What are you worth?

Recognizing your position of power with your employer – and leveraging it.

It is not entirely unsurprising that so many people feel that their employer “has all the power” and they, the employee, have no choice but to accept it.

Interestingly, more often than not, when you take a step back and truly take a look at your situation, you may find out that you have a lot more to bargain with – and a lot less to lose – than your boss does.

While we see regular news about the economy hurting and high unemployment, the fact of the matter is that many industries truly are an employees market – not the other way around. In other words, there are more than a small number of firms that are really hurting for more qualified staff.

So: How do you know if you're carrying a bigger stick than you may think ?

Firstly, you have to take an HONEST appraisal of your own performance at work; You don't have to share this with anyone, but you do have to tell yourself the truth:

1. Do you accomplish everything your job requires you to, every day ?
2. Do you often go above and beyond the call of duty in your job ?
3. Are you one of the more productive or skilled employees in your group ?
4. Do you notice that any time you are away, the departments workload to catch up is more than when someone else is away ?
5. Are you the 'go to' person for your colleagues ?

Second, what's the hiring situation like, both at your employer in specific and in your industry, in general ?

1. Is your company short-staffed, with near constant “for hire” ads running ?
2. Do you often receive contacts from recruiters, specifically looking to talk to you (or “someone in a position identical to yours”, nudge, nudge, wink, wink)
3. Do you notice employment ads for many of your competitors in employment sites like monster.com and linkedin.com ?
4. Have you noticed that when other people leave your firm, are they employed almost immediately after they leave where you work ?
5. Do you have an unusual churn rate where you work, despite pay and benefits being attractive ?

Finally, you need to make an honest self-appraisal of yourself-as-someone-to-work with:

1. Do you have a generally pleasant disposition ?
2. Do you avoid complaining about the little – or big – things frequently ?
3. Do you avoid gossiping about co-workers, or speaking negatively about them behind their backs ?
4. Do you generally have a “can do” attitude when asked to perform extra work, even if it isn't necessarily strictly in your job definition ?
5. Do you accept criticism well, taking it as an opportunity for professional growth, rather than a personal attack ?
6. Do you contribute to your work place, be that either/or in suggestions to improve projects in specific, or the company as a whole ?
7. Do you contribute to your co-workers, helping them get their jobs done better, faster or more efficiently, without necessarily “looking for the credit” all the time ?

If you answered yes to most or even all of the above, you have a LOT more “employee currency” than you might think; ...Read More

Thanks Mark Bissonette of Canadian ISP for this article

To your success

Fran Watson

 

Creative and Artistic Careers

Is your current job sapping your creative energy? Do you doodle all day on your notepad, or monopolize your whiteboard with dry-erase murals? Have you petitioned to get the office chairs upholstered? No matter how you express it, creativity is essential to your life. With a degree, you can turn your passion into a career that inspires.

1.      Animation

It's not just for flipbooks, anymore. Animators in the field today can expect to work mostly with computers to create characters, visual effects, and other three-dimensional work that can't be done on the movie set. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that animators have among the best job prospects in the motion picture industry.

2.      Video game design

You grew up on the classic consoles, but you might not realize everything involved in creating the games you love. Software publishers look for trained, imaginative designers to bring the game's story to life. The BLS notes that education influences earnings a great deal among workers in the software publishing industry, including video game designers.

3.      Fashion

If you've got every Project Runway on TiVo and you keep clothing catalogs on your coffee table, the fashion industry may already be a big part of your life. Artists for an eye for clothing design can make an average of $55,900 a year, according to the BLS. One in four designers were also self-employed, allowing you to vogue wherever you want.

4.      Web design

Web designers merge artistic invention with current technology to create a professional web presence for their clients. That expertise comes with a price: Salary.com estimates that web designers in New York bring home an average of $72,700 a year. Taking classes in CSS and HTML can give you the edge.

5.      Interior design

The BLS estimated that interior designers made an average of $40,700 in 2004. They make that paycheck by taking a client's style and translating it to the space - most airports, hotels, and offices require a professional designer's touch. If you're tuned to the frequencies of feng shui, a degree in interior design can revitalize your personal space.

These exciting, challenging, creative careers have one thing in common: they're all competitive. Getting an education in any of these fields can help give you the edge among applicants who are also looking to trade in their boring day-jobs for something a little more outside the lines.

Sources

§  The Bureau of Labor Statistics

§  Salary.com

To your job search success!!

Fran Watson

Bad Interview?

I am a recent college graduate, and I totally bombed my first real job interview. I was not prepared for there to be a group of interviewers. There were 5 interviewers, from different departments of the lab. The lab manager was the one who had called me in for the interview, but when she asked if I had true work experience besides my internship, I answered "no" and she seemed surprised, even though this was clearly stated on my resume. Also, I did not bring the correct paper to show my certification, I brought another (maybe less official) paper showing that I had passed the exam and was certified.

How Did the Interview Turn Out?

I was EXTREMELY nervous, and after their questioning my certification I was flustered. They told me then that they would not be offering me the position. If I was in their position, I would not have hired me either.  (Info from About.Com)

Have you had a bad interview lately?  Did you think you were prepared, but fell apart when they started asking questions?

Click here to get more information on how you can be successful at your next interview.  Pick up a copy of my Interview Planning Form.

To your job search success

Fran Watson