“I am in a situation where I have studied communication, got a distinction for my final year … its been 3 yrs and I have landed in so many unrelated jobs that I beginning to think that I will never work in communications … how can I get there and not be paid a beginners salary??”

This was my answer:

If you don’t want to get a beginner’s salary, don’t act like a beginner. Let’s cover the unrelated work experiences… Now the reason you’ve been working in unrelated fields is to get some LIFE experience right? (if it isn’t, it is now). You wanted to see how other industries worked and discover if communications was the RIGHT thing for YOU and… here’s the key… whether it was RIGHT FOR YOUR EMPLOYER TOO!!!.

You don’t want to be some “wet behind the ears” university or college graduate begging for a job in communications… You realize that communications is an ASSET to business and you feel NOW that you are ready to be an asset to not only your employer but your employer’s customers too. Do you see where I’m coming from?

Now, the money thing can be handled in two ways…

Negotiate in the interview for a pay increase when you reach certain targets or time period. For example, you could ask for a wage review in 6 months to revise your pay because you don’t want to work for $X – you’d ideally want $Y… This means you’d work at a lower rate to reduce some of the risk for the employer in exchange for them taking a chance on employing you. If at the end of X months they don’t give you the raise find out why and if the reason’s not good enough, you can quit because you have experience now… Or,
Establish the money UP FRONT in your application. “I am looking for a starting salary of $X… a fun work environment with lots of trees and ample parking and some crazy people to creatively grow your business. If you can offer this I would love to talk.” For anyone who has read my book they will know exactly where I am coming from with this and how to use it… you may be thinking: “I’m not saying anything like that, I’ll never get a job!” But there IS a way to say it and still not blow your chances of getting a job.

But I digress… There is only upside here… Let me explain:

Someone can meet your requirements and you get an interview or job… SUCCESS!
You are not desperate… you have supported yourself for 3 years outside of the communications industry.
Every rejection you get will be coming from businesses that you probably don’t want to work in… assuming that you want lots of trees, crazy people and ample parking, etc.

Face it… there are so many bored employees working in jobs they hate, do you really want to be one of those or do you want a creative, fun work environment? I know what I would choose.

by Acland Brierty

SHAMELESS PLUG: Job Secrets Revealed will teach you how to read between the lines of any ‘situations vacant’ ad to work out how to best pitch your application, regardless of whether you meet their up-front skills or experience requirements.

But before interview you’d better do the salary research.  Check the web and ask around.  There are many online resources for IT job salary info.

Sample Answers:

“I’d rather not commit to a specific salary until the interview process is over and you make a formal offer. What is most important to me is the opportunity to work for your company. I am confident that your offer will be competitive.”

“I would expect a salary which reflects my skills and experience.  What’s the salary range for this position?”

“I’m sure you will be fair. My focus is on finding the right opportunity, and I’ll be open to discussing salary when the offer is made.”

“I am ready to consider your very best offer. What did you have in mind?”

“I’ve got extensive experience on Oracle and believe my DBA skills are a perfect match for this position. I would expect my salary to be at the upper end of your range.”

The second best way to miss out on the job is to ask how much you will be paid in the first interview. Either wait for the final interview or until you have received a job offer. Besides, your research of the industry should already give you an indication of how much to expect.

How to ask for more…

Once you’ve been offered the job it’s now time to talk money. Depending on the job you’ve applied for and the organization there may be no room for negotiating. You simply have to take what’s being offered. The 2 choices open to you are to put up with it or find a company that is willing to pay more for your skills.

The next section only applies if you think you are worth more, or want to earn more, than what you are currently being paid.

If you were an employer and you have $40,000 allocated as a wage for a new employee, would you offer the potential employee all of your $40,000? Or would you offer them $30,000 to see if they take it, in which case you’ve just saved yourself $10,000?

Now you’re ready to proceed…

If asked how much you were earning in your last position, answer truthfully, then explain part of your reason for leaving was because you wanted a chance to earn more. That you felt your skills and contributions to the company weren’t being rewarded hence the reason for you applying to this job.

It’s important to demonstrate why you think you are worth more. Bring up case histories of saving the company X% or increasing sales or service while you were there.

“We were thinking of a salary package of $30,000. How does that sound…?” You’ll hear this when you ask them what the salary for the job is or they may simply say it up front. The 3 ways to handle this are:

1. Say NOTHING. This tactic added $50 a week to my paycheck once. OK, that’s not a lot but it’s an extra $2,500 a year and I didn’t have to ask for it. A good 2 minutes work. The reason this tactic works is because people generally don’t like silences. When you say nothing the employer can tell that their offer is less than you were expecting. By saying nothing forces the employer to offer something closer to what you had in mind.

2. Explain that you were earning more in your last position and would expect at least that. If that doesn’t apply to you, tell them the salary you want plus a few thousand dollars more. The reason for this is — if you ask for too little you can’t negotiate up, you can only get what you’ve asked for or negotiate down. You’ve got no room to move in. But, if you ask for more than you want you have room to move down. Chances are that you may get what you asked for which is more than you originally wanted.

3. Accept the offer on the condition that you meet again in 3 or 6 months for a wage review. Explain that you have skills that will really benefit the company and you are willing to work for less than you would ordinarily accept on the proviso that in X months time you meet again to renegotiate your salary package. You’re taking a little of the risk away from them.

Now here’s a lateral thought for you — you can always get paid on a results basis… Depending on the sort of position you’ve applied for, if the salary is not up to your standard then ask for a share of profits, increased sales in a certain area or a share of savings made. If the company is spending $50,000 in a certain area and you can save them $15,000 (for example) you could ask for a one-off fee of half the savings ($7,500). (After all, they’re better off by $15,000 every year because of your idea.)

The same thing could apply if you can help to increase sales or productivity. You don’t have to be a salesman to do this.

I remember a story of a secretary in the USA who worked for a sausage making company. She thought it would be neat to sell sausages by mail order so she brought the idea to her boss. The boss said OK and she now heads up a multimillion dollar mail order sausage business. Oh yes, she gets paid a lot more than when she was a secretary.

Use them as an example for you being paid more…

If the money they’re offering is less than you want or need and it doesn’t look like you’re going to get what you’re asking for, try saying something like this:

“I’ve researched your firm and I know that the widgets you sell and the services you provide aren’t the cheapest on the market. Why is that?” …..(they will go ahead and tell you about their quality and service and expertise and how it’s superior to the rest, etc… )

To which you would reply: “Well, the same thing applies in my case. I’m not saying that other people can’t do my job for less. All I’m saying is that like you, I offer (insert your skills & experience etc… here) and I’m always learning and improving those skills so that I can be of maximum value to you and your customers.”

Then say nothing and see what follows.

You can always accept what they’re offering with a review in 3 months or so if this tactic fails.

If the company is the cheapest on the market then you may be in trouble with the example above so you might have to point out that if you can work more quickly and efficiently, etc… then you’ll save the company money. They may pay you more for that.

The last resort…

If all else fails and they won’t meet your salary expectations, don’t take the job. This might get them to pay what you want or else it won’t. The fact is you have to be happy with the salary you’re being offered otherwise there is little point in working there is there.

If you can show the employer why you’re worth the money and they can see that there is no way you’ll do it for less, refusing the job may be what it takes for them to meet your demands. It shows them that you are serious about what you can do and the money you think you’re worth.

If they think you are being unrealistic they’ll let you go. Maybe one of their competitors will appreciate your skills and pay you the money you want.

But remember this: You don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.

SHAMELESS PLUG: Job Secrets Revealed comes with a special ‘interview secrets’ report that will give you – more secrets of the experts including sections on “behavioral interviewing”, an expanded section on understanding the mind of the employer and the Top 10 list of the “Things Interviewers Fear,” as well as the complete list of the toughest interview questions you’ll ever get, including advice on how to side-step the ones you won’t want to answer. Plus, we give you powerful techniques to let you take control of the interview.

“Yes. Salary is not my top priority. If your company offers advancement opportunities and other forms of compensation, I would be willing to consider a lesser salary.”

“I’m afraid not. I’ve worked extremely hard to achieve the level I’m at now, and I wouldn’t want to take a step backwards. I feel that, based on my experience and qualifications, my stated salary range is reasonable and in line with industry standards.”