Be Brave Not Safe

The good news is that if you’ve been “following the program”, outlined in prior posts on this topic, you have received and weighed a number of job offers!

In fact, our son (Ian / 25) has gotten a step ahead of my posts (I’ve been busy with a new client project), as he begins his first “professional” job as a Web Developer today, at a high tech company in Burlington, MA. Psyched!

So now, I’ll catch-up with reality. We must cover closing the deal 🙂

As a recent college graduate you don’t have a “ton” of negotiating room, but you can take steps to ensure you are being offered fair and equitable pay.

One very effective resource (yep, online) is www.PayScale.com. Simply visit the site, follow the prompts and it will provide you a range of pay that you should expect to receive based on the detailed profile parameters requested on you, the job and location. And, it takes less than 5 minutes to complete!

Assuming the pay offered is appropriate (what you were expecting and is in the range of pay suggested by our research on PayScale.com) and you’ve weighed all the other considerations in the prior post on this topic, you can now take the leap of accepting the most desirable job option.

Yes, I know, they’d really like to have you start immediately. But, your current (retail) job has you on their schedule for the next several days. As such, you are encouraged to provide the obligatory 2-week notice. That is, NEVER BURN BRIDGES. It is a very small world and you never know if and/or when you may cross paths again with your current employer. This might even include needing their “good words” in the future, as a reference.

Fortunately, when our son Ian broke the news of his new job to his employer (who absolutely loves his work) they graciously let him off the hook in less than 2-weeks so that he could begin his future career!

With this post, I’m closing out the series on “How to Land That First Professional Job.”

I hope that you find it as helpful as my son did, in landing his first “professional” job!

If and/or when you know of a new college graduate looking to land their first professional job, send them to this site. All they need to do is use the feature at the bottom of the page to search on “How to land” and it will pull up all posts on this subject.

All the best!

Given all the interest generated, you are bound to receive a number of job offers.

Before jumping “too” early, you are encouraged to weigh your options, because not all offers are created equal.

Consider the following attributes of the job:

• The role
  • Is it a role that is below what you were expecting or hoping for? It may be at “ground-level” but does it offer the potential opportunity for rapid career growth? This may be your foot in the door!
  • Is it a more advanced role, for which you are concerned about meeting expectations? Perhaps including areas beyond your skill-set and experience? You’ll want to make sure to understand the “support system” available to assist if that becomes necessary.
• The company / industry
  • Is it in hyper-growth mode? If this is the case you will rapidly be exposed to new and exciting things. In many cases, you’ll be able to blaze new trails in areas that haven’t been explored yet. And, there is the prospect of a nice payout in the future (i.e., stock options, stay bonus for top performers during a merger or acquisition, etc.).
  • Is it a mature business / industry focused on managing its resources for maximum efficiency as they seek additional market share? If this is the case it is “more likely” that you’ll be asked to perform according to well-defined policies and procedures, at which time you will learn a ton of valuable business-related discipline. And, the “total compensation” package may be more comprehensive.
• Will you be a:
  • Big fish in a little pond – Lots of exposure and potentially autonomy, but there “may” not be a lot of support (mentoring and guidance) to help you along the way.
  • Little fish in a big pond – Lots of support and paths for career growth, but you “may” be a mere number in a large organization (harder to get noticed).
• Note: Any of the above “either or” cases can be ok! It is just important to know what you are getting in to, in advance. So, ask the questions.
• The people – How did you feel about the people you met? Did they TRULY seem to enjoy working there? Were they friendly and outgoing, or uptight and reserved?
• What is the TOTAL compensation package? This can include:
  • Benefits
    • Insurance (Health, Dental, Life and Disability)
    • Retirement / 401k – Is there a company match (a.k.a. free money!)
    • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ability to buy stock in the company at an attractive price)
    • Vacation Days / Sick Days / Paternity Leave (man, I never had that option while we were having our 4 boys)
  • The pay:
    • Salary: The fixed sum you will receive every pay period regardless of how many hours you work (40, 50, 60 hours / week).
    • Hourly: And, if overtime pay is a consistent “option” that you can count on.
• Location – What is the commute like? Both duration and distance. Don’t guess. Take a test run, during rush hour!

Once you know the above, for each, there are a number of considerations. For example, a high salary with minimal benefits may be less attractive than a moderate salary loaded with benefits. It is very easy to evaluate these, from a monetary perspective. Simply lay them out, side-by-side, in a spreadsheet and do the math!

Then, all things being equal, a shorter commute or a route with less traffic can be much more desirable than spending 1-2 hours “on the road” or on the train each day.

Bottom-line: Weigh your options and don’t ignore any gut-level instincts you may feel, in terms of the direction to take.

Congratulations! You will soon be experiencing the first day on your new “professional” job 🙂

Click here for the next article in this series.

If you have been following this topic (How to land that first “professional” job) and diligently taking the suggested steps you are hopefully in the same position as my son Ian.

He recently commented: “How do I manage all these moving parts? My brain is melting!”

That is what I like to hear!!!

More specifically, you’ll be getting calls and emails from numerous interested parties, each of which are at a different stage with you in the recruitment process. You will hear from each the first time during their initial contact to confirm your interest and availability for the job. Others are trying to get time on your calendar to do a phone screen or interview. You may also have “to do’s” resulting from your conversations, etc.

At this (enviable) point, you need to effectively manage the process so there are no missteps. To do so, there are 2 primary tools:

• Your List of Opportunities
• Your Calendar of (ALL your) Activities

Let’s cover each.

Your List will consist of each opportunity you are pursuing and/or each opportunity that is pursuing you. For each you’ll want to track the following information for quick and easy reference:

• Company name and location
• Key points of contact (name, title, phone number and email address)
• Job title, requirements, particulars and related notes you’ve captured at each stage of the process (outlined below)
• The current stage of your evaluation
  • Identified opportunity (not yet contacted)
  • Application and/or your initial contact
  • Their initial contact/response
  • Phone screen
  • Face-to-face interview
  • 2nd round interview, etc.
  • The offer
  • Closed opportunity (no longer in pursuit and why)
  • Etc.
• Next steps:
  • What is due and/or scheduled next for this specific opportunity, when and with whom
  • When you want to follow-up with them, if they owed you something (a callback, etc.)

Your Calendar

When a prospective employer calls you seeking time on your calendar for a phone or face-to-face interview, you’ll want to quickly and concretely give them the answer and/or the available options. Do NOT try to do this from memory. It will ONLY create an embarrassing situation when (not if) you have to call them back to let them know you forgot you had another commitment, need more travel time, etc.

As outlined in a prior post, place EVERY specific commitment of your time on your electronic calendar (work, school, interviews, dentist, etc. Did I mention EVERY specific commitment of your time?). And, if certain appointments require travel time (to and from) place this on the calendar, separately, as the related travel time (before and after the appointment). That way you can easily determine when you’ll be “en route” (and potentially able to take a call, for example) vs. in a scheduled appointment (completely unavailable).

In closing, trying to manage all this in our head will cause a mind melt. What a waste 🙂

Instead, make it easy! Track it all on a list and in your calendar (electronically, of course, so this crucial information is at your fingertips wherever you may be).

And, finally, by effectively managing this process you will demonstrate to prospective employers that you are a professional vs. a mere amateur…

Click here for the next article in this series.