How to Negotiate a Job Offer in an Employer’s Market
Syndicated from RecessionWire.com
Finally, the hours of prospecting, submitting resumes, attending networking events, developing new relationships and attending job fairs have paid off. A company has made you an offer.
Now what?
With hiring activity is picking up, many job-seekers face a new challenge: Nailing down a decent compensation package. Historically, hiring managers and executives have told me that everything is negotiable—but what about today? Many organizations have cut salaries, 401(k) matches, company perks and paid overtime. They are being very conservative about adding new staff. And with the official unemployment rate at 9.7 percent for August, it’s a hyper-competitive job market.
In this environment, you may feel like you’re lucky to get a job offer at all. But you also want to be paid fairly. So how do you cut a good deal? Follow these guidelines.
To read more visit www.RecessionWire.com
How to Dress for a Successful Job Interview
Syndicated from SalesHQ.com
In an ultra-competitive job market, every detail counts on a job interview.
The wrong look, the wrong attitude or both can sink an interview fast. A survey by CareerBuilder.com showed that 46 percent of 3,200 hiring managers reported job candidates were dressed inappropriately.
But with the right look, lots of research and the right attitude, image experts and career advisors say you can get yourself remembered for all the right reasons and, ultimately, hired.
“People say appearance shouldn’t matter, that it’s what’s on the inside that counts,” said Kelly Machbitz, a Clearwater, Fla., image consultant, “but it’s that first impression that counts.”
When deciding what to wear, think conservatively, said Frank Kelly, who was named Esquire Magazine’s “Best Dressed Real Man” in 2007. He works with clients at the Community Partnership for the Homeless in Miami, prepping them for job interviews and building their self-confidence.
Kelly said to try on what you plan to wear for a friend or family member before the interview and ask them what stands out.
“If they name an item, take it off,” he said. “You’re not here to make an impression with your clothes.”
Here are other tips from Machbitz, Kelly and Michael Erwin, a senior career adviser for CareerBuilder.com.
Research the company that you’re interviewing with to craft the best look, Erwin said. Not every job interview requires the formality of a three-piece suit, but a collared shirt is always a good bet, for men and women. “Work culture is more relaxed than it was years ago, but you still want to take it one step up” for the interview, he said. “You don’t want to show up not wearing a suit and the person who’s interviewing you is in a suit.”
To read full article visit www.SalesHQ.com
Time to Buy — Your Way into a Job
By Angus Loten, Recessionwire.com
If you’re looking for an employer or want to expand your business, now’s a good time to make a move.
Thanks to the recession, there’s never been a better time to buy a small business—provided you’ve got the financial wherewithal. There has been a surge in the number of small businesses going up for sale in the past few months, but only half as many have found buyers compared to the same period last year, according to BizBuySell.com, an online small-business marketplace. That means it’s a buyers’ market, conventional valuations are out the window and there are bargain-basement prices for investors willing to take a risk in a down market.
Among the small businesses that have sold this year, the median sales price has dropped by about 20 percent to $160,000 from $200,000 last year, the site reports.
Typically, brokers and market watchers gauge the value of these deals by dividing the asking price for a business by its annual revenue or cash flow. In the past few months, these figures, known as revenue or cash flow multiples, have dropped dramatically in closing prices, by between 2.5 and 8 percent. Until recently, both multiples were rising steadily.
To read more go to www.recessionwire.com.
