The 15 Rules of Modern Job Search

The 15 Rules of Modern Job Search You probably don’t care how the job search is different today. What you do want to know are the new rules for landing your next job as quickly and painlessly as possible! Here is the new modern job search playbook: 1) Pain is part of the process: Get used to rejection and learn from it because you are going to experience it a lot. People will ignore your emails, offer to help and then won’t deliver, tell you they’ll get back to you and you’ll never hear from them again. 2) You need a plan before you write a resume: Beginning your job search by writing your resume is like getting in your car without knowing where you are going. You will need to take many steps before you are ready to write your resume. Trust in the process. And by the way, your search is going to take you longer than you expect. 3) Find targets, not jobs: Your goal is to be a referred candidate or at least learn about opportunities before they are widely publicized. A proactive job search results when you create a list of companies you would like to work for. You can use this list to help you research companies and find company insiders. You can also share this list with your contacts and ask if they know people who work at any of those companies you could speak with. 4) Job search is all about networking: Networking may be uncomfortable at first or difficult if you don’t know many people; but with some effort and strategic outreach, you can begin building new connections. Networking isn’t a one-time transaction. Treat each encounter with every new person as a first date. Building a trusting relationship takes more than one encounter. And you have to give as much, if not more, than you get.   5) Explain why a company should hire you: Everything you write and say about yourself is a pitch. It is up to you to explain how a company would benefit from hiring you. Learn how to convey your qualifications based on what companies need, not what you want. 6) Use  job boards for intelligence: Job seekers tend to obsess over job boards and spend the bulk of their time posting and praying. Only a small percent of people land their jobs because they applied on-line. Instead, decrease the time you spend on job boards and use the boards to note required skills to ensure you are using the right terms to market yourself. 7) Always use the two-step method to apply You probably don’t know people inside companies you would like to work for…yet. The secret to getting your resume looked at is being a referred candidate. Step one is learning about a job opening, step two is asking a company insider to refer you. 8) Yes, you need a LinkedIn profile! It would be unwise to conduct a job search today and not have a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn has become one of the most popular resources to find talent. Your profile can now function like a portfolio so be sure to embed files and media to show off samples of your work. If you aren’t there, they can’t find you. 9) Think like a marketer: Build an on-line presence through a website, blog, or social media. Promote yourself by sharing content and visuals to generate interest and attract opportunities. Your reputation of excellence and an awareness of your talent will reach a much broader audience. Posting a resume on-line just doesn’t have the same Wow factor. 10) First impressions are lasting impressions: HR, recruiters and hiring managers are human and as much as you may hate to hear it, they are judging you by how you look. Smile, act and look contemporary and dress for the role you are pursuing or one step up. 11) Make your resume a proposal: Instead of viewing your resume as a static, tell-all document, consider it your proposal for employment. This requires you to customize your resume for each company in order to uniquely spell out how you will add value to their company. 12) Always take the hardest route: No matter what question you have during your job search, ask this question “What is harder for me to do?” Let’s say your question is “when should I follow-up?” Your answer will require you do whatever is most uncomfortable or requires more work on your behalf. By the way, the answer was now or one week since you last followed-up. 13) Rehearse your interview answers out loud: You only have one shot to nail the interview. This is why you must practice your answers out loud. Use the STAR format to construct your answer: Briefly outline the situation, the challenge, the actions you took and the results. Your answer should last around 60 seconds. Rambling or spelling out every detail will not win the interviewer over and omitting important and relevant details doesn’t serve you well. 14) Know how and when to negotiate: Almost every job offer has some elements that are negotiable. This is the only chance you’ll get to increase the offer so be sure you know what is important to you and ask in the right way. You can’t negotiate anything until an offer has been extended. 15) The competition is tough be tougher! Companies want the “perfect” set of skills and people who want those jobs are acquiring the skills. You’ll also see job seekers trying new tactics to catch the attention of employers. The bar has been raised and the job search play book has to be updated too.

All You Ought To Know About Office Ergonomics

All You Ought To Know About Office Ergonomics Ergonomically designed offices are increasingly becoming the norm as organizations realize just how important it is in establishing a productive and energized workspace. The discipline of ergonomics looks at how to improve the interaction between people and the equipment, furniture and systems they come into contact with in the workplace. The primary aim of office ergonomics is to minimize the musculoskeletal damage that can be caused from repetitive work, prolonged sitting or incorrect posture. There are a diverse number of ways to implement ergonomic products and ideas ranging from a simple change to your posture to a complete rearrangement of your work table. This ergonomic infographic from GetVoIP will help you keep healthy and productive at work. Below are some tips to help you get started. Poor office ergonomics It can be surprisingly simple to make a mistake from an ergonomic perspective, even if you don’t realize it at first. Often the onset of injuries related to poor ergonomic practices tend to take weeks or months to fully take hold. Some of the problems that arise can significantly hinder a person’s capacity to work including: Carpal tunnel syndrome Repetitive strain injury (RSI) Chronic back pain Tendinitis Ganglion Cysts Below are some of the most important ergonomics tips and practices that you can easily implement to help protect you and your employees from any problems. Correct monitor placement If you’re working in an office then the odds are that you spend a lot of that time looking at a monitor. Correct monitor placement is crucial as many vital neck and back muscles and nerves are involved in the process of turning and holding your head. Straining your neck in an unnatural position to look at your monitor not only harms your neck, but the nerves and muscles in your neck are linked to your back and the pain can soon spread. Your eye level needs to be around 2-3 inches from the top of your monitor so that your neck is not straining upwards or downwards.  Keeping it about an arm’s length away from you is also important to avoid straining your eyes. TIP: if you don’t have a monitor stand, find a couple of large books to place under your monitor to raise it to eye level. Get your posture right Posture is one of the most important factors at play in office ergonomics as the positions your body holds over extended periods of time can determine whether musculoskeletal problems arise or not. Poor postures include: Slouching in your seat Hunching too far forward Raising your arms too high Leaning to one side Perhaps the most important thing to remember to avoid bad posture is to keep your back straight, as this eases the strain on your muscles and joints. Your keyboard and mouse should also be positioned so that your elbows are bent at a 90 degree angle, ensuring that your arms are not raised too high and your wrists aren’t bent. Your arms should be kept fairly close to the side of your body, while there should be few inches of room between the back of your knees and the front of your seat so that blood can flow down to your legs and feet properly. TIP: Alter your chair height if your keyboard and mouse are too high or low, but be sure to adjust the monitor too if required. Regular breaks The human body simply wasn’t designed to sit in an office chair all day, and all manner of health problems can occur from an excessively sedentary lifestyle including a drastic reduction in your metabolic rate. This is why it is vital to take regular breaks from your workstation, even if it is just for a couple of minutes every hour or so. Getting up and walking around helps to keep blood circulating throughout your body and can be a great way to refresh and rejuvenate your body. It also takes the stress off certain muscles and joints that may be overworked from too much sitting. TIP: Try a few yoga stretches at your desk to keep your blood flowing and loosen up your muscles. Eye strain Keeping your eyes healthy is another integral part of office ergonomics. Eye strain can affect those who work with monitors as looking at a screen places strain on the delicate muscles within the eye. The 20-20-20 rule was designed to help combat eye strain, advising people to look away from their screen every 20 minutes at a spot around 20 feet away for a period of 20 seconds, relieving the strain on the eye. The settings on your monitor should also be optimized to further prevent eye strain. Brightness levels should match the level of brightness in the room, whilst a refresh rate of at least 70 Hz can also further help protect you from eye strain. All of these tips should help you happy and healthy at the office. About the author:  Reuben Yonatan is the founder of GetVoIP, a leading VoIP provider comparison resource. As an entrepreneur and tech enthusiast, Reubens expertise is in helping small to mid-size business owners build, maintain, and scale their communication infrastructure. Please include attribution to www.getvoip.com with this graphic.

Make Business Personal - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Make Business Personal - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career People like to say business isn’t personal but it is personal. All of life is people personally interacting with other people. Work is people interacting with people but with money and title attached to it. Personal doesn’t mean inappropriately intimate; you needn’t border on sexting. If you connect on a human level you more quickly connect on a business one. How? Simply ask the person about his interests, goals, and objectives; listen and remember what she said; later, bring it up. Connect human to human, not role to role, or gadget to gadget, or mano to monitor. Who, what , when, why, and how are good words to use. Your tone must be one of honest interest and sincere inquisitiveness not interrogation. Get to know the person behind the computer; the cell phone. Volunteer information about yourself as you ask about others. Every conversation, add a little bit more connection between you aside from the business purpose. Find out, make note, and remember names of spouses, children, hobbies, things going on in the person’s life. Remembering a small thing like a company anniversary, promotion, birthday, child’s name or interest will put you miles ahead of others. Some hesitate to volunteer personal information or hang back when asked. They are not sure yet as to whether they can trust you. Over time they will learn they can. Even if they hesitate, inquire anyway. Give your own answer to the questions you ask of her even if she doesn’t ask. Provide it nonetheless. You make it easy for her to get to know you and therefore be more open with you.

Top 5 Buying Signals in Job Interviews

Top 5 Buying Signals in Job Interviews A job interview is essentially a sales meeting. The product or service you are selling and marketing is yourself. The best sales people are very good listeners and thus your most important interviewing skill is listening. Being a good listener allows you to pick up on the subtle details that could indicate interest; these are known as buying signals. The buying signals will typically come in the shape of questions, comments and reactions to your performance. Buying signals is your clue to an advance in your relationship, this can be a second interview, a technical screening or even a job offer. Here are the top 5 job interview buying signals to keep an eye out for: 1. Your availability When did you say you could start again? When an employer asks this question, it’s safe to assume that they are picturing you in their office doing the job already. If the hiring manager has a big need in their project or sales team for instance, the sooner someone can start the better. Availability shouldn’t be a knock out factor unless it’s down to you and one other candidate who is equally good. Whoever can start earlier will inevitably be offered the position first. In my experience, candidates fare well when they say: “I have one month’s notice but can take vacation days so should be able to start within 3 weeks”. Indicate that you and your current employer can be flexible on your dates. 2. Your price What salary are you looking for? This means the employer is calculating how much money they can make by having you on the team. Unless you get this question, you cannot be sure to progress to the next stage. Everyone wants a price tag on what they are buying, your salary will be it. The trick here is to price yourself high enough so that you are comfortable with the salary moving forward. Never go in too low, as it is notoriously tricky to negotiate your way up. 3. Comments and reactions Verbal buying signals consist of comments like: exactly what I was thinking, good to speak to a fellow expert or that’s the way we should be doing it as well”. When you find the interviewer agreeing with you, deliver some more wisdom and let them soak up every word. 4. Specifics Although a position might require X, Y Z skills, sometimes the hiring manager will have experienced recent issues with a very specific topic that their people are struggling with. You are likely to receive an unusual amount of questions on this particular subject that day. Stick to it and demonstrate that you either know your stuff or you sympathize and are eager to learn more about the topic. You will see buying signals sparkle instantly. Humor the interviewer and keep talking about it as long as they like. By the end of the meeting, you will be soul mates and this will surely improve your chances drastically. Your ability to switch from a general interview spiel to a directed sales pitch could win you the job. 5. Body language Last but certainly not least are the nonverbal buying signals. Is the employer leaning forwards with open arms, smiling and looking you in the eye? Probably a very good sign. Are they slouching back over a chair, checking their BlackBerry and avoiding to look at you? Probably not so good. There are lots of rules for body language, most of it is common sense though. My point is that you should look out for it and work it to your advantage. If one person looks interested and the other isn’t, try to work the uninterested person more and win them over. It goes without saying that your own body language should be that of a very polite and keen candidate. What buying signal told you the job was yours? Which is the most important of them all? Feel free to add a comment below! Related: Do You Know How to Sell Yourself on a Job Interview? Image: Shutterstock

These 5 Books Helped a Kid Quit His Job and Start His Own Business CareerMetis.com

These 5 Books Helped a Kid Quit His Job and Start His Own Business Photo Credit â€" unsplash.comWhat do you think about those success stories where one guy goes from “rags to riches”? I hate them.Why? Because they usually How? Well, there was And more important, do you want to learn how all financially successful people think? You should start reading this book.What’s so special about it? Here’s a something that poor people don’t know. Getting financially successful isn’t just about information. If it were, everyone would be fit and healthy, right? We all know what we need to do to have six packs, right? And if we don’t, a simple Google search will give us all we need.What is it then? It’s the mindset. Successful people think in different ways about money. Here are some critical lessons from this book:a) Work to learn. Don’t work for moneyevalI always thought that if I want to be successful, I have to work hard Of course, I tried to keep it as realistic as I could.Then, I looked at successful entrepreneurs. They all know how to sel l. Whether it’s themselves or their products or services, they know how to influence people. And then I went even further. I tried to think what’s the most critical skill to get a better-paid job, to sell your services or even to get a girl’s number. A standard answer kept coming around: communication and persuasion. So I said to myself “What the heck. This guy is a millionaire. He must know something, right?” Soon after this, I started to work for a marketing company for free to learn how to influence people. Now I use the same skills to work for my own company, have my private clients, decide who I want to work with when I get up and “go to work” and so on. You see, I worked for free for a while. But that free work was only a part of my strategy to achieve my goal.b) Buy things that make money for youDo you recognize this pattern?Probably 80% of people go to work for money. With that money, they buy expensive stuff things that might not need, to keep up with the Jone ses â€" a bigger car, a bigger house, a big TV, etc.Then they have to work even harder to pay for all the new stuff.You know what rich people?Quite the opposite. They invest in things that make them money. Like renting an apartment or investing in a new business. Or buying stock etc. Here’s how I tried to apply this lesson. I was a student, and I had $500 in savings. I also had a dog, and I was a member of a Facebook group of dog lovers. I bought the group Want to make more money? Read this book.Want to convince other people to buy from you? Read this book.Want to become the popular guy in any party/event/conference? You know what I’m going to say ??Here are some lessons I’ve learned and how they helped me in different situations:evala) Don’t criticize, condemn or complainCan you think about a time that you received criticism in some way?Even if you did something wrong, you resented that person, right? We achieve nothing by condemning people. All we manage to accomplish is p ut people on the defense mode. So, what can you do instead?Here’s what I did when colleagues at work did something wrong.Step #1:I tried to come up with an excuse for the other person. I tried to understand why they did what they did.“I should forgive him or her for this because …” and I ended up this sentence with an open mind.Step #2:I started the conversation by letting the other person know that I get them.“Hey, John, I noticed you [insert what he did wrong]. I guess it was probably because [insert some excuse they would tell themselves]. Step #3:I suggested an alternative of improvement.Here’s an alternative how we could improve this.You see, instead of being me vs. him or her, it’s we. And we don’t try to fix something terrible, but we try to improve something.And the best part is that you can apply this to just about anyone.Here’s an email I sent to one of my designers I work with:evalb) Give honest and sincere appreciationInstead of criticizing people, try to see why a person did what he or she did (good or bad, doesn’t matter) and appreciate them.Did they achieve some great results? Congratulate them.Did they screw up? Appreciate them for trying and suggest a way to improve.“Ok, but people sense flattery right away!?” You are right. So here’s how a trick to avoid sounding fake: be specific. Instead of saying: “What a nice dress,” try “I like how your purse goes with this flowery dress.”Or, let’s say you send an outreach email to ask for something. Try not to be vague like: “I liked your article about this subject.” Instead, focus on the details:Listen 80% of the time. Talk only 20%This will help you win more friends and clients than anything else. Why?Think about it. Who are you more interested in you or me? You, of course. It’s perfectly reasonable, right?Here’s how I used this to improve my conversion rate for my dental marketing agency dramatically. Instead of boasting my skills and trying to convince peo ple that I provide the best dental marketing strategies on the planet I asked a lot of questions. I asked things like:Why does this work?Because people feel that you want to help them and you’re not interested only in the money.Remember:Ask questions. Listen 80% of the time and talk only 20%.3) Getting things done (David Allen)Starting a business can be pretty hard. Starting a business while having a 9 to 5 job can be exhausting.I usually got home after 6 pm. So I had only a couple of hours left to:Learn new thingsGet my first clientsGet results for my new clientsThe problem is, when you are overwhelmed, you can’t think straight anymore. And then you feel stuck. And then your business doesn’t grow. So you get caught up in this vicious circle. So, how did I manage to do twice as more in half the time?Here are just a couple of tricks:a) Organize your week and set prioritiesYou know that feeling when you’re super busy, but you see no results? This is because we usually focus on the big picture. We’re busy instead of efficient.So here’s what you can do to avoid my mistakes. Take some time at the beginning of each week and write down:Things you managed to do the previous weekThings you didn’t manage to doAnd are your goals for the next weekBut there’s something more here. There are always unexpected situations that come up. This is why you need to make sure the most important tasks â€" those that help you achieve your goal â€" get done first.Here’s how my weekly plan overview looks like:b) Break tasks into actionable steps and assign a time-frame for each of themHere’s an example of how I used to plan my tasks:See how vague they are?They’re not:SpecificMeasurableActionableTime specificAnd here’s how they look now:c) Prepare for the inevitableSometimes you feel pumped up. You know you can do everything on your to-do list. But then, something unexpected happens and messes up with your plans. You didn’t finish what you planned, and now you fe el disappointed. Here’s how to avoid this. Don’t fill up your calendar. Schedule a buffer time for unexpected matters. Block an hour or two each day for things you don’t expect.d) Don’t let important things for the evening and don’t check email first in the morningThese two go hand in hand. What’s the trick?First, in the morning you have the highest level of energy. This is why you should start doing the most difficult tasks in the morning. Especially if you have some creative work to do. Second, if you want to be more productive, don’t open your email until you’ve finished your most important task. Why?Because emails usually mean more things in need of addressing. And you don’t want those to stay on your mind while you are trying to do something extraordinary.4) Influence (Dr.Robert Cialdini)If you want to learn how to influence people, you should read this book at least a couple of time.With over three million copies sold and a current listing on the New York Tim es Best Seller list and Fortune lists it in their “75 Smartest Business Books”, this is the “Bible” of persuasion.Why?Because it offers some simple rules that are so powerful that even if you are aware of them, you’ll still be affected by them. Here is how I used some principles learned in the book.a) Liking â€" if we like a person, we’re more inclined to accept what they ask us to doThis doesn’t seem so helpful at first, since how do you make people like you, right?There are lots of ways.Here’s how the email intro I sent to Nissar to ask if I can write on this website:You see, sometimes all you need is say exactly what you think. No fake excuses.b) Commitment consistency â€" We tend to be consistent with our previous decisionsWe’ve all heard the phrase: “Would you like fries with that?” This is a perfect example of the commitment that sold millions of more fries each year. Why does this work?Dr. Cialdini says that “once we have made a choice or taken a stan d, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.” How could you use this?On my website, instead of asking people to inquire about my services, I ask them to request a free consultation. Why this works better?Because once they’ve taken a small step, they’ll feel more inclined to stick with their original decision (which is to work with me). Just like Mc Donald’s lures you in with low-priced burgers.c) Social proof â€" We rely on what others say more than we think we doI think there’s nothing more powerful than social proof. Why?Because long ago, our ancestors understood that, to maximize their chances for survival, it was in their best interests to form groups of like-minded individuals. So they lived in groups, hunted in groups, protected each other in groups. Everyone had a vital role that contributed to the success of the entire tribe. When the group ate, you ate. When it slept, you slept. When it packed up and moved, you moved. If it diedâ€"well, you get the picture.We have a compelling psychological need to belong. Our brains are hard-wired to follow others, especially when we don’t have enough information to decide for ourselves. And the best part, you can use this just about in any area of your life.d) To get clientsWhen I quit my job, I entered into an entirely new domain â€" marketing. So basically my portfolio was non-existent.What did I do? I wrote some articles, for free, on some other websites.Then, when I pitched clients to get work (to write articles for them), I referenced those free guest posts as social proof.e) To influence friendsLet’s say you want to convince your friends to go to a bar you like.But saying “let’s go there, because I like it there” might sound selfish. And it’s not a good argument, right?What you could do instead is mention how other people or other friends always go there and have a great time. Or how popular that bar is becoming.f) To be more popularWant to have more friends, be appreciated more often by more people? Copy this trick from influencers.If you look on an influencer’s page (especially those who aren’t yet quite so popular), they always have pictures with other people. Why?Because in this way they communicate to your subconscious that they are popular. If other people always surround them, it must be because they’re cool, right?5) Meditations by Marcus AureliusImagine having a set of guiding principles for any situation in life â€" from going bankrupt, to getting fired or even death of the loved ones. That is what this book covers. Written in Greek, without any intention of publication, by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe.Memento Mori translates to mean “remember you will die.” Don’t think of it as a morbid practice. This is not meant to get you depressed. Appropriately used, memento mori is a tool to create priority and meaning, without having to die to tap into this nearly. A simple reminder can bring us closer to living the life we want.I used this to:1) Become a doer, instead of being just a dreamerWe all want to live a rich and fulfilling life. The problem is, most people think that one day it will “just happen.” But the problem is, you don’t have 500 years to have the luxury to “just wait.” And unless you’re damn lucky, if you don’t work on those goals every single day, you won’t achieve much, and you’ll end up old and full of regrets. Memento Mori helps you not forget that.2) Enjoy important moments in lifeWe live in the century of speed, and we sometimes forget the things that matter. Like laughing with a friend. Or appreciating the loved ones, y our spouse, your kid, your friends. You can’t put a price tag on these things.You can always make more money, but you cannot make more time. So, enjoy the little moments. Take some time to relax, listen to a friend, and give a hug to your spouse and your kid.3) Start with the end in mindDon’t get this wrong. Having an end in mind is no guarantee that you’ll reach it. But, how can you be happy, if you don’t know what happiness means to you? How can you achieve success, if you have no clue what success means to you? It’s like trying to reach a destination you don’t know.What can you do about it?Take some time to meditate on how:Your perfect day would look likeYour ideal life would look likeYour dream job/business would look likeYour best family life would look likeBe as specific as you can. But you might say: “Ok, but maybe in 10 years my goals might change”.And you are right. We are always adapting, evolving and probably reinventing ourselves. And when this happens, y ou can always change course. But at least you know where you’re going. And when you encounter some obstacles in life, you’ll know how to get back on track.Finally: The Most Important Advice for Success in any Area of LifeHere’s the simplest and most efficient way to become the person you want to become. Find a person (or several people) who already live the life you want, who already know what you want to know. And then ask them to teach you.Oh, you cannot ask Bill Gates or Warren Buffet to tell you how they made their money? Maybe you are right. But you can read their books, right? Or you can read the books they’ve read, right? Or you can read their biographies. Or listen to some speeches they gave.Never stop learning, and I guarantee you’ll see tremendous progress in your life.

What You Should Know About Asking For A Raise

What You Should Know About Asking For A Raise Think you cant ask for a raise? Think again. Almost 60% of workers don’t ask for one. PayScales salary survey, released this year, reports that 57% of employees  havent asked for a raise in their current field. Why not? 38%  said their employers gave them a raise before they needed to ask for one. However, many were not comfortable asking (28%) and some were afraid of being perceived as pushy (19%). When to Ask for More Money Timing is everything. This survey revealed that the best time to ask for a raise is when you are happy in your job  â€"  not once you start disliking it. The survey found that 41% of satisfied employees asked for a raise, and almost half (44%) got what they asked for. However, less than 20% of employees who were dissatisfied with their jobs received their requested raise. Not surprisingly, employees who were dissatisfied with their jobs were more likely to ask  for raises. Your best chance for securing a higher salary happens before you start the job, and external candidates usually have greater bargaining power. Unfortunately, internal candidates fall victim to existing policies and precedents within the organization, such as pay-band or job-level restrictions, which prevent you from exceeding a certain level. Who Negotiates Better? PayScale’s study was broken down by various demographic information, and those who come out on top were high-income earners, lawyers and men.  The more money people made, the more likely they were to receive raises. 70%  of people earning more than  $150K received the raise they asked for, while the same was true for only 25% of  employees making between $10K and $20K.  Employees with law degrees receive the raises they requested more often than any other degree holders. Women tend to have more difficulty asking for raises than men. Only 42% of women versus 44% of men asked for salary bumps. Almost a third of the women who didn’t ask said they felt uncomfortable negotiating. How to Ask for More Money Within PayScale’s Salary Negotiation Guide, there are expert tips on how to initially negotiate a higher salary and how to ask for a raise.  First of all, let’s not call it negotiation. If we called it a conversation, it seems less ominous. As Victoria Pynchon, co-founder of SheNegotiates.com, states in a  PayScale Negotiation Guide article: That’s all a negotiation is: a conversation between two or more people whose purpose is to agree to terms beneficial for all. The good news for women is that we love conversation. We’re also pretty fond of agreement. And because we hate the word “negotiation” so much, let’s just call it a conversation from here on out. 5 Tips For Better Negotiation Before you ask for a raise or attempt to negotiate, gather the facts and data. Know your worth in the overall marketplace and within your organization. Gather data that will reinforce your request, such as increased productivity, customer testimonials and other money- and time-saving successes. Plan your conversation with your manager. Ask questions to uncover your manager’s biggest challenges, priorities for the upcoming year and what your manager needs help with. Armed with this information, plan your response based on the solutions you can deliver. Keep calm, and remove emotions from the conversation. Don’t raise your voice or use non-verbal expressions of frustration or anger. When you maintain control of your emotions, you’ll be able to think more clearly and rationally. Chose the right words. Demanding more money because of how hard you worked seems logical, but it’s unlikely work. Your manager needs to be persuaded. Use an assertive voice, and select your wording carefully to provide objective evidence that you’re worth the additional investment. When posing your request for more money as a question, it sounds less demanding. Some experts suggest concluding your request with an agreement statement, such as: “And because Ive achieved all this, wouldnt you agree, a X  percent pay increase would be appropriate?” Others recommend asserting your success with a firm statement, more like: “I delivered measurable improvement in the department’s performance this year, and I’m well equipped to help reach our goals to combine departments next year. Therefore, I believe a salary increase to $X is in line.” One trick most experts agree upon is using silence. Once you’ve made your request, close your mouth and wait for the response. Final Takeaway The big takeaway here is that everyone who isnt asking for a raise should develop negotiation skills. Negotiating doesn’t mean just asking for more money. It is how you prepare and present your request that leads to successful outcomes. Without practice and experience, it feels awkward and uncomfortable to attempt to negotiate. Start negotiating today with family members, friends and even vendors in order to build your confidence and skill level. This post originally appeared on US News World Report On Careers

Writing the Wrong GPA on Resume

Writing the Wrong GPA on ResumeDo you want to write the wrong GPA on resume? There are some steps that you should take when you think about writing the wrong GPA on resume. Some of these steps can help you avoid writing the wrong one. Before you start writing the wrong one, please read on.- The first and the biggest mistake is to write the wrong GPA on resume. This might seem like an easy mistake but you should be aware that there are many people who will try this mistake. If you think that you might be a person who is guilty of this mistake, do not write the wrong one.- The second mistake is to exaggerate the figures. Your GPA should be taken as true only. When you exaggerate the figures, it will be considered as a low GPA.- The third mistake is to write the wrong GPA on resume. If you think that you are right, do not take the risk. You should ask yourself whether you are going to try this problem or not. If you think that you are right, then don't worry and just continue writing th e wrong one.- The fourth mistake is to think that there is no need to write the correct way. If you think that you will be lucky to get a job without any errors in your resume, then you should not bother about how you write the GPA on resume.- The fifth mistake is to copy the wrong order. You should not copy the wrong order when you write the GPA on resume. It is important that the order is correct.- The sixth mistake is to be too specific. If you are writing the wrong one, then you should be careful about writing the wrong one. If you are too specific, it will become a big problem for you.You can avoid writing the wrong one. There are some steps that you should follow to write the right one. Before you start writing the wrong one, you should make sure that you are clear about the details.