What about money? Part 2

Let say that you have a degree and you have decided to be a copywriter. You find an opening somewhere, no previous experience needed. How nice, you think, it must have been set for you. Please do not rush out and tell the guys tat since you do not have any job experience, it is up to them to decided how much to give you. In most places they ave made up their minds anyway and it is usually less tan what they should honestly pay.

How do you bargain for the extra hundred dollars? Before the interview, make an actual list of the things you can enumerate as your "plus points." For instance,
well-read degree or certificate (if any)typing speed - better than your neighbor's who has a secretarial certificate knowledge of a foreign language (other than English)spelling bee (never gets confused by words like accumulate, commitment, accommodation, omission, etc)If you have examined your plus points honestly and have come up with a high rating, be prepared to bargain. never forget that your interviewers are veterans int eh game (of bargaining) and must have seen a massive turn-over of employees in their time. Show your enthusiasm but do not be overeager that 'spoiling the employer too soon and he is bound to stick to his strict budget. Expect two things, your interviewer will harp on your inexperience negotiating after your probation period hinting that you would get a salary adjustment if you pass the test.

Are you confident about passing the test? Are you out to really do well? Then you can afford to gamble. This is the point where a throw-away line might just win you the day. You can say "Let's us agree on my price which is a hundred dollars more and if you think I'm not shaping up to your standards, you can fire me after the first month or even earlier." Say it only if you are the type who can pull it off casually. Said nervously, a throw away line sounds very painful.

What about money? part 1

In looking for your dream job, or any job that you are about to accept, money is still the key issue. How much must you try to get for the job that you are about to land? It is your first and you have been trained for it. You vow to give it your best, so how much is your all worth?

A common mistake is the pronouncement, "I am just eager to get started. I like the job. I am after the experience." That usually earns peanuts. This is an appalling memory but 80% of my contemporaries told interviewers exactly that when they were being screened for a job. It is likewise an awful truth that not much has change. Young girls still say the same thing, "I just want to gain some experience", settle for a pittance and after three months start being annoyed. Annoyed, they take it out on their jobs, make mistakes which thy shrug of and spend office time going through the classified ads.

Either of two extremes leads to such mess, either the girl is really worth more but was, when applying for the job, so wet behind the ears she was totally ignorant of what approximately she should get or the girl is really raw and may need five years of intense grilling before she gets really polished. BUT after three months of working saw a lot few nice things in display windows, ached to buy them and tech only way to get them is via every employee's favorite; a rise. Neither reason is healthy. But both can be helped.

Try your best to apply for a job that calls for the training you have had and resist getting sidetracked by another job jut because it pays slightly more. Career-minded girls set goals for themselves an are not usually dazzled by minor attractions. The girl who was trained to be a secretary but tries to get into sum other field because of an attractive uniform needs to do some serious re-thinking.

Decide when to delegate

Make a list of the things you have to do. Set aside those that absolutely must be done by you personally. Analyze what tasks are left. It is important that you choose the right person for the job. In todays economic stress, organizations are faced with downsizing, re-engineering and rightsizing. It is important to identify the objective.

Ask yourself which tasks would be performed more efficiently by others. It is crucial to pass on tasks base on the person's ability and experience. If someone else can do the job quicker, better or at a lower cost to the company than you, delegate it, unless it's something you should be learning to do yourself. So if must delegate, it must be well-planned, well-communicate and well-implemented.

Creating a great portfolio

Portfolios. Don't think that only models, artist and graphic designers need them. A portfolio of your past work can make a solid impression on prospective employers. Start with a leather notebook. Inside, encased in plastic or attractively mounted, might be some of the following:

Reports that you have written including proposals, training programmes, analyzes or marketing plans. Letters and memos received from former colleagues or subordinates about projects on which you both worked. Letters of congratulations. Articles by or about you. Contributions to newsletters or in-house magazines and articles you've written even if unpublished.

Your portfolio should include enough material to reflect your unique talents an experience. Don't include anything that is confidential or the property of the company you worked for. If you've just left college or university, your portfolio might include certificates of all the projects that you've participated in. This will impress upon your interviewer that even though you don't have organizational and leadership skills, qualities which are much sought after in the working world.

So while others send in one-sheet resumes that clinically spell out their achievements, your portfolio will demonstrate your achievements and leave a vivid impression of yourself on people.