Salary Negotiation and Handling Job Offers

There is always a lot to consider when you decide to embark on a new opportunity. Around this time of year, many of you are interacting with employers, starting to receive offers for full-time jobs, internships, co-ops, and are finding yourselves having to make decisions on WHICH TO CHOOSE.

The following are issues to consider…

Business Communication

• How has your experience been interacting with the recruiter?

• What are good questions to ask when you are trying to make a decision?

• How do you respond to an offer letter?

• What parts go into this personal evaluation?

Evaluating the Offer

Negotiation

• Is this even an option for the company I am interacting with?

• Outside of salary, what else can I negotiate?

Accepting and Declining Offers

• How do I this both professionally and timely?

To answer those critical concerns….

How has your experience been interacting with the recruiter?

Maintaining open communication with employers is crucial to making a well-informed opinion. Be sure to stay positive, professional, polite, humble, clear, direct, and easy to reach. Never complain, assume, or brag.

What are good questions to ask when you are trying to make a decision?

Ask questions and take notes as you receive answers! You are going to want to know about expense accounts, amount of travel, opportunities for advancement within the company, what your work hours are going to be, who you are going to be working with, insurance package and benefits, moving allowances, and retirement benefits.

Other questions some students forget to ask, but are equally as important are about vacation and sick time, dress code, start dates, frequency of pay, and how pay is evaluated (salary, hourly, commission?)

How do you respond to an offer letter?

An offer letter is a formal agreement that officiates the offer the company is giving you. It also describes the position you will be taking, and other pay and date specifics.

When you receive one, be sure to do the following things. Ask for time to think about whether or not you want to accept, set a date to decide that the employer is comfortable with, thank them for the offer immediately, and start the evaluation process!

What parts go into this personal evaluation?

Consider what is important to you. Think about how you want to spend work and personal time, is this job a good match for your skills and interests, does the company have similar values to your own? Map out the company’s logistics:

• Size of the company, hours, pay, location, benefits, opportunity for advancement

• Do these details align with your personal preferences and career plan?

Is salary negotiation even an option for the company I am interacting with?

This does not mean you look greedy! There is a very appropriate way to handle part of your career decision. Do keep in mind most companies do NOT actually do salary negotiation. But if they do allow it, be sure to research what an appropriate number would be for the position you intend to take.

It is very important that you are never the first person to even mention salary when communicating in the hiring process!

When the employer does bring it up, you will have an idea of what you want to say. You can use salary negotiating calculators online. Here is an example of one that considers location of the job: http://www.salaryexpert.com/

Outside of salary, what else can I negotiate?

You can negotiate things such as time off, re-location expenses, your start date, and much more.

Here are some more sites that are used for calculating appropriate salaries:

• The Post-Graduation Report on career.vt.edu

• Glassdoor.com

• Salary.com

• Paycheckcity.com

How do I do accept and decline offers both professionally and timely?

When declining the offer, do not feel bad! Remember, this is a business decision. Be sure to thank them for the offer, give an idea as to why you are declining, do it over the phone, and do not delay the time that you decide to decline. Be aware of not burning a bridge with these companies. At the time that you are declining, they may not be the best fit; however, you never know what the future holds for your career.

When accepting the offer, you want to do some similar things…minus the rejection! Be sure to accept over a phone call, thank them for the offer, indicate why you wanted to choose them, and follow up about officiating the acceptance.

From there, you will likely follow company protocol as to how to really get started. Be prepared for talking start dates, background and drug checks, and things to do for that first day of work!

Lastly, always remember to congratulate yourself on a job well done! You are officially on your way to a career path.

For a quick reference to answer some more FAQ’s about salary negotiation and making career decisions, visit the Virginia Tech Career Services site: https://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/SalaryQuestionsNegotiating.html

Got Experience?

While summer and winter breaks are a great time for students to take a break from school, they are also a wonderful opportunity to experience work in the real world. Whether it be through a part-time job, co-op, or internship; employers are consistently looking for work and relevant experience on a student’s resume.

When is a good time to start? As soon as you can!

It is never too early to start gaining experience in your field of interest. However, it is important for juniors and seniors to actively look for these experiences, as they are entering the work force much quicker than underclassmen.

So what kind of experience should you be utilizing over breaks?

As you can see in the visual above, many students attain work experience through paid internships, volunteer work, field study, part-time jobs, and much more. The important thing to keep in mind when attaining these positions, is to keep your options open.

Your odds at getting offered an opportunity are typically better when you have numbers on your side. So do a little research…or a lot of research. Last summer, I applied to over 40 internship positions. I believe I received feedback from half of them, interviews from a quarter, and then offers from 4 of them. Prioritize your needs in an internship or related experience and apply to everything that qualifies under that. Think about your availability, compensation needs, the type of technical skills you would like to learn, and location of the opportunity. Maintain open communication with employers you are contacting about certain positions. Even if they can’t take you for an immediate break period, they may be able to in the future.

Why is it important to work over break?

While your degree and classwork is very important to whatever career you decide to pursue, it is not solely reflective of your work capabilities. Classes are great for theorizing, disciplining yourself, time management, and providing background knowledge in a field. However, actual work provides specific technical skills, meaning behind why you are doing the things you are doing, and a background knowledge on what’s it’s like to work in the real world.

In addition, working over break provides employers with insight about your work character. Seeing that you didn’t just take the break time to watch TV and sleep shows your commitment to jump start a career. Working over break periods are a great opportunity for you to become a competitive candidate for a job. They also provide you with insight about the type of worker you are. You may enjoy multi-tasking or just working at one project at a time. You may enjoy working at a computer all day or more travelling. These kinds of preferences can only be discovered through implementation. If you can learn these things about yourself sooner, rather than later, then you will be saving yourself a lot of time and money when you enter the real world.

So where should I look for internship and job opportunities?

Part of your tuition pays for job searching resources. With that being said, you may as well take advantage of them!

Be sure to create profiles on these sites and begin your searches here!

• Hokies4Hire: https://www.myinterfase.com/vt/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fvt%2fstudent
• CareerShift: http://www.careershift.com/Default.aspx?sc=VT
• Going Global: https://www.career.vt.edu/scripts/GoingGlobal/login.asp

In addition to the above resources, other sites to visit include:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/
• Indeed.com: http://www.indeed.com/find-jobs.jsp

To find out more about how to attain experiences, start with this site: http://www.career.vt.edu/Experience.html

LinkedIn and Networking: An Overview

The top piece of advice I have gotten from mentors, bosses, and teachers is that networking and maintaining relationships with potential employers is the best way to find a job.

It is common sense really. If you know someone who is within a related field to your own, he/she is more likely to think of your name first when it comes to fulfilling a position. But how do you become a good networker?

There are many opportunities for networking, both online and in-person.

As we live in a digital world, an online presence is very important.

                          

LinkedIn is a great place to present yourself professionally, as well connect with potential employers and mentors.

How do you go about creating a strong LinkedIn account?

Try to think of your LinkedIn account as an elaborate version of your resume.

There are several things you are almost always going to want to include:

• Your name with a headline about what you are currently doing and what you are seeking (think of it as a professional slogan).
• A headshot of yourself wearing professional clothes, doesn’t have other people in it, and is high-quality.
•  Education that reflects the degree you are pursuing/have attained, what school you are attending/attended, any minors you have, honors, awards, a competitive GPA, and other relevant academic information.
• A professional summary that explains more in-depth information about what you are doing and what you would like to be doing. These brief paragraphs qualify your skills and goals for the future.
• Work experience that includes a position title, company name, location, dates of employment, and a description about technical skills you picked up and/or major projects you participate in within this job.
• Any other Skills or projects you have participated in that gave you technical abilities. This could include class projects, skills you picked up on your own time. Be sure to include the most relevant information you can about your professional experiences.
• Be sure to include your contact information and the best way to reach you by. 
• LinkedIn also has a space to mention your interests, and birthday. Definitely utilize those sections to talk about your extracurricular activities, school clubs, and any hobbies you have.
• Obviously these aren’t the most professional parts, so don’t exhaust this section. However, it can be a great way to really personalize your LinkedIn account.

For more information on tips for students developing a LinkedIn account, check out this site: https://university.linkedin.com/linkedin-for-students

What about networking outside of LinkedIn?

Career Services has some great tips on the importance of networking. To read about the different types and why it is so essential, check out this site: https://www.career.vt.edu/JobSearchGuide/Networking.html

In short, here are some things to know about networking:

• It begins with just talking to people. Talk to: Professors, colleagues, neighbors, bosses, and life mentors, parents’ friends…
• People in your major are probably going to be the most relevant people to talk to in networking situations. Be sure to foster relationships with the people you respect in your field.
• Maintaining these relationships with those you meet in your field, your major, or your jobs is the most effective way to network. Not only have you made initial contact, but the people you are networking with can speak on behalf of your skills.
• Networking should be so common to you that you no longer necessarily think of it as networking…you should think of it as connecting with people and maintaining relationships.
• Forbes is an excellent resource for professional advice. 
• Check out this article to learn about the 8 ways to network correctly: http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/07/28/how-to-network-the-right-way-eight-tips/

Always remember in your networking goals to maintain a professional appearance, make contact often, and be open to new opportunities.

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Welcome to blogger, Olivia Brescia

This semester, Olivia Brescia is writing for my Career Chasse blog, as well as developing new ideas to promote the Virginia Tech Job Searching portal, Hokies4Hire. A senior majoring in Public Relations with minors in Psychology and Leadership and Social Change, Olivia enjoys running, painting, spending time with her family and friends, and eating in her free time. She loves working at both her jobs at Career Services and her Marketing internship at Polymer Solutions Incorporated. Both opportunities embrace her passion for meeting and helping new people, writing, and creativity. 

Thank you, Olivia, for sharing your insights on so many different topics with readers.

What comes next after the job fair?

 So you did it! You made it through the Connection Job Fair! But you aren’t quite done with all this career mumbo jumbo yet…

Now comes the follow up part of your job search!

No matter how you felt after leaving the fair, it’s important to remember the many ways you can make your presence a force to be reckoned with in terms of the work force.

Keep it simple! Shoot an email or give a phone call to the recruiters you spoke with. Hopefully you collected some sort of contact information from them, but if you didn’t, feel free to check out the list of employers that attended. Perhaps, it can be just as easy to get a name from that resource.

·         Here is a link to see the list of employers:

http://career.vt.edu/CONNECTION/Index.html

Make it personal! If you can, let them know you appreciated talking with them, ask them any leftover questions you had, and clearly state your interest in working for their company. Maybe this is a good chance for you to bring up skills that you think the company will be interested in!

My best piece of advice is to maintain connection. Even if there isn’t an opportunity immediately, there could be one in the near future. Remember to be positive, communicative, and flexible.

Depending on the information you discussed with recruiters in regards to the next step, remember to always follow directions to exactness. It’s important that employers can see that you are respectful of their time and purpose. It also proves that you are able to uphold a professional image.

You may be asked to go through on-campus interviews, other rounds of interviewing, shadowing sessions, salary negotiation and other forms of the job application process. Prepare yourself for any and all of this!

·         Information on how to prepare can be found on this blog post from Rasmussen college:

http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/main/things-to-do-after-attending-career-fair/

As much as I would like to tell you that you are almost done, that is relatively misleading. You may find the job you want immediately, but its important to keep these tips in mind for your career exploration. Odds are, you will end up working for most of your life. Practicing how to network, brushing up on your interviewing skills, and updating your LinkedIn account and resume are essential components to successfully exploring a career path.

·         If you need more information, check out the Career Services site for more tips on how to follow up after the job fair.

https://www.career.vt.edu/Interviewing/AfterThanksFollowUp.html

Also, check out this cool infographic with some stats on following up with employers!

Career Fair and Interview Dress: Which of these 8 tips do you already know?

After working at the Connection Job Fair and Interview Day on campus earlier this week, our staff came up with a list of some tips for students as you dress for business casual or business professional settings like a career fair or an interview.  Taking these steps demonstrates that wearing business casual or professional attire is not an unfamiliar concept to you, even if it is. And, your appearance leaves an impression...make sure it's a good one.

New suit, skirt or jacket? Make sure you remove the thread X that is sewn to hold a slit together in the back of a jacket or skirt. That X is not supposed to remain there when you wear the item.

Wearing a button down shirt? Button the collar buttons on each side.

If your pants have belt loops, wear one! You’re not fully dressed for business without one. 

Baseball caps are great to cover up a bad hair day or to wear outside. They don’t belong at career fairs or interviews.

Good quality coats, blazers or suits may come with a tag sewn to the outside of a sleeve. Remove this tag before wearing.

Save tight skirts, very short dresses and other revealing attire for some other time – not a career fair or interview. What you wear going downtown or to a party may seem dressed up, but it's often not the same as business casual or professional dress. Wonder if an outfit works? Come ask us in Career Services.

If you attend an event like a career fair where you wear a nametag, make sure you place your nametag somewhere you want a person to try to read it. It’s a good idea to position nametags on your right shoulder or right jacket lapel so the person you meet can easily read your nametag after shaking your hand.

Consider how long you will be on your feet at a career fair or walking to an interview. Save your fun extra high heels for a different time. Although both combat and cowboy boots are in style, they are a bit too casual for business casual attire.

Follow these tips, follow up and follow through, and your search for a position will end with these words: You're Hired!

Connection Job Fair Prep

It’s that time again! Time to meet your future! In person. Don’t be intimidated by that though, this is a very good thing. The Connection Job Fair is a very convenient resource for you and your peers to meet potential employers, to network, and to learn about the opportunity that lies outside of college.

There are few things you should do before just showing up next Tuesday. As always, I have one big piece of advice when it comes to job fairs: RESEARCH.

Research what kind of job or experience you want in your near future, research what employers will be there, research the specific companies you know for sure you want to talk to, research what you should wear, what you should bring, research the appropriate things to ask when speaking to the employers, and research what things they want to hear.

That all sounds like a lot, but when you start, I promise one part of your research will just flow into the next. Plus, it can be a really fun process to become a young business professional!

To make your research load a little lighter, here are a few quick tips I have:

• Pick out a standard outfit that is undoubtedly business professional OR business casual. For business professional, guys this means pants, ladies this means appropriate length skirts or pants. Dress it up with a blazer and you all are good to go! For business casual, a nice top and pants work for men or women, and women can wear a dress or top and skirt. Wear shoes that are not difficult to walk in.
•   Practice your handshake! Remember—firm but not overpowering.
• Make eye contact with the employers—confidence goes a long way in terms of employers seeing potential in you. 
• If it seems fitting, take notes while you speak with them. This shows an investment in what they are saying and it may be information that will become useful for you down the road.
• Have several copies of your resume to hand out to employers as you meet them. Even better, make personalized copies of your resume to hand out to the employers you know you are going to talk to. JUST BE SURE TO HAND THE RIGHT RESUME TO THE RIGHT EMPLOYER.
•  Look up a good 3-5 companies that you definitely want to talk to, learn what their purpose and mission are, what they are looking for in a new employee, and what they have been doing most recently.
• Showing familiarity with a company shows that you have a drive to work for them and gives you the advantage over other candidates.
• Practice your elevator speech
• This is a brief blurb about who you are, what you are doing, and where you want to go. Think of it as what you would say to the CEO of a major company on an elevator ride. Time is ticking and you want to present the best of yourself!

•  Generate some questions to ask employers.
• Ask what employees do on a day-by-day basic, ask about the application process is like for their positions, ask what they enjoy most about working there.
• Forbes has an excellent article about the top 10 questions to ask an employer.
• Relax! It’s just talking and networking at this point, but it’s definitely a great starting point for your career path.

If you have any more questions about how to prepare for the job fair next Tuesday, or even job fairs after that, check out the VT Career Services page at www.career.vt.edu.

Good luck! 

Written by Olivia Brescia, Peer Career Advisor