer on the proper legal measures you might need to take in order to distance yourself from those activities and exit the company… to reduce your own accountability risk.

3)      The workplace is a hostile environment. If everything you try to do at work is met with hostility, obstacles, or general impediments to your ability to do the job you were hired to do, then you need to question the reason why you are there in the first place.  If you are bringing workplace issues and anxiety home with you, you might want to think about the mental cost you are suffering.  Try to find a solution internally, but if there is no resolution in sight, it might again be a good idea to move on.  If the company won’t give you the right tools so you can do your job, you are fighting a losing battle.

4)      You’ve screwed up, big-time.  If you have had an #EPICFAIL on-the-job, it will always be in the back of the minds of your co-workers and boss.  The damage is done, and your credibility will always be in question… will you be inclined to make the same mistake… again?

5)      You are experiencing discrimination or harassment. Illegal? Yes. Taxing to you? Absolutely. But these two workplace demons still exist . Again, going through the proper internal channels to address the problem is the first place to start, but if the problems persist, you may need to hire legal representation to defend your rights. The downside is that this process can take a long time and be very expensive, so be prepared for a long haul.

6)      The company finances are in the toilet.  If people are getting laid off left and right, and senior management are huddled behind closed doors, you might take this as a sign to cut your losses before they cut you. Sure, you could hang in there and hope for unemployment or severance, but the smart thing to do is to start your job search… pronto!

7)      You aren’t growing.  If you are increasingly finding yourself in what seems to be a dead-end job, you are just treading water in your career.  A good employment relationship is one based on give and take, where both the employer and employee benefit. If this doesn’t match your situation, it’s best to start planning on moving on to greener pastures.

Making this decision to leave your employment is never an easy one, and should never be made in haste or in the moment of extreme emotion.  Taking the time to thoroughly analyze the implications of such a decision is important to ensure you don’t act rashly or endanger your future employability. Ultimately, you need to come up with an action plan that based on a plan that benefits your career (and mental health) positively!

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Employers are reportedly engaging in “shoulder surfing” during job interviews, meaning that they require an applicant to access his or her Facebook account for viewing during a job interview.  The issue of whether this is lawful has been percolating for a while in the media, and it is a hot button issue for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), but there does not appear to be any established case law yet.

Obviously, the uncertainty only relates to non-public information that is intended for a person’s select group of “friends.”  Nothing prevents a prospective employer from accessing publicly available Facebook information about an applicant, even though it may be unwise from a human resources standpoint.

The ACLU maintains that requiring access to a Facebook account is an invasion of privacy, but it is unlikely that this would support a legal claim in court, because people who post information on their Facebook pages have no control over whether their friends will share the information with third parties.  Accordingly, they do not have the “reasonable expectation of privacy” that is required for an invasion of privacy claim.

There is also an argument that it violates the Facebook Terms of Use, but that may depend on what the prospective employer actually requests.  For example, a Facebook user promises not to allow third parties to access the account, or provide account information such as passwords.  However, the Terms of Use don’t appear to prevent a prospective employer from asking the applicant to “friend” the interviewer.    If that happened during an interview, there would be no opportunity for the applicant to delete sensitive material before it is viewed.

In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of this issue involves the Stored Communications Act, a federal law that prevents “unauthorized” access to electronically stored information.  In a case out of New Jersey, an employer was found liable for violating this law after an employee was asked to provide access to a private chat room that she shared with other employees.  She did so, and two other employees were fired for negative comments that they made about the company.  At trial, the company managers claimed that the employee voluntarily consented to provide access to the chat room, but the employee testified that she felt pressured to do so.  The jury found that the consent was not voluntary.

Some legal experts have taken the position that this rationale would not apply to job applicants, because they are free to refuse and only risk losing the job prospect.  I’m not convinced that a court would make that distinction between job applicants and current employees, particularly in light of the current job market and how desperate applicants may be to obtain a job.

So, what should you say if a prospective employer asks you for access to your Facebook account?  As discussed above, you could decline on the basis that it would require you to violate the agreement you made with Facebook, and hopefully the interviewer will not attempt to get around this by asking to be “friended.”  You can also decline on the basis that your friends expect you to keep their information confidential.

As a last resort, you can politely ask whether all applicants are being requested to provide this information, and whether there is something about the job position that puts your personal life in issue.  You should follow this up by reassuring the interviewer that you have nothing to hide and you would be happy to answer any questions about your lifestyle or background that are “job-related.”  If the prospective employer persists, then it’s time to consider how much you want the job, and whether you will be comfortable working for an employer that makes this a condition of being hired.

So why is it that we have a difficult time answering this simple little question, especially when there is so much riding on the outcome of your answer?

The problem goes pretty deep, actually. We are taught not to boast about ourselves by our parents, and those words of wisdom are reflected in our overall perception of ourselves.

However,consider this:

In a job search, the target employer is a blank slate and knows nothing about you.  If you can’t even articulate what you offer and the successes that demonstrate that value, how do you expect them to buy what you are selling?   You need to be thinking about how are you going to articulate your attributes in a way that shows your value.

So, do you struggle with this question?

If you do, you need to take a break from your job search and spend some time doing some soul searching on what it is that you offer that makes you valuable to a prospective employer.  Being grounded on your positive impacts to previous companies will give you a basis on which to pitch your services to an interviewer.

In short, you are in charge of painting your own picture of what you can deliver to a potential employer.  Until you make some meaningful strokes to color in the lines of their conceptual canvas of you, the picture will remain blank and disconnected to what you can do for them.

You must embrace your career successes and feel ownership in your contributions… which will lead to a much easier job selling someone else on what you are capable of within the workplace.  Of course, most of the time we work in teams and it was a collective effort that made the project a success, but in order to win over a potential future boss, you need to understand the importance of how your role led to that success, no matter how small it might have been. Everyone contributes something.

If you can tie back your contribution(s) to the success of the organization, you demonstrate an ability to see beyond the daily grind of your job duties and focus on the overall success of the organization, which will present a much more compelling argument as to why an employer would want to hire you.

Finally, put the shoe on the other foot… if you were the boss hiring the prospective employee… what would you want to hear from this person? Them rattling off a litany of job duties, or a persuasive statement backed by concrete examples of wins and successes that benefited a previous employer?

I know what I would choose.

But unfortunately, something bad happened along the way to happy car ownership. The vehicle ended up being a complete and utter lemon. I kept making the 40-minute round trip back to the dealer trying to get the problems fixed, but to no avail. Frustrated, I realized that it was probably best to dump the problem vehicle and bite the bullet… buying yet another car in hopes that starting from scratch would be the best option.

So here I found myself in the dealership yet again.

Most of us grit our teeth in dreaded anticipation of the grueling negotiation process on the actual price of the car.  Me? I actually like it.  It tests my mettle and gives me the opportunity to practice the art of negotiation.  Being relaxed about the process and not caving to emotion helps me understand my negotiating strength as well as my emotional stamina… all valuable skills.

Weird, huh?

But if you think about it, the parallels between salary negotiation and buying a new car are actually uncanny:

• You each want a deal to happen. Car dealerships want to move inventory and you need a vehicle… and similarly, you want the job and they have brought you in for the interview because they think you could be an asset to the organization.  That’s what brings you both together.
• Each of you should have a good idea of what your end product is worth. The employer has a finite line that they won’t cross in terms of what they will and won’t pay in salary… and you have to be the same way.  Know your value, and stick to it.  Otherwise, it will be a mistake you’ll live to regret… even for years to come.
• You both are trying to get the other person to tip their hand on what their “final number” really is. It’s the big dance, actually, like to adversaries slowly circling each other and trying to find out the other’s weak spot. The weak spot being what that number is and how it can be worked to considerable advantage in the final deal.  Be fair, but also be cautious when disclosing that final number.  Give yourself (and the employer or car dealer) a little wiggle room to be reasonable, but stick to your guns.
• Each of you are trying to highlight the selling points of what you have to offer.  Like trade-ins with a few dents, sometimes our work history has a few dents too, so we are working hard to polish up the rest of our background to make it outshine those imperfections.  Make sure your selling points are standouts to justify your value.
• Keeping emotions out of the negotiation game is paramount to getting what you really want.  The moment that you reveal how badly you want something, you’ve just made it infinitely harder to actually get that because you have just handed over significant negotiation power over to the other person… it’s call the law of supply and demand… otherwise known as not putting all of your eggs into one basket.  Just like that moment when you start to WANT that car or job more than anything else in the WORLD… you have made an emotional connection that can tear at your good sensibilities and cause you to make decisions you’ll regret later… like taking a lower salary.

But the one place that many job seekers don’t pay attention to is this: They aren’t willing to walk when the offer, value, or fit isn’t right.

Of course, it’s one thing to walk when you are discussing buying a car; but a job interview represents your livelihood and has much more on the line in terms of life impact than the car decision.

But why not treat it the same way?  Survival jobs aside, how many times have you taken a job and ground your teeth later that you KNEW you should have walked away and declined accepting the position?  These are the jobs where our hair is on fire, our stomachs churn with acid, we have sleepless nights, and our therapist is getting wealthy from all of our sessions.  Those are the jobs that make us sick every single day, and we hate going to work.

And the kicker?

We know in our heart of hearts that we should have held out for a better deal.

Salary and job negotiation is just like buying a new car… you need to be savvy about what it is that you offer, know what you bring to the table, and be very clear on your “final number” and what you will/won’t accept as the final deal.  Keeping these in mind can help you keep your sanity as well as negotiate to a better outcome.

What happened to me today at the dealership?  I got a square deal.  I got a fair price on my trade-in and on the new car.  The dealership still made some money, but they were in the ballpark of where I wanted to be. I walked out with what I wanted at a price that I liked, and they got some profit and moved some inventory off the lot.  Creating win-win scenarios are what successful negotiations should be all about!