A young job seeker named Joe applied to an engineering firm last week through a third party recruiter stating he would jump for the right opportunity accompanied by a salary around $70K.

Joe then told the corporate HR person in a phone screen a few days later he was making $72K salary and wouldn’t move for less than $80K.

The engineering firm knew his present salary was $62K because they had hired a number of other people from the same firm. Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: career strategy, negotiating, salary | 2 Comments »

Most folks assume getting married or accepting a job will bring long-term financial and emotional security. 10% of marriages end in divorce after 5 years, 40% of marriages by the 50^th year ^(a). Comparatively, the average job tenure is now 2-3 years.

Someone who has been out of a relationship or work many months may take a questionable spouse or job out of financial desperation or the need to be “wanted.”

In both marriage and work, you should do more homework about long-range goals and the cultural fit before committing. Beauty is only skin deep. One-night-stand and one interview decisions carry a lot of risk. Consider Contract-2-Hire. Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: career strategy, negotiating, networking, salary, solving problems | 12 Comments »

There is no doubt that the physical image and confidence of a person can be a roadblock to getting hired and how much they are offered in pay. Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: career strategy, interviews, networking | 5 Comments »

Having been a recruiter/coach for 20 years, I am shocked at the degree to which it is true in this recession. Fear is an emotional stumbling block common to most executives who are “stuck.” Read the rest of this entry »

Topics: branding + positioning, career strategy, networking, recruiting, resume + cover letter, solving problems | No Comments »