TIPS FOR NEGOTIATING SALARY FOR EMPLOYERS AND JOBSEEKERS - Lance Winsaft

TIPS FOR NEGOTIATING SALARY 

Today we’re sharing tips for both employers and jobseekers who are considering accepting or negotiating a salary offer.

You should know there are different strategies to take depending on your situation for both employers and jobseekers.

Your strategy depends on if you are negotiating with each other directly or if there is a recruiter who is negotiating on your behalf.

WORKING WITH A RECRUITER

If there is a recruiter in the mix, you need to be clear about how much you trust them to represent and negotiate for both parties.

There are a lot of different recruiters out there and many of them are good at negotiating and many aren’t.

If you’re working with someone, you want to be sure you can trust that they are going to be able to handle both parties interests.

FOR THE JOBSEEKER

If you’re a job seeker and working with a recruiter, you definitely want to take whatever advice that recruiter is giving you.

The recruiter is likely going to have your best interest in mind and do everything they can to negotiate the highest salary possible.

Recruiters’ commissions are going to be based off of your final salary, so it really is in their best interest to negotiate the best possible salary.

The thing to keep in mind is that often by the time you get an offer, the recruiter will have already done some significant negotiating on your end.

Although it may be the first time you’re seeing an offer, it’s likely not the first time that potential employer has been in the negotiation process.

So you want to keep the above in mind as you don’t want to be in a position to over negotiate.

BEING CLEAR, CONCISE AND PREPARED

The last thing that you want to do is go back-and-forth with your prospective employer too many times.

This can make you seem nit-picky and could just annoy and or upset at the situation.

One way to avoid this is when you do an initial review of your offer be sure that you collect any and all questions that you have.

Many jobseekers make the mistake of going back and forth finding concerns and asking questions.

This can get annoying and makes you seem unorganized.

COMMUNICATING SALARY EXPECTATIONS

When working with a recruiter, it’s also in your best interest to be upfront about your current salary.

Many states are now employing laws which make it illegal for recruiters or companies to ask candidates what your current salary is.

The purpose of these laws is to avoid gender discrimination, not so that people can hide their salary and try to get more money.

It will be obvious to the recruiter if you do this.

The truth of the matter is that nine time out of ten, being upfront about your current salary is your best ammunition.

If you’re being underpaid, you can use that as an argument for why you want an increase.

If you aren’t being underpaid you can use your current salary as a basis for a certain percentage of increase.

In other words, it’s better to have a stand off point in your argument for certain salary expectations.

You don’t want to have a certain salary expectation based off of nothing.

Most of the time this is going to help, especially if you are working with a recruiter.

A recruiter will be able to take that information and really frame it with their client to really sell you with your requested salary.

WHAT JOBSEEKERS CAN EXPECT

Also, be sure that you don’t get offended if your first number on the offer is a bit off.

Many companies tend to come in with a lowball offer at first.

This is fairly normal and you want to make sure that you don’t take something like this personally.

This can be a red flag in some situations, but normally it’s just a starting off point knowing that there’s going to be some back-and-forth.

Be professional about it and remind them what your expectations are and what your current salary is.

You can also remind them of your justifications and your logical case for the salary that you are expecting.

The more evidence and logic you’re able to bring to the situation about your salary expectation, the better.

SALARY IS NOT EVERYTHING

You want to make sure you get a clear picture of all the benefits that come with the role you’re negotiating for.

Things like bonuses, health insurance, life insurance, 401(k) and disability should all be considered.

There are many other perks that companies are now instituting like food perks, dry cleaning, vacation, paid days off, remote days, short days in the summer, and the list goes on.

Many of these bonuses, benefits and perks are difficult to monetize, but add up to a lot of money within any given year.

It’s very important that you keep all of this in mind as these things can have a major impact on your overall compensation.

These things also greatly impact the quality of your work and life balance.

So it’s very important that you take it all in a consideration and don’t get too stuck on a salary number.

We’ve seen many candidates get stuck on a salary number and miss out on a great opportunity.

You want to be sure you’re taking the whole picture into account.

FOR THE EMPLOYERS

It’s important that you avoid the aforementioned initial lowball offer.

Be up front with people and let them know what your ranges are early on in the process.

Get expectations from people early on in the process.

You can ask questions as to why they are expecting a certain salary.

Be sure yon’t break the law in your state if you’re not allowed to ask about their current salary.

HAVING A SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE

Have a really well thought-out and put-together benefits document showing as much as possible.

This will show the details of the monetary amount of your benefits package.

A well put together benefits package is really going to help supplement any salary offer that you make.

You’ll be able to justify a lower salary or market salary with candidates if you are also offering a competitive benefits package.

It’s important that you are clear with people throughout the process and you make sure they are clear with you about expectations.

You don’t want to waste your time getting all the way through your interview process with someone that you like, only to have a deal fall apart.

This can happen if you don’t communicate clearly and aren’t in the same ballpark when it comes to compensation.

It’s also not a good idea to come in with your first number as your maximum, unless of course this has been discussed with the candidate beforehand.

Most candidates are expecting to be able to negotiate or pushback on the salary at least once and get a little bit higher than the initial offer.

There is a very important emotional and psychological aspect of people accepting offers.

No one likes to just lay down and accept the first offer.

People want to feel like they pushed back and then someone gave in because they really like them.

The last thing you want is for someone to feel OK about accepting the offer and then to show up on day one feeling just OK having accepted the job.

You want people excited about the role and to feel wanted.

CONCLUSION

These are just a few tips you can take into consideration.

The tips in this blog can go a long way to getting the best offer for yourself and also for the company.

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How do you do it ALL? Here is a great list on managing your work-life balance! https://muse.cm/SyV3yC

Hiring Remote, Partial Remote, and Telecommute Workers - Lance Winsaft

By Lance Winsaft

Today we’re talking about the pros and cons of hiring remote workers or employing remote or telecommute workers.

It’s important to keep in mind that all businesses are different and this may not work for everyone.

Some businesses are prone to work very well with remote workers while others are not designed to have remote teams.

It’s important to pay attention to this because if your business is a good candidate for remote workers, you can greatly benefit.

If your business is not conducive to hiring remote workers this article may not be relevant to you.

If you want to consider this, you’ll need to see what changes you can make to take advantage of remote workers.

REMOTE WORKERS ARE TRENDING

There is currently a large trend for candidates that are interested in the ability to work remote or partially remote.

Many people nowadays are putting much more emphasis on their work-life balance.

Being able to work remote offers people the flexibility to have their work-life schedule be more balanced.

Many people also work better remote then they do in an office environment.

The office environment can often have many distractions with other coworkers or other things going on.

This of course depends on your office culture, office environment and the type of people that you hire.

Many extremely talented people who are at the top of their field are only interested in working with this flexibility.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN HIRING REMOTE

Being open to hiring remote workers opens you up to a segment of the market that you may be missing out on.

If you are thinking of hiring remote workers, you have to consider how that will fit into your existing culture.

If your existing culture is one where everyone is in the office and then you hire someone remote, this could cause friction.

You could produce dissension in the ranks of your employees who might feel left out or jealous if the new person gets to work remote but they don’t.

TRANSITIONING TO HAVING REMOTE WORKERS

If you’re considering taking this on, you want to take inventory on whether your current employees can work remote.

Perhaps you make working remote more like a benefit to be attained if someone reaches certain KPI’s or metrics.

Many sales people are extremely effective working remote.

WHICH POSITIONS WORK BEST REMOTELY

If someone travels a lot and they’re mostly on site with clients, there really is no need to have them in office.

 You can benefit greatly from a rockstar sales person being somewhere else in the country.

Customer service folks and account management people also function very well in a remote capacity.

Believe it or not, accounting folks and financial people can also work very well remote.

You might want to think about having your internal financial people working remote as well.

WHO IS THE RIGHT FIT FOR REMOTE WORK

When hiring remote you shoud know if they are the kind of personality that’s productive in a remote function.

There are many people who if left to their own devices will not get the work done that needs to get done.

If you have those kind of people working remote you will see a slump in productivity.

Your people should know that their ability to work remote goes hand-in-hand with the results they are on the hook to produce.

In other words working remote should be slated more like a privilege or a benefit that is earned rather than a “right.”

Another trick to hiring a solid remote employee is hiring someone who has been successful working remote in the past.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

There’s also incorporate partial telecommuting where your team is in the office 3-4 days and remote 1-2 days a week.

This model can provide the best of both worlds for you and your employees.

Then you can accomplish the things you need with the team together and have the balance of working remote some days.

This is a very common model that’s being adopted by many companies and is being extremely successful.

This model works if all of your employees are local as you’ll need them in the office together certain days of the week.

CONCLUSION

Look at remote and telecommute working as a way to tap into a segment of the market with more great talent.

This is a segment of the market that is growing as more and more people are looking for that work-life balance.

More and more people are looking for the ability to have flexibility around their work schedules.

Many of these types of people can be extremely high producers and will produce better with this type of flexibility.

As managers it’s important for us to focus on hiring the right personalities that can work well autonomously.

This can be more productive for managers also, not having to control and micromanage everybody.

You owe it to yourself to explore this a bit further and see if it’s something that can work for your business.

RECRUITING REMOTE WORKERS

If you are going to go after remote workers it may be challenging from a recruiting perspective.

Recruiting firms like us are extremely solid resources for being able to tap into other markets for remote work.

Remember, the challenge will be instead of just recruiting in your city you’re going to be recruiting nationwide.

You may even be just recruiting in certain times zones.

Your pool of people to reach out to is going to increase dramatically.

You will need to have a strategy for how to tap into those markets and find the best talent.

Keep in mind that it will likely take a lot of volume, so leaning on a recruiter can be a very valuable resource for tapping into that market.

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Here are some great tools for increasing your team’s productivity:

https://bit.ly/2Aj4qrY

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MEN GETTING PAID MORE THAN WOMEN – EVEN MILLENNIALS? - Lance Winsaft

THE GENDER PAY GAP

So it looks like the gender pay gap may not be changing any time soon, can Millennials make a difference?

The pay gap between men and woman has always had a significant gap between the two. In history, men have always been paid more than women. 

Some states are creating new laws to impact this problem.

Experts say though things may not be getting better.

MILLENNIALS 

Today, Millennials make up the largest generational group in the workforce in the US. Millennials are truly taking over!

Millennials face gender pay gap just like any other generation.

The gap unfortunately continues to widen especially in the Millennial generation.

Experts have reported that this pay gap will continue to widen as salaries rise.

Even though the gap is smaller than Generation X or Baby Boomers in history the gap is predicted to continue to widen as more of the workforce becomes primarily Millennial.

WHERE IS IT THE WORST?

The biggest example of the gap are in TV and Entertainment. Actors have been recorded to have been making much more in entertainment than women.

Wages for millennial men are growing at a rapid rate than for millennial women with comparable jobs.

WHAT ABOUT INDUSTRIES?

It has been found that millennial women earn less across every region and industry than their male coworkers.

The largest gap is found in educational and health services between men and woman. It is found that men are making more in a woman driven field. 

This truly highlights the problem.

STARBUCKS STEPPING UP

Starbucks came out and announced that the gender pay gap between men and women has been eliminated at their company.

Last Wednesday, Starbucks announced that the pay gap is closed and that it has achieved 100 percent  pay equality amongst it’s employees. 

Over 3,5000 people celebrated as Lucy Helm, EVP and Chief Partner Officer announced the pay gap elimination.

Across the nation the pay gap between men and women is about 20 percent. But among much more educated and accredited workers the pay gap is much larger and goes up to 34 percent.

What does this mean exactly? For every dollar males are paid woman get paid 66 cents with a graduate degree.

Starbucks also announced that they will be formulating and share pay equity principals that helped it close the gender gap pay to show other companies what they have to do to really follow their pay.

This is ground breaking work in history and really shows change in the making for companies like Starbucks. 

WHAT CAN WE DO?

We as recruiters want to make sure that everyone of our candidates are given the best rate of pay possible. 

Many laws are being passed in states around the country that prohibit recruiters and employers from asking people their salary.

The idea being that people will not get a new salary offered based on their current earnings, which may be unfair or under market.

This can be a double edged sword for candidates as many are now asking for salaries that are too high, and then pricing themselves out compare to the competition.

Be smart about this but also know your legal rights.

WHY DO WOMEN GET PAID LESS THAN MEN?

This is something that goes back in history. Before men were seen as the bread winners.

Things have significantly changed while women have become more and more empowered to become bread winners on their own and in families.

This is something that has escalated and become more known. Because pay wise women were paid less in the past, women have become more educated and earned degrees and have put their foot in the door to great companies holding high titles.

Women are really starting to make their print in the workforce in fields that are dominated by men. 

CONCLUSION

Things seem to not be changing too much even with the Millennial generation taking over the workforce. 

Trends show that in fact the gender gap pay gap may even widen as time goes on with men continuing to make more money than women.

Be sure to know the laws in your state. If you are an employer, don’t discriminate!

Here at Aldebaran Recruiting we will continue to do everything we can to negotiate the best and fair salary for all of our candidates.

HOW TO BE A POWERFUL LEADER, CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP - Lance Winsaft

ARCHETYPE

Archetype concepts are intriguing to me and I believe them to be extremely powerful in creating new realities. I was first exposed to the concept of archetypes when I was a very young girl.

My father taught me that if I wanted to live the life of an extraordinary human being, it was useful to create the “archetype” of what an extraordinary human being looks like.

Then, when I was a teenager, he insisted that I create the archetype of the “ideal woman,” a blueprint if you will, of the kind of woman I could aspire to become.

There were many conversations about archetypes while I was growing up, including the archetype of the “ideal man,” designed to help me manifest a husband with “superior” qualities.

I wish I’d paid closer attention to these teachings when I was younger and put them into practice with more fervor.

Fortunately, I did eventually catch on and I’ve used the powerful tool of creating archetypes in many areas of my life, especially in creating my businesses.

Etymologically speaking, an archetype is an “original pattern from which copies are made,” and derives from the Latin noun archetypum.

The adjective form is archétupos, which means “first-molded,” a compound of archḗ, “beginning, origin,” and tupos, “pattern,” “model,” or “type.”

The word “archetype” has been written about and used by scientists, psychologists, philosophers, artists, writers and many others in different ways and with varying purposes.

This fascinates me!

ARCHETYPE AS A BLUEPRINT

The way I want to use it in this text is somewhat synonymous with the word “blueprint,” which is a design that serves as a mold, model or a template.

If you were going to build a house, you would not even attempt to do so without a blueprint.

Likewise, if we are going to design the model for entrepreneurial or corporate leadership in the 22nd Century, we need to start with a blueprint, a planned design.

I am calling this The 22nd Century Leadership ArchetypeTM.

Moments after I sat down to write this piece a knot formed in my throat.

MOVING TO CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP

That is how moved I am about the concept of what conscious leadership could represent for humanity as a whole. I literally wanted to cry.

Tears actually did form at the edges of my eyes when I got present to how much work there is for us to do.

While I am inspired by the many corporations that are paving the way towards conscious leadership, as I observe our political landscape (where the solution to violence in our schools is arming teachers) and to what some companies are doing to make a profit no matter the cost to human dignity and life itself I can’t help but know in my heart that there must be a better way.

In just the last 2 decades we have made so many advances in science and technology that I do believe we are more connected than ever with what it will take for us as a “collective” to move into total homeostasis as a species…a species that thrives all the while bringing harmony, balance and serenity to all living beings sharing this beautiful planet with us.

With this in mind I am suggesting we, the community of small business leaders and entrepreneurs, come forth with an archetype for the corporate leadership we want our great grandchildren to experience.

If this is to be, we must begin to design the blueprint for it now, today.

THE 22ND CENTURY

The 22nd Century is only 82 years away. You and I will be gone. And so will our children, most likely. But our grandchildren will be here and our great grandchildren will definitely be here. What is the world we want them to inherit?

Think about this for a moment. What is the experience of our world that you want your grandchildren and great grandchildren to have?

Given that corporations pretty much run the world, doesn’t it make sense for them to be led by individuals that are highly aware and conscious?

Doesn’t it make sense for corporations to lead humanity into a world equipped to foster wellness for all human beings?

I believe wholeheartedly in the power of corporate leadership. And I am committed to playing a role in creating a world where corporations lead humanity to a higher state of consciousness, a world where we can all thrive, a world where no one is judged or discarded. What do you want?

The following is a starter list of qualities that comprise an archetype of the ideal corporate leader.

10 EXAMPLES OF THE 22ND CENTURY LEADERSHIP ARCHETYPETM:

1.  Discerns that which is not good or right for the whole of humanity and declines to engage in that which is not.

2.  Leads through example, no kidding, consistently and always.

3.  Emulates compassion, forgiveness and comprehension at all levels.

4.  Understands without reservation that we are all connected in every way; that without exception what we experience as an individual is experienced by all. Executes based on this principle.

5.  Courageous at a level where fear of personal retribution is non-existent and steps into full authenticity with zero regard for “looking good.”

6.  Complete trust in profitability through absolute integrity.

7.  Generates abundance and prosperity effortlessly and in alignment with good will for all.

8.  Replaces ego and personality based choices with those that arrive from an Inner Knowing that is clearly aligned with the higher purpose to serve all of humanity.

9.  Understands through clair cognizance that when a conflict shows up it does so to teach or remind us of something we need to recognize about ourselves so we can shift it and transform it within.

10.   Naturally sees, recognizes and deeply appreciates the inherent and profound value in all human beings regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation, country of origin, or any other “label” that might mask this truth.

HOW TO HIRE THE BEST TALENT AND CANDIDATES - LANCE WINSAFT

The market is competitive and it’s critical you do whatever is needed to get a competitive edge. 

1) Clarity, 2) Culture, 3) Speed – The top 3 things you need to have FLAT if you are serious about hiring the best talent.

*CLARITY – You need to be clear about what you need in the role, what the person will do, what their personality will be like, and what you will expect of them.

*CULTURE – Your company and team should have a defined culture that you can speak to and get people excited about. Find out ways to interview for culture.

*SPEED – In this market, there is no time for drawn out interview processes. Don’t compromise on what you need to do to hire the right people and be sure to move fast with the people you like – they are most likely being courted by other companies! 

Are You Missing Out?

We see too many clients miss out on great talent because of missing one more of the above  items. When you miss out on that great candidate, guess what? They are going to your competition! That is usually not a good thing. Every industry and vertical is competitive, you can’t afford to lose talent to your competitors.

On this same note, the above points apply to current employees as well. Employees stay with companies that have a clear vision, companies that move fast, and companies with a well defined culture. 

If you are able to retain the talent you currently have while also attracting and retaining other top talent, you will have an undeniable edge over your competition. The slightest edge in any game is what separates the winners from the losers.

You Are Being Interviewed As Well!

Every candidate you interview is also interviewing you and your company – and remember, if they are good, they aren’t desperate, and someone else is likely after them as well!! It’s so critical you find ways to sell both the opportunity of the role and the opportunity of joining your team and company.  Putting even a little bit more effort into candidate experience can have big payoffs in terms of giving you a competitive edge.

Top talent must be hunted in this current market. If you are serious about adding the best people to your team, you can’t rely on them finding you in time. If you are unable to hire a headhunter, find a way to hunt the talent on your own. This can be tricky but must be done! The best talent is waiting for you to find them and court them.  

This holds true the most if you are hiring executives or upper management – especially if they are currently working with one of your competitors. It isn’t enough to “build it and they will come.” So you have a great product or service, a great future for the company ahead of you, that is great, but not enough to lure over the superstars.

Be Willing To Court Them

Superstars need a little coaxing. Add in a dinner as part of your interview process, make your interview process is slick with very high communication. Your internal HR teams should be on the spot with scheduling and communicating with these folks. Give them a great tour of the office, sell them on your vision the perks, etcetera. Find out what really matters to them, what are their motivations, why are they interested. More importantly, find out their concerns!

Too many employers avoid asking what the candidates concerns are and therefore they never get addressed. Only when you find out what they are concerned about can you dress it. This is a critical interview strategy that most employers miss. What happens then is the candidate has a concern, they make things up in their head about the concern, it never gets addressed, and then they make a decision based on the made up thoughts they have about the concern! Most of the time the concern was something easy to address that likely would have resulted in a positive outcome. Don’t fall in to this trap.

Never stop improving your process. The way you find talent and retain them should be ever evolving. Outside recruiters are an amazing resource because we work with many different clients and we see what works and what doesn’t work. We strive to be that sort of partner for our clients – not just a talent mill.

Recruiters also help to manage those communications and set expectations. The last thing you want is to leave a candidate “hanging” out there at any point in the process. This happens WAY too much! Especially if they are hot, you can’t leave them on hold. Recruiters are great for setting expectations and taking that load away from you.

Conclusion

There are many ways to give yourself a competitive edge to attract and retain the top talent in the market. You owe it to yourself to invest in HR and recruiters. Invest in have a great candidate experience that motivates and inspires candidates. Court the people you really like, make them feel special, make them feel wanted, and keep this up for all employees. Millennials especially want to contribute and be apart of something. Give your employees that chance! 

Feel free to reach out to us if you want to improve in any of these areas. We are a true business partner and can provide you with not only the top talent but also insight and advice into your process. To attract the best you have to be the best and work with the best. If you offer peanuts you get monkeys. or if you do the bare minimum with candidates and think they should be happy to be interviewing with you, you will get mediocre talent. You have an amazing company, an amazing product/service, now do whatever it takes to have the best people.

Happy Hunting!

LANCE WINSAFT ON FINDING YOUR IDEAL CAREER: WHERE DO YOU START?

Finding your ideal career is not easy, but the fact that you’re reading this article means that you’re a driven, motivated individual that’s willing to work hard for it. Good job! You’ve already gotten the first step down: To find the motivation.

So what’s next? Well, here are some essential steps to start finding your ideal career. It is recommended that you write your ideas down as you go to make it more concrete and easier to work with.

Define your passion

First, you need to do some self-assessment. What are some things that you like? What is it that drives you? It doesn’t have to be career- or industry-specific. Your motivation can be your simplest desires like “I like helping others” or “I like it when the numbers come together.” Landing a job that aligns with your passion will definitely boost your performance and leaves you feeling satisfied.

Define your strengths and weaknesses

Make a list of things that you’re good at and what you need to work on. You’ll more likely enjoy and succeed in a career that allows you to make use of your strengths. If you’re concerned that your ideal career path might not suit you because of your weakness, don’t be discouraged! In fact, good for you! Now you know what you need to work on and you’re one step closer to being in your ideal career.

Gain experience

You may have found it difficult to list your passion, strengths, and weaknesses. That’s ok! You’re not alone. You’ll need to give yourself some time to identify both your natural and learned skills. Take the time to understand your own potential. After gaining some experience, you’ll be better able to assess yourself and find a skill (or a combination of it) that you can capitalize on.

Define your priorities and career goals

Everyone has slightly different goals in life. Some will want to focus on their career growth, while others want to focus on learning new skills. If you’re focusing on your career growth, avoid the common mistake of prioritizing short-term improvements. What you want now may not be aligned with what you want five or ten years down the road. For example, don’t be swayed by a job promotion if it means that you’ll be stuck in a career path that you don’t want to be in.

Consider the work culture

Work culture may seem insignificant, but it actually matters more than some would think. Consider the work environment that would suit you best. What will your relationship with your coworkers look like? What style of company leadership do you look for? These things can contribute to whether you will enjoy a job or not. For example, some would enjoy working in a big corporate company while others thrive in smaller companies. Do your research. Find out if the work culture of the jobs in your career path would allow you to perform at your maximum potential.

Money is not everything

Yes, we all have to pay our bills. However, money shouldn’t be your primary goal. You’ll always want “a bit more.” You’ll never be content if your goal purely about gaining more money. Instead, think about what matters to you most. Do you want flexible work hours? What kind of lifestyle do you want to live? Revisit your values, life priorities, and career goals.

It’s always nice to be in your ideal career. But like everything nice, it will take time and effort. So put in those hours and don’t hold back on those sweat and tears! You might only land a decent job in the beginning, but rest assured, your efforts will pay off sooner or later. Best of luck!