Staying or Going How to Negotiate More Money

Staying or Going How to Negotiate More Money Times are tough, while the future looks bright.   If you thought being comfortable was your goal, it’s time for a re-think.  We’re in the 4th revolution. The job economy is hurtling towards automation, AI and robotics which impact the workplace, radically transforming every aspect of how work gets done. Let’s take a reality check on what this means, just for a moment.   It’s going to impact stability. Right now, we’re experiencing a weeding out of talent and the number of workers needed to actually do a job. There’s a massive downsizing happening across the board. In contrast, a genuine talent shortage exists because few people possess the needed technical and social skills, plus all-important intellectual abilities, to really excel in today’s workforce environment.  The domino effect creates a lack of effective leaders that negatively impacts organizations and the people within them. It’s quite the puzzle to solve, but one that’s full of potential for top tier talent! For talent  performing well in their organization, theyve just gained a huge advantage. Employees that can proactively demonstrate their value while aggressively continuing their own professional development by keeping their skills are up to date and on par, or more advanced than the competition can win big in this environment. Don’t just sit and feel comfortable with what you have be proactive, assertive, curious, and develop a continuous learning-centric attitude to continually develop your emotional intelligence to enable you to win. Here’s a common scenario encountered by versatile  talent today: A hard-to-find innovation leader is a fantastic cultural fit in a very large technology company, and is actively pursued by competitors. The company she is currently working for has a reputation for offering bottom-of-the-bracket salaries. While she loves the company, the salary is not competitive with what she can make by moving somewhere else. She’s seriously considering a new adventure to enable her to give a better life  to  her family  and save for the future. She hesitates to ask for a raise because of the company’s frugal attitude. At the same time, she’s not sure she should leave because she loves her work and the culture where she is. It creates a difficult challenge. It’s clear she doesn’t want to leave, so what should she do? First, she must determine what she likes about her  present company versus other companies shes considering moving to. She needs to perform a real analysis and decide what she wants to achieve over the next five to ten years, and which company  will help  her to get there.   She needs to critically review  either  scenario and how things could play out over the next few years. Only after she makes a decision that she wants to stay, does she approach her career manager or boss.  She sets up a time to meet with them, in an attempt to  outline her thoughts, which go along the following lines: “I love this company.  I am committed and see myself contributing in X, Y, and Z areas.  I can see the company growing. I see myself managing these important projects over the next 18 months and want to drive the company forward in the following ways X, Y, Z. However, I need a salary or pay package review.’ She waits at this point to gather feedback from the listener.   She’s looking for acknowledgement of her contribution and ideally agreement that her boss wholeheartedly agrees with her, and is open to taking the next steps.  If she’s hard-balled back, then she can argue her case on how she’s been headhunted from competitors with better offers, hence her requesting  $X, which is in alignment with the other offers she’s receiving.  She reiterates that  she’s turning them down because she’s committed to reaching insert goals with company.  She states though, that it’s time for a raise and asks  her boss how they can help make it happen for her. Here’s what this manager has just demonstrated to her boss: She’s done his analysis She’s demonstrated his value to date and anticipated long-term impact for the company She believes in the company and how he is an integral part of it She’s demonstrating she’s fully engaged and loves her work She’s stating the truth. The salary isn’t competitive in the market and she’s a desirable candidate by the competition the company respects. She’s restates her commitment She states what she wants She assumes it’s going to happen rather than it being a negotiation She enlists her boss as her ally instead of making them  her adversary. This above scenario will take place at least once in your career and often talent hesitates to ask for a raise, or goes about asking for one in the wrong way. Sometimes, the talent has seriously misdiagnosed their internal value and the situation does not work out in their favor. There is a lot of fear and job insecurity today among workers, but this needs to be overcome on an individual level to continue to climb the ladder. Much of your career is about negotiation. Negotiation with yourself on what learning  will feed both your passion and industry relevance, plus negotiation with the companies you work for.   I’m not advocating for everyone to ask for outrageous, uncompetitive and untimely pay raises; it’s about learning to manage your career well. The ability to navigate the pitfalls and difficult areas of work and personal relationships must be mastered in order to continue moving upward professionally. Often people get locked into positions because they don’t feel as though they have alternatives or know how to create another option for themselves. Learning how to create options is a critical piece of your career development. Taking control of your career and navigating turbulent waters is a fundamental piece of mastering your career and leadership ability. If you learn how to do this for yourself, you can expect your career to move FORWARD. About the author: Caroline Stokes is the  Founder of Forward  Human Capital Solutions. She is an executive career coach and headhunter.   Image: Shutterstock

Five Tips To Help You Get Back To Work After a Vacation

Five Tips To Help You Get Back To Work After a Vacation Does the idea of returning to work after a relaxing, invigorating vacation fill you with dread? All those emails and messages to deal with, not to mention feeling tired and sluggish while sitting at your desk for hours a day. The good news is that there are plenty of helpful ways to get you back into your work routine after a lengthy break away. Check out our list of tips below. Take a break before returning to the office Even though you’ve just been away, make sure you leave a good amount of time when you get back before going into the office. Even just one day between vacation and work can make a huge difference. This will give you time to thoroughly relax and and acclimate before heading into work the next day. Plus, it gives you some space to get your home and family reorganized, like doing groceries and other errands, and especially if your kids are going back to school. Pace yourself. On your first day back in the office, don’t fill your calendar with meetings or incredibly important tasks. Sit down and work out a sensible to-do list, covering everything from work that needs to be completed to checking and responding to your email back list. Be reasonable about what you can achieve on your first few days back. Take plenty of breaks. Your vacation daily routine is likely to have been very different to your office routine so it may take some time to transition between the two. Make sure that you take more breaks than you would normally, and take time away from your desk when you have a break. If you can, head outside and take in some fresh air. Also ensure that you’re not glued to a screen all day, including your mobile phone. Your eyes won’t be used to focusing for that amount of time, so you don’t want to risk eye strain or a headache. Take care of your body and mind. If you feel like you need a bit of extra help, don’t just reach for caffeine or sugar. Try to stick to a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables, which will give you fuel and keep your mind clear. Also make sure to drink plenty of water.   Youve probably extended yourself on that relaxing vacation, so reach for some vitamins or nootropics supplements to keep yourself concentrated and on track. Prolong the vacation memories. It can be a real boost for your mood to bring a memento or souvenir from your vacation into your office with you. Even if you only keep it in your bag or in a drawer, a quick glance can help you ignite those happy memories. Just make sure you don’t bore your colleagues too much with your fun and exciting vacation anecdotes! Going back to work after a vacation can be pretty disheartening at first, but those thoughts don’t need to last long and there are some easy ways to help yourself feel more energized and motivated.

Employee Friendly Features Of The Best Online Companies To Work For

Employee Friendly Features Of The Best Online Companies To Work For One if 5 American workers now work online from home, including both the self-employed and those employed by others. That’s over a 30 million online workforce, and that number should swell to over 45 million within the next 5 years. Those are very impressive numbers, and if they are at all accurate (which they are), it is no surprise if people, including you perhaps, are scouring the Internet in hot pursuit of the best online job opportunities. I could do what a hundred other articles posted online already do and list out 5 to 10 great companies to work for, but instead, it may be more helpful just now to list 5 key key features you should be looking for in any company that hires remote workers. That gives you a ruler to apply to each and every online opportunity you may come across. 1. Fair Levels of Compensation If you are merely looking for a side job where you can make a little extra cash on weekends or during your off-time from your regular, brick-and-mortar based job, that’s one thing. But when launching out on an online career that will constitute your main or only source of income, you need a reasonable pay rate. Don’t necessarily expect immediate access to high pay and unlimited work loads. You can improve your skills over time, build trust (a two-way street) with the company, and gradually improve your compensation. The important thing is that you aren’t closed in by a “low ceiling” from the get-go. 2. A Simple, Fast Reimbursement Process Besides income, you also need to consider cash flow. Many online freelance jobs will pay per word (piece work), while remote call center workers will get an hourly wage. It’s fine either way, but make sure an efficient, accurate system like that of Clockspot, an online time clock and payroll system, is used. You can often get paid via Paypal, which requires then waiting to transfer funds to your bank account. You can speed things up by requesting a PayPal debit card, which allows you to access your funds immediately in return for a small fee. Some companies offer direct deposit, but you may not want to not give out your bank account number. having to wait for a paper check to come in the mail and then waiting for it to clear after physically going to deposit it  is the most time-consuming and least efficient pay method out there. 3. High Levels of Scheduling Flexibility One of the key advantages of working from home, or from another location with Internet access, is the greater freedom and flexibility you have. Companies that demand their remote workers stick to a strict, invariable schedule aren’t the best option if you have other obligations  at home unless other factors outweigh this clear drawback. There are always some limitations, such as a required number of work hours, needing to work weekends, or simply needing enough time to produce an adequate income; but online jobs should offer considerable scheduling flexibility. 4. A Top-Notch Support Staff During initial setup and later whenever some glitch arises, you need a responsive managerial staff that is readily available to answer your questions and solve technical problems. This is an often-overlooked factor but a very important one, nonetheless, when choosing an online company to work for. 5. A Heart for Charity and Community Business involves relationships as surely as products, services, and dollars and cents. A business that builds a reputation for charitableness and community concern is more likely to become a rising star (even online). One key tool that many online companies rely on for crowdfunding, community fundraising, and other giving projects is known at http://www.Plumfund.com/. By creating plum funds to show social and community awareness, an online business can rise from obscurity, lifting its employees along with it. The company may make donations to a good cause and then request others to  join in by offering to match their contributions. A company that  shows concern for others in the community may be a good one to work for as an online employee.

The Nirvana of Personal Branding is to Become Indispensable - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Nirvana of Personal Branding is to Become Indispensable - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=7dKZ9WbyEw4] Subscribe to receive my podcasts Are you indispensable? Thats right, if you become indispensable, you will not be subject to a firing or replacement. This is the most challenging personal branding goal. Its lofty but wouldnt you like to have that much job security and negotiating power? How would you feel if you could ask for any salary or benefits, as well as pick your company or start your own company, with customers or employers lined up at your door? Well, its possible, but very rare in todays society. There is an exponential growth in the amount of small businesses in this world, as well as specialists who are claiming niches, fighting to hold them and struggling to stay relevant to the ever changing marketplace. People are having trouble enough standing out to worry about hitting personal branding nirvana by becoming indispensable. Imagine this A new technical skill just hit your industry and no one has learned it yet. You decide to go through training and become the only certified professional in the world with that skill. Due to your specialization, you have become indispensable and you cant even fight off the amount of offers your receiving from companies that would like to advance their business with your skills. IT is possible, but how far will you go to position yourself in this respect? What wont make you indispensable 1) Becoming an expert in a saturated market. Learning everything you can about social media, including blogging, podcasting, social networks and social applications. Sorry everyone, but this is slowly becoming general knowledge. You can only differentiate here for select audiences. 2) Sitting behind closed doors. As I always say, visibility creates opportunities. What do you think of someone who may be indispensable, but no one knows about it? Its like having the perfect resume, but not submitted it to anyone. Its like building an amazing blog template, website or Facebook page, but not publishing it. If you arent aggressive, you will digress. 3) Following in ones footsteps. Sure mentorship is great for your professional education, but if you are constantly copying others, then its hard to identify you among the masses. In order to become known in todays society, dont be co-branded (except for celebrities, when it tends to come with the territory). When you follow someone else, you lose track of who you are, with the benefit of learning, but at the cost of positioning. What will make you indispensable 1) Dont think about now, think about the future. If you concentrate on skills that are being taught in our school systems, you will not become indispensable, but rather, just another graduate. You need to become a thought leader, such that you are years ahead of everyone else in your field. This sometimes means that you have to make guesses or assumptions and try and back them with research (educated guess). 2) Pay attention to whats already out there. Not enough people read. It doesnt matter how you receive your information (I prefer Google Reader). All that matters is that you are die-hard about your field. You should be subscribing to all relevant blogs and traditional news sites. Also, youll want to subscribe to research websites such as Marketing Charts and eMarketer, so you can start to plan for the future or at least build it into your pitch. The more you learn today, the better off youll be tomorrow. 3) Forget about your weaknesses, they are WEAK. Listen, if you are horrible at creating websites or investing in the stock market, dont allocate all your time to learning as much as you can. If you know what your strengths are, try to elevate those strengths into personal branding nirvana. Those strengths can turn into the skills you need to be indispensable.

20 Myths You Must Know About Personal Branding

20 Myths You Must Know About Personal Branding While personal branding has grown to become a common phenomenal particularly in the corporate world, it has also attracted a cluster of myths.Below is a run-down of twenty such myths and why they are not necessarily true.1. I don’t have a personal brandevalPersonal branding is not something that is only suited for Hollywood celebrities and Wall Street Moguls. In reality, every human has an identity by virtue of their existence.Indeed, personal branding has more to do with an individual’s thought-pattern, emotions and ambitions instead of just looks and perceptions.2. Working on company’s brand is more important than my personal brandMost business owners make the mistake of thinking that their personal brand does not matter as much as their company’s brand.However, as it turns out, businesses that thrive on positive personal branding on the part of the founder and employees tend to attract more employees, customers and investors than ones that don’t.3. Personal branding is f or job-seekers and sales peopleWhile it’s true that personal branding is pivotal to the success of jobseekers and salespeople, everyone of us can benefit from good branding.The world is changing at a fast-pace and career landscapes are shifting. As no one knows what the future holds, investing in a good brand is more or less like saving for a rainy day.4. Personal branding is only suitable for extroverts, introverts don’t need itThe strength of a personal brand is not necessarily measured by the number of people one interacts with on a day-to-day basis.evalIt is important to remember that personal branding is also not just about image or popularity. It is rather about self-awareness and ability to build credibility, clarity and consistency.5. Personal branding involves inventing an identity from scratchOn the contrary, effective branding emanates from authenticity. One does not have to manufacture or fake an image to appeal to the needs of the outside world.Therefore, personal i dentity is more about finding out who you truly are and authentically communicating that.6. Personal branding is only a short-term strategySome people approach personal branding with the perception that it is a short-cut strategy or something to play around with for some few weeks.evalIn reality, though, personal branding should be seen as a long-term strategy. It therefore should be approached with a future-focused mindset.7. People who invest in personal branding are superfluousNo matter how good you are at what you do, nobody will take you seriously if your personal brand speaks otherwise of you.In other words, personal branding is not a temporary mask to be worn when necessary. It is all about being true to oneself.8. Personal image is an overhyped, new phenomenonIt is true that great emphasis is being placed on personal branding now more than ever.However, this is a tradition that has been there for decades if not centuries. Think of people like Winston Churchill and Napoleon B onaparte.9. What you’re known for among your colleagues and close family members is your personal brandPersonal image goes beyond one’s immediate reputation. It delves deeper into genuine feelings, beliefs and generally what feel about an individual even in their absence.10. Personal brand is all about youA positive brand is not about being a braggart or self-centered individual. If anything, when you invest in a good brand, people around you also benefit.Research shows that 91 percent of employees who work for leaders with good personal brands enjoy work more than those working for unbranded or poorly branded entrepreneurs.11. Personal branding is a good thing but not really necessaryevalIn a world where information about anyone can be obtained by a single click of the mouse button, one can only neglect personal branding at their own peril.12. Image management is all that matters in building personal brandGood dressing style, snappy email signature and fantastic elevator pitch do not make a brand. While image management focuses more on the outside person, personal branding places more emphasis on the inside person.13. Personal branding is a frustrating and exhausting undertakingIf done right, personal branding can turn out to be a fun-filled and invigorating undertaking. In its entirety, the entire process boils down to spending a few minutes every day to work on a brand.14. Web presence has nothing to do with my personal brandingNothing could be further from the truth. The manner in which you build your own platforms and how you package your posts matters a lot. For instance, research has shown that those who take online personal branding seriously are likely to outsell 78 percent of their peers.15. You cannot fix a personal brand that’s already brokenNo matter how bad one’s personal brand is, there is always something that can be done to resuscitate it. This may involve consulting a professional â€" not to bury the truth but to reclaim a person’s authentic identify.eval16. Personal branding is only for people who like tooting their own hornsWhile overdoing personal branding may qualify as self-promotion and bragging, the secret to doing it right lies with striking a balance. This involves devising a balance between adding value and communicating the same.17. Personal branding is a trend that’s passingPersonal branding is not another passing cloud. As it is commonly implied your brand resides in the hearts and minds of people who surround you. It is therefore less of a buzz word and more day-to-day reality.18.Investing in personal branding means cultivating a perfect, adorable identityDivergently, personal branding is about progress and not perfection or likeability. It is also about making baby-steps as one combines inspiration with perspiration.19. Adopting a specific personal brands means you will never have the option of changing itIt is quite possible to change a personal brand. A good example of a person who successfu lly did this is Alfred Nobel.Widely known for the “Nobel Peace Prizes”, Mr. Nobel is the same person who invented dynamites. Owing to the bad reputation of dynamites at war, the press nicknamed him the ‘merchant of death’. Needing to reclaim his personal brand, he decided to establish the Nobel Prize, which recognizes those who benefit humankind.Long story short, that strategy worked, and the pacifist is now best known for the prize rather than dynamites. So indeed it is possible to change one’s brand.20. My customers love me the way I amWith cut-throat competition characterizing the modern-day business environment, it is easy to lose customers to a better branded entrepreneur.So even if one has customers who are extremely loyal, it is still important to work on personal branding. That can go a long way in complementing organizational brand, which can only mean one thing â€" more loyalty.ConclusionThere are myths on just about anything in the world. What one really needs t o know is that just like any other strategy, personal branding has its highs and lows.In order for one to make the best of it, it is important to be patient, frank and authentic. Eventually, one can fast track their career by riding in the tail-wind of a thriving brand.

75 Dr David Dugan - Business Mentor - Jane Jackson Career

75 Dr David Dugan - Business Mentor - Jane Jackson Career Dr. David Dugan is a highly sought after business coach and mentor.   David has spent over 14 years mentoring high performance individuals and with five tertiary qualifications in his pocket, he has acquired a broad range of knowledge and experience on what it takes to achieve success in business. He loves helping Business Owners take control of their business rather than the business controlling them. His passion lies at the intersection of entrepreneurship and personal empowerment.David’s commitment as a highly driven entrepreneur coupled with genuine care to help people achieve their ultimate success are the reasons his clients achieve remarkable results in their business growth.David believes Small and Medium size businesses are the backbone of the economy and are the best vehicles to make a positive difference to the community at large.He has personally guided over 1000 business owners to make more money, have more meaning and create a better lifestyle for their families and t hemselves. He is also the co-author of the amazing book ‘Bullet Proof Business’.David has served in the Navy where his leadership, communication and commercial acumen, lead him to be quickly promoted to a Commander. He coached the Navy’s top decision makers to help them remove barriers to success and unleash the potential of the leadership team. During his time in the Navy he served on deployment in the Middle East and was awarded the Humanitarian Overseas Medal for his work during the 2004 Tsunami that hit Indonesia.In addition to gaining coaching credentials, including the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership and International Coach Federation, he’s been a Trainer with Anthony Robbins, the world’s authority on the psychology of peak performance.Where to find David:Website:   www.daviddugan.comTwitter: @drdaviddugan

Resume Writing Invoices - Sell Yourself to Employers

Resume Writing Invoices - Sell Yourself to EmployersResume writing invoices can help you get better employment for yourself. As most employers want to hire people with good references, and the people with good references are usually not those who have never written any kind of work.It is now becoming a necessity for small businesses to produce invoices, however in this time of recession, invoices are probably the least reliable form of proof that a person has done work. The people who have been writing invoices in the past are not being offered jobs by new employers and more. So, why not go for it?Many employers look at the credentials of an applicant before they offer him or her a new job. This is why an excellent resume writing invoices is the first piece of proof that a potential employee has written. There are different kinds of invoices to be given out by an employer. Some invoices are about obtaining permission to use work products such as blueprints, software and electronic eq uipment.A bad customer invoice will surely hurt the image of the company. So, instead of worrying about a negative letter in the inbox, why not try to make a positive one? On top of a well written invoicing application there should be a testimonial section, it is the only way to help you promote your name and sales for the future.The other ways of creating a letter is to include all the information in black and white such as the contact details of the company and a fine print on every page. If the paperwork has been scanned then you should include a professional resume in a Word format or as a PDF file. This will definitely help you sell yourself better to any employer.What you must remember here is that if you want to apply for a good company then you must have written something worth their attention. Having a letter that is well written and still needs some improvements will make it difficult for you to get hired. All you need to do is revise your letter for any improvement, keep the client happy and produce those invoices when you are asked to.When you are ready with your application then it is a good idea to send it to all the companies as this is the best way to market yourself to them. You must send your application in the first week of the month for the employer to read it and consider your application. It is also a good idea to include an introduction letter at the beginning of your letter, this will give the client a general idea of who you are and what services you can provide.If the company's response is positive then you will be able to give your letter a perfect look and you will be surprised by how well you sell yourself. There are many benefits in writing invoices as it is easy to write and if done well, it has the ability to get someone a job without giving away any references.