No matter what the state of the economy, there are always business opportunities in finding new solutions to old problems.

For example, both Liquid Paper and Snugli were invented by moms. We can learn a lot from their stories.

In both cases, observation and experience provided insight for a new solution to an old problem (Liquid Paper – erasing smudges, and Snugli – transporting children).

What started out as small home-based businesses turned into profitable and very successful businesses.

Liquid Paper

Liquid Paper was invented by Bette Nesmith Graham to fix the smudges she made trying to erase typing errors at work.

After a divorce in the 1940s, she combined her commercial art background with the need to support herself and her small son Michael (later a member of the “Monkees” rock group) by devising the quick drying correcting fluid.

Beginning with small batches in her blender, she gradually grew her business from her kitchen, to her garage, and eventually to a 35,000 square foot company plant with a child-care center and a library for employees.

She kept secret the formula to what began as “Mistake Out” until her second marriage was breaking up in 1975. Fearful the trade secret would be lost, she applied for a patent on her formula and a trademark.

Just months before her death in 1980, she sold the company that she began in her kitchen to the Gillette Corporation for $47.5 million (plus royalties until 2000). Royalties from Liquid Paper went towards a foundation she established to improve the welfare of women, and to other philanthropies.

Snugli

The familiar Snugli fabric child carrier was created by Ann Moore for her own newborn after a stint in the Peace Corps where she observed the quiet, content babies carried in cloth carriers by their African moms. Ann’s own mom, Lucy Auckerman, an experienced seamstress, refined and perfected the details.

Their little cottage industry grew quickly, propelled by a commitment to extreme customer satisfaction.

They patented the Snugli design in 1966, having the carriers sewn by local women, and then entered the manufacturing business in 1979 to meet customer demand.

Years later, in 1985, when the patent was soon to expire, they sold to Gerry Baby Products, part of the Huffy Corporation (later purchased by Evenflo).

Key Learnings:

• Being smart about protecting intellectual property by using a combination of legal strategies (trade secrets, trademarks and patent protection) and smart business practices.
• Starting their businesses in their homes and keeping their expenses low.

Timing and “good luck” also played a role in their business success.

Liquid Paper came to market at the time of the IBM Selectric Typewriter – when correcting typing mistakes in the office was a common problem. The product was rejected by IBM. Orders resulted from an article in an office trade magazine in 1958, and General Electric Company placed the first large order, for 400 bottles.

Snugli came to market in the 1960s as natural childbirth and breast-feeding were becoming popular. Adapting their product to the emerging culture of the time was indeed a masterful business strategy.

So, about that business idea that you’re cooking up – ask yourself a few questions:

• What problem does it solve?
• Who will benefit from your solution?
• Why is your solution better than the alternatives?
• How does it fit with the times?

What steps can you take to protect your idea?

• Be careful who you show it to (if possible, use a non-disclosure agreement).
• Is your approach unique and non-obvious? (Consider a patent – 20 years of protection.)
• Is trade secret a better way to go? (No time limit as long as kept secret.)
• Can it be copyright protected? (Protects original works of authorship.)
• What about protecting the name? (Register a trademark, domain name.)

Bottom Line:

Making money from your invention or creative work requires a combination of disciplined actions and “good luck.” The disciplined actions include using good business practices and legal protections.

Good luck has a way of finding those who pursue opportunities with preparation and persistence.

NOTE: Information provided is intended as a broad, general overview and is not legal advice.

About the author…

Business Attorney, CPA and 3-time entrepreneur, Jean Sifleet provides practical advice for business challenges based on her first-hand experiences. Her book “Smart Fast, The Desktop Reference Guide for Running Your Business” is a great resource for learning how to avoid legal pitfalls in business.

The post Smart Tips for Cooking Up a Business at Home appeared first on Job-Hunt.

According to Richard Bolles, author of “What Color is Your Parachute,” the job market has changed significantly since 2008. Therefore, what used to work, doesn’t anymore.

Now, for any given job, the average number of people applying is 118. How do you stand out from the 117?

Re-entering the workforce involves learning a whole new process now.

One cannot just expect to start applying online and receive a job offer in a few short weeks.

After assessing your transferable skills and writing your resume, it is time to focus on the most effective way to find a job – networking.

According to Bolles, more than 80% of jobs are found through networking. Research backs up that statistic.

Reconnect with your network. Being out of the workforce for a long time can create a feeling of isolation, but, remember, you are not really isolated. So reach out to your current and past network!

7 Ways Moms Can Leverage Their Network for a Shorter Job Search

Think of everyone you know.

Get back in touch with your former co-workers, and also your mom’s group, members of the PTO, Boy Scout and Daisy leaders, other soccer parents, and more.

All of these people are part of your network. You never know who is married to the HR director of the company you are looking to work for.

1. Create a LinkedIn Profile

Remember, when you are a stay-at-home mom, you are working. So create one, or update your existing LinkedIn Profile to support your job search. Include your volunteer activities, board memberships, and freelance projects.

[Read Job-Hunt’s free Guide to LinkedIn for Job Search for more details.]

2. Don’t Forget Facebook

Facebook is under-estimated as a good platform for job seekers:

• Start with filling out your professional profile, by clicking “edit profile” and looking at the top of the screen for “Work and Education.”
• Most people only list their current job, but Facebook offers many slots for more details.
• Classify your friends – create two lists – “Professional” and “Friends.” This will allow you to target updates to each list.
• Post content and respond to others – “Like” other people’s posts – people want to help people they like – be engaging!

[Read Job-Hunt’s free Guide to Facebook for Job Search for more details.]

3. Use Social Media to Network

After you create your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, as well as Twitter, use these platforms to network with your connections.

• Upload your contact lists and connect with your friends, former co-workers, the parents of your children, etc.
• Join groups, post content and take part in discussions.
• Use LinkedIn’s alumni tool to re-connect with alumni.

Most importantly, use these social media tools to reach out to contacts and connect with them in person.

4. Establish Your Support Network

Before you start to network, you need to have child care in place, and a back-up to your child care. Once you start setting up networking meetings, you don’t want to have to cancel your meetings due to a lack of child care.

Reach out to family, friends, members of your church, and the parents of your children’s friends.

Don’t be afraid of asking for help! This is a part of the networking process too. Networking is about helping others without expecting immediate help in return. During your time at home with your children, you helped many, and helped educate our future citizens.

Now it is time to reach out and ask for help, and build your own support network.

5. Create a List of Everyone You Know

After so much time at home, you may feel that you don’t know anyone who can help you in your job search. Write out a list of everyone you know, from your hairdresser and yoga instructor to the leaders of your daughter’s Daisy Troop and more.

You never know who is connected to someone who has the power to hire you. One of my job seekers landed a job through the mother of their son’s best friend. Include members from your church, your family and their co-workers, your former co-workers, and school and corporate alumni.

This is where the power of LinkedIn comes in – helping you find out who is connected to who.

6. Improve Your Communication Skills

Actually practice improving your communication skills. A great and safe place to do that is an organization like “Toastmasters International.”

Here, you can practice improvisational speech – through table topics – where you are asked to speak for 1 to 2 minutes on a random subject. You can also practice your presentation skills and earn a designation of “Competent Communicator.”

Join a job-seeking networking group, sometimes called a “job club,” where you can practice networking in a safe environment.

7. Create a Brief “Elevator Pitch”

You may have heard of the idea of an elevator pitch. Amy Cuddy talks about this in her famous TED talk.

The idea is to have a 30 to 60-second pitch you could quickly give in the time it takes an elevator to go from the first to the top floor.

In our Twitter, etc., social media-filled world, people’s attention spans have decreased. You will want to develop a quick, short, and to-the-point elevator pitch, and then practice it.

[For how-to details, read How to Write an Impressive Elevator Pitch (with Examples).]

Keep Expanding Your Network

Of course, this is not a full and comprehensive list of networking sources and skills needed for your job search. For more ideas, Google “Using networking to find a job” and you will find many more! Also, watch for future posts for more in-depth ways to use LinkedIn, social media, etc., to network your way to a job.

More About Networking

• 10 Elements of an Effective LinkedIn Profile
• LinkedIn Networking Power Tool: Education
• 4 LinkedIn Ice Breakers
• 10 Steps to Better Ranking in LinkedIn Searches
• Secret Networking Powerhouse: Employer “Alumni”
• How to Make Employee Referrals Work for You << the best/quickest way to find a job!

About the author…

By day, Rachelle Lappinen, working mother of two, serves as a college and career advisor for GEAR UP. When Rachelle is not writing her blog or advising her students, she enjoys camping and going to the theater with her children. Follow Rachelle on Twitter at @RLappinen, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her blog SolutionsByRachelle.

The post How Stay-at-Home Moms Can Network to Their New Jobs appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Each Guide is comprised of articles on a specific job search topic: job interviews, LinkedIn, resumes, layoff recovery, reputation management, and more than forty other topics.

If you are not a job seeker and wish to use any of the Job-Hunt Guides, contact us for permission. These Guides are protected by U.S. Copyright law. Do NOT republish or sell any of these Guides in the USA or anywhere else.

On this page:

Online Job Search Tools, Work from Home, Traditional Job Search Process and Tools, Avoiding Job Search Hazards, Handling Career Change, Unemployment, and Job Loss, New Grads, Veterans, Boomers, Introverts, and Other Groups, Government, IT, Finance, and Other Industries, and Free ebooks About Job Search.

Expert Advice in Job-Hunt’s Guides

Reader’s Digest describes Job-Hunt.Org as “vacuum-packed with solid advice.” The Guides described (and linked) below will make it clear why that description fits.

Each Guide is written by one or more experts in that field. These experts constantly contribute articles critical to successful job search.

Scroll down this page to find the Guides divided into topic and sub-topics.

Guides to Online Job Search Tools

In the last few years, technology has dramatically changed how employers find and hire employees. And, those changes in recruiting have impacted job search in ways that job seekers have never seen before.

Understanding the new technology, from how to use Google and social media (particularly LinkedIn) to effectively using job boards and even email, is essential now. These links take you to Job-Hunt Guides on those topics:

• • Guide to Finding Jobs Online
    This Guide shows where jobs are posted online.
  • Guide to Personal SEO
    This Guide helps you understand how important “search engine optimization” (SEO) is to a modern job search. Learn what your keywords are, and where (and how) to make them visible to recruiters, employers, and other potential members of your network.
    • Guide to Being Found on LinkedIn (LinkedIn SEO) helps you understand how to apply SEO principles to LinkedIn so that you have the right keywords for you in the right spots in your LinkedIn Profile.
  • Guide to Social Media & Job Search
    This Guide gives you an over-view of the major current social media networks and how you can leverage them for your job search.
    • Guide to Using LinkedIn for Job Search
      LinkedIn is, by far, the dominant social network for professionals managing their careers as well as looking for new jobs.
      • Guide to LinkedIn for Executives
        Even executives need a LinkedIn presence for their professional visibility and credibility. It will be checked by competitors, colleagues, and potential employers.
    • Guide to Facebook for Job Search
      Facebook can be very effective for job search. It can also be very damaging. This Guide helps you leverage Facebook for positive results in your job search.
    • Guide to Twitter Job Search
      Twitter can be an excellent source of job leads for the employers and fields you follow. Twitter can also be very helpful in identifying good contacts and expanding your network.
  • Guide to Personal Branding
    Like personal SEO (above), personal branding is a new necessity for both your career and your job search. This Guide helps you understand the basic concept and also to discover/develop your personal brand, plus where and how to make it visible so that it helps your job search.
    • • Guide to Personal Branding with LinkedIn
        LinkedIn is an essential part of online visibility for most professionals, and, done well, LinkedIn can be the foundation for your personal brand, whether you are building it, maintaining it, or changing it.
      • Free ebook about personal branding –
        • Personal Branding and Your LinkedIn Profile
          LinkedIn is a very important tool for building your personal brand. Particularly if you are an executive, this ebook helps you leverage your personal brand using LinkedIn.
        • Personal Marketing Plan
          This ebook helps you to pull all of the pieces together to create a solid personal brand and then to leverage social media to make progress in your job search.

     

     

• Guide to Personal Online Reputation Management
  Your personal online reputation has a much bigger impact on your job search and career than you may know. Having a poor — or no — online reputation may eliminate you from consideration.
• Guide to Using Google for Your Job Search
  Google offers job seekers many tools to help them manage their job hunting, and this Guide explains how to use those tools successfully, starting with more effective search queries.
• Guide to Email for Job Search
  Email is essential for communication now, but it can cause problems and cost opportunities if used inappropriately in a job search. This Guide shows you how to use email most effectively in your job search.
• Guide to Job Boards
  From Indeed.com (today’s largest source of job postings in the world) to Craigslist’s local online classified, job boards are everywhere. Some are excellent, some are not particularly useful, and some are downright dangerous (or, simply scams). This Guide helps you analyze job boards and use them appropriately, particularly Indeed and Craigslist.

Guides to Working from Home

More options for earning a living are developing. For some people and some situations, being a “temp” is the best option — generating income working for a temporary staffing agency. This avoids needing to go to an employer’s location, and offers the ability to “test” different employers and jobs.

For many of us, technology is enabling more of us to work from our homes. Employers are allowing — or encouraging — employees to work from their homes as “remote workers” or “telecommuters.” In addition, many people are turning to self-employment as a good option, working when, where, and how they choose.

• Guide to Work From Home Jobs
  Working from home can take many different forms, from working “remotely” for your employer to running your own business. This Guide helps you understand your options and choose a direction that will work best for you.
• Guide to Gigs, Freelance,and Contracting Jobs
  These can become great careers or a way to fill an “employment gap” while you look for a “real job.” They can also be a great way to work from home, generating income, working when and where you want.
• Guide to the Temporary Work Option
  Working for a temporary agency which connects you to short-term jobs can be an excellent way to explore new careers, get a “foot in the door” with a new employer (while deciding if you would like to work there), fill an employment gap on your resume, or just generate income without worrying about getting along with co-workers.

Guides to Traditional Job Search Process and Tools

While technology has had an enormous impact, resumes are still very important, and job interviews usually clinch the job offer (when done well). Also smart job seekers understand what recruiters want, how to leverage temporary employment effectively, successfully navigate the job search process, and much more. Read these Guides to catch up on what is most effective now:

• Guide to Getting Started with Your Job Search
  This Guide provides the foundation for moving ahead with your job search, helping you understand all of the different aspects of it, including the process and the tools you can use to succeed.
• Guide to Successful Job Interviews
  While an effective resume gets you a job interview, the job interview is the make-or-break event that may land you the job. Or not. This Guide helps you answer the common job interview questions and also helps you understand the process from beginning to end.
  • Smart Answers to Interview Questions
    Recruiter advice on how to answer the most commonly asked questions in your next job interview. This Guide covers the top questions as well as offering sample answers to help you develop your own responses.
  • Smart Strategies for Behavioral Interview Questions
    These are the questions recruiters ask that begin with “Tell me about a time when…” or “Give me an example of…” They are challenging to answer without a strategy, shared here with sample answers.
  • Guide to Writing Thank You Notes After a Job Interview, including Samples
    If you are not sure what format to use (email, hand-written, or typed) or how to write an effective thank you after your job interview, this Guide provides advice plus thank you note (and email) samples for you to adapt to your own situation.
  • Free ebook about job interviews:
    • Successful Job Interviewing
      Written by a recruiter, this ebook helps you effectively prepare for your job interviews.
• Guide to Effective Resumes
  Resumes are one of the traditional tools used in a job search, and they are still very important to your success. This Guide provides both articles which explain how to create a successful resume as well as sample resumes so you can see how different special situations are successfully managed.
  • Sample Resumes –
    Both formal and ATS versions of the resumes for 12 typical situations in job search today, including:
    • Older laid off
    • Just fired
    • Making a career change
    • Mom returning to work
    • New grad
    • More…
• Guide to Informational Interviews
  Informational interviews are an excellent way to collect information before you start to make a change in your career, and they are also an excellent way to expand your professional network.
• Guide to Job Search Networking
  Networking is the key to success in a job search! Job seekers who don’t understand networking have a serious handicap in their job search. This Guide offers you a foundation understanding of effective networking as well as many networking tips and tricks to use for a successful job search.
• Guide to Freelancing and Contracting
  Freelancing or contract jobs can be a temporary gap filler that provides a good income for a set period of time. For an increasingly large number of workers, freelancing is a new career. It typically pays better than a “real job” and cuts you loose from getting too caught up in the internal politics of a typical organization. But, the hazards are ending at a specific point, finding the next “gig,” and managing your own tax payments.
• Guide to Temporary Employment
  Often temporary employment is a necessity. It can also be a great way to check out an employer while you “audition” for a permanent job. And, for many, it is a convenient way to earn an income without an endless commitment to a single employer. This Guide helps you be a successful temporary worker.
• Guide to Job Search Navigation
  A job search (and a career) require navigation to be successful. In this Guide, learn how to navigate your way to a new job.
• Understanding Employers —Understanding what’s happening on the “other side” of the hiring process is key to being successful in your job search.
  • Guide to Working with Recruiters
    Recruiters are key players in any job search because they are usually the people who manage the process. Working well with them is not optional, and this ebook, written by a recruiter, will help you understand their perspective and work with them successfully.
  • Guide to Your Best Job Search Mindset
    Employers have a different view of the job search process than most job seekers do, naturally. This ebook offers you the employer’s perspective — of you and your actions.

Guide to Avoiding Online Job Search Hazards

Unfortunately, new technology has created some new hazards, like protecting your privacy, job hunting without getting fired, and managing your online reputation. Old hazards have morphed into new versions, particularly related to scam jobs, scam job boards, and employer identity theft. These Job-Hunt Guides will help you navigate some tricky waters around those topics:

• Guide to Protecting Your Privacy
  In an online job search, smart job seekers take precautions to protect their privacy. This Guide explains why and how to do that.
• Guide to Avoiding Job Scams
  Unfortunately, people in a job search are exposed to a number of scams, and without knowing what you might be facing and how many of the scams operate, you can be badly hurt by them. So, read this Guide to understand how to spot and avoid online scams in your job search.
• Guide to Personal Online Reputation Management
  Employers and recruiters use the Internet’s search capabilities to research potential job candidates. What they find can make the difference between being considered for a job and being ignored. So, today, online reputation management is really not optional. This Guide offers the why and how to protect your reputation online.
• Guide to a Stealthy Job Search
  Employers are not usually happy to discover that an employee is job hunting. Often, that employee loses their job immediately or has a very uncomfortable discussion with their boss. Unfortunately, today, it is easy for employers to discover that an employee is job hunting. This Guide offers help to avoid that situation.

Guides for Handling Career Change, Unemployment, and Job Loss

Job loss is tough, regardless of the cause. These Job-Hunt Guides provide you with help recovering from layoffs or being fired and landing a new job:

• Guide to Career Change
  A transition could be involuntary, precipitated by an external change like a layoff, or it may develop as you move on to a new phase in your life and your career. This Guide offers you help in understanding your many options, determining your next career, and transitioning to this new phase in your career.
  • Free ebook about career change:
    
    • Starting Your Career Reinvention
      For a successful career change, you need to understand yourself — what you want to do and what you like to do. This ebook provides a process that will help you figure out what should be next for your career.
    • Implementing Your Career Reinvention
      Once you know the direction you want your career to take, you can move in that direction. This ebook describes 5 steps to implement your career change.
• Guide to Beating Unemployment
  Finding a new job is usually an immediate need for someone who has lost their job or who is unemployed. This Guide offers detailed advice on how to manage the issue in resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, job interviews, and other steps in the process of finding a new job.
• Guide to Job Loss Recovery
  Losing your job can be a very big blow to both your confidence and your bank account. Successfully handling that blow can make the difference between a short and a longer job search. This Guide offers you help recovering from job loss.
• Guide to Layoff Recovery
  A layoff is a job loss that is not usually related to employee performance. Someone is laid off typically simply because they are in the wrong department or job at the wrong time (when the department or job are being reduced). This Guide helps you successfully recover.
  

   

  • Free ebook about layoffs:
    

     

    • Guide to Layoff Self-Defense
      Smart job seekers don’t assume that they will not be laid off, particularly if their employer has laid off other employees. This ebook helps you to lay the groundwork for surviving if you are laid off (or, maybe, for leaving before it can happen to you).

Guides for Specific Groups of Job Seekers

Many groups of job seekers face unique issues, based on their age, experience level, or personal preferences. This section of Job-Hunt.Org helps members of those groups, from boomers to veterans, introverts to new grads, .

Learn what your group needs to know to succeed by reading the appropriate Guide(s) for you.

• Guide to Job Search for New Graduates
  New graduates face the issues associated with any start up, and, of course, strategies exist for managing those issues. This Guide offers new grads solid advice for starting up their careers and successful job search.
  • Free ebook for New Grads:
    
    • Converting Your Internship to a Full-Time Job
      Often an internship can be a short-cut to a full-time job. This ebook helps you craft that transition. .
• Guide to Job Search for Veterans
  Veterans and active-duty members preparing for transition to the civilian job market have both advantages to leverage and disadvantages to overcome for a successful job search. If you are a veteran or in transition, this Guide provides you with guidance for dealing with the issues and making the advantages obvious to civilian employers.
• Guide to Job Search for Over 50 and Boomers
  Boomers face many issues in their job search, from the possible disadvantage of no longer being young (and inexpensive) to the advantages resulting from a strong network built up over their lives. This Guide helps Boomer job seekers manage the “age issue” and reconnect with their networks, both resulting in successful job searches more quickly.
• Guide to Job Search for Working Moms
  Working mothers face unique issues — from explaining “the gap” when they job search after staying home with their children for a while to balancing priorities and juggling schedules while interviewing. This Guide helps working moms navigate to job search success with advice from a genuine working mom.
• Guide to Attorney Job Search
  Attorneys and lawyers have very specific and unique requirements and processes in their search for a new job. From resumes to social media, they face requirements that few other job seekers and job candidates face. In this Guide, an attorney who has also hired attorneys explains the process.

Guides for Specific Industries and Locations

Industries can differ dramatically in the process for successfully landing a job. In these Guides you will find help in understanding the requirements, processes, and unique characteristics of a specific industry. From the US Federal Government to information technology (IT) to attorneys and more, these Guides will increase your understanding of specific fields. That understanding will help you be more successful:

• Guide to Startup Jobs
  There’s one category of jobs which is misunderstood more than any other. It’s working for startups. Startups are not well-understood, and many wrong assumptionsare made. This Guide helps you understand how startups work, and how working for one may be a great career move for you.
• Guide to Federal Government Job Search
  If you are trying to land a job with the U.S. Federal Government, you face a job search environment which is fairly unforgiving, but very structured and rules-based (at least officially). This Guide helps you understand how the process works and what you need to do to meet the requirements.
  • Free ebook for Federal Government Job Search:
    • Create an Effective Federal Resume with the USAJOBS.GOV Resume Builder
      A key part of being considered for a job is doing a good, clean job of making your resume visible in the USAJOBS.GOV resume database. This ebook helps you accomplish that goal.
• Guide to Information Technology (IT) Job Search
  The field of information technology continues to grow in importance as IT becomes increasingly embedded in our lives. This Guide helps you navigate your way to a job in this industry.

Job-Hunt’s Free eBooks

For several years, Job-Hunt has provided free ebooks to help you be more successful in your job search. This is the complete list:

• All of the free Job-Hunt ebooks on one page – the Job Search Guides.
• eBooks for Everyone:
  • New Year, New Job!
    101+ tips from Job-Hunt’s Experts in how you can successfully leverage the BEST time of the year to land a job.
  • Personal Branding and Your LinkedIn Profile
    LinkedIn is a very important tool for building your personal brand. Particularly if you are an executive, this ebook helps you leverage your personal brand using LinkedIn.
  • Guide to Layoff Self-Defense
    Smart job seekers don’t assume that they will not be laid off, particularly if their employer has laid off other employees. This Guide helps you to lay the groundwork for surviving if you are laid off.
  • Successful Job Interviewing
    Written by a recruiter, this ebook helps you effectively prepare for your job interviews.
  • Choosing Safe Job Boards
    Not every job board is useful. Some are scams and some are ineffective. This Guide explains how to evaluate job boards, separating the good ones from the useless and/or dangerous.
  • Using Craigslist for Job Search
    Craigslist can be a wonderful source of local jobs, no matter where you are in the world. The Guide offers tips on leveraging Craigslist for your job search as well as how to spot and avoid scams.
  • Personal Marketing Plan
    This ebook helps you to pull all of the pieces together to make progress in your job search.
• eBooks for Career Changers:
  
  • Starting Your Career Reinvention
    For a successful career change, you need to understand yourself — what you want to do and what you like to do. This ebook provides a process that will help you figure out what should be next for your career.
  • Implementing Your Career Reinvention
    Once you know the direction you want your career to take, you can move in that direction. This ebook describes 5 steps to implement your career change.
• eBook for Introverts:
  • Job Search Networking for Introverts
    Networking is probably the biggest challenge for introverts. This ebook provides help for introverts (and shy people) to address the issues associated with networking.
• eBooks for New Grads:
  • Converting Your Internship to a Full-Time Job
    Often an internship can be a short-cut to a full-time job. This ebook helps you make that transition happen.

For more information on the experts who write this information for you, visit the Job-Hunt Job Search Experts page.

Are you an expert in a job search-related field? Here’s how to join the Job-Hunt Job Search Experts.

About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recent Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Facebook, LinkedIn.
More about this author…

The post Free Guides to a Shorter and Smarter Job Search appeared first on Job-Hunt.

“Base salary” is the driving force behind a total compensation package.

Companies use base salary levels to calculate other compensation elements – like bonuses, supplemental benefits, and even vacation time.

For example, the higher the base salary, the higher the bonus, and the greater the future income.

These different elements can really add up. Quickly.

What some people forget is very important:

Base salary isn’t the only force impacting total compensation.

In fact, people often overlook other elements – critical elements – when negotiating an offer. These other elements can mean significant money – and risk – in your total compensation.

Before agreeing to a job offer or promotion, consider these three hidden elements of compensation to maximize your total earnings:

  1. Take time to read any restrictive clauses you are being asked to sign.  

These clauses limit your ability to work for a competitor of the employer for a specific period of time which may be several months or even years.

• With a New Employer:

Companies want to protect their intellectual capital and competitive advantage. So they ask prospective employees to sign agreements restricting where they work after leaving the company.

These are often called “non-compete clauses,” and they limit your employment options after you leave.

It may seem odd to think about where you will work when you leave – before you have even started – but you should carefully review these clauses before signing.

If you aren’t offered severance to compensate for the restriction, you may want to ensure the clause isn’t too broad. You could end up financially strapped, altering your career path for months (or years), if you leave your job.

• With a Promotion:

Your new role might include more exposure and more risk to the company – if and when you leave. Even if you never signed a non-compete agreement, you might be asked to sign one now. So, make sure you review it carefully.

  2. Before agreeing to relocate to a new city, find out what it will REALLY cost you.  

Whether you are starting with a new employer or being promoted by your current employer: This is a BIG one!

When being asked to move, people typically ask – and even receive – some cash compensation to cover the move.

But don’t forget! That additional allowance is taxed – heavily.

Plus there are numerous hidden costs associated with moving.

If you have a house, you need to consider the cost to pay realtor fees, renegotiate your mortgage, service cancellation fees, or utility initiation costs. Plus the cost of the move itself!

The money adds up much faster than people realize, and, usually, you have a limited time period (typically 6 months or less) to submit your expenses to be paid or reimbursed by your employer.

  3. Sometimes the biggest hidden compensation element is not salary – it is benefits.  

Most of the time, people assume the way one company approaches benefits is how they all do it. Not true.

Some offer a many benefits, and some offer very few. Many offer a mix.

One employer may pay for vacation, sick days, personal days, 401(k) contributions, life insurance, medical benefits, dental coverage, tuition reimbursement, maternity/paternity/family leave when a new baby is born, childcare, free meals, free parking, free transportation, and more.

Other employers and jobs just offer the basics (vacation and sick days) or, even, none.

One employer might not pass along much of their costs to its employees while another slices a chunk out of your paycheck each week as your contribution to cover the costs. And that chunk can be huge.

• With a New Employer:

Even if you aren’t a big “user” of benefits, you should ask for a copy of the benefits plans.

Find out what your monthly cost to pay for your benefits will be – how much cost is passed from employer to employee.

Then, find out if your doctors are in-network or out-of-network. You should even check the costs of co-pays or cost of prescriptions you use. You might pay $5 for a prescription at one company, and then be charged $50 somewhere else.

• With a Promotion:

If you are at the same company, a promotion might mean you are entitled to more benefits (or perks like a car allowance, stock options, commissions, bonuses), depending on your level.

The Bottom Line on Compensation Negotiation:

Not only is compensation more than just base salary, the total package (benefits, perquisites, etc.) changes throughout your career – even if you are at the same company for YEARS. Stay on top of what you are being offered. If you aren’t sure, ask!

More About Successful Salary Negotiation

• Guide to Salary and Compensation
• What to Expect in a Job Offer
• Winning Negotiation Strategies for Your New Job (free ebook)
• Salary Negotiation Strategies for Stay-at-Home and Working Moms
• Answer This Interview Question: What Is Your Current Salary?
• Answer This Interview Question:What Are Your Salary Expectations?

About the author…

Stacey Hawley is a salary and compensation consultant and career coach. She helps companies reward and recognize their people effectively and helps individuals like you earn more money. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, or via her website.
More about this author…

The post Very Important Elements of Your Compensation Negotiation appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Receiving a promotion is a big deal — a very big deal.

Promotions mean more responsibility, new challenges, and an inherent recognition of an employee’s abilities and potential.

But what about the raise?

Promotions are a means to an end — the way up the career ladder.

Two critical drivers — employee retention and employee engagement — fuel base salary increases and promotion decisions from the employer’s perspective.

Promotions provide individuals with rewards and recognition, career advancement, and job growth. Promotions keep employees challenged, engaged, and committed to the company and its business strategies.

Raises communicate a deeper message — “We value you. We recognize the work you are doing is worth more in the marketplace and at our firm. We want to keep you here.”

Not all promotions come with raises attached.

3 Reasons Companies Typically Grant Promotions Without Raises

Many times, companies offer promotions to manage internal change and restructurings, to reward employees during an “off-cycle” (when pay adjustments do not typically occur), or to prevent a highly valued employee from leaving.

 1. No Funds  

They can’t afford a raise. During difficult financial times – when many companies freeze base salaries to control costs – employees may be promoted with the promise of raises when the economy improves.

These companies still value their employees and need them to reverse the slump.

Promotions given in these situations mean “we really value you and want to pay you but we can’t right now.”

2. Bad Timing  

The timing is not quite right, but the “people manager” recognizes it is time to promote an employee.

The employee might be “at risk” for leaving, ready to handle more responsibilities (or already handling more responsibilities) and an asset that can’t be undervalued. However, there may be other organization changes on the horizon and doling out raises would rock the boat.

In this case, a promotion may be given to bide time until all the changes are announced and the raise can be awarded.

3. Poor/Inept Management  

Some companies do not value their biggest assets (a.k.a., their employees)

Sadly, in some organizations, promotions without raises are mishandled, cheap forms of recognition.

Companies without formalized HR programs or a deep understanding of the importance of culture and recognition hand out promotions like candy. Promotions are awarded without a consistent set of standards, expectations, or requirements.

In the end, these companies are left with compression, inequity, higher turnover, unengaged employees, and poorer financial performance.

Considerations Before You Accept

If you are offered a promotion without an accompanying raise, ask yourself these questions before accepting the promotion.

1. Why am I receiving this promotion? Recognition for past efforts or because I am already performing the responsibilities of the new role?
2. Is the scope of this job materially different than my current role? Am I being promoted laterally to expand my skill sets and “stretch” professionally or does the scope of my role materially expand to include more P&L responsibility, additional direct reports, etc.
3. Is anyone receiving a raise or am I the only one receiving a promotion without a raise – is this normal company practice?
4. Why isn’t an increase associated with the promotion?
5. Can I expect to be given an increase within the next three months?
6. What do I have to lose by accepting the promotion?
7. What are the other — intangible — benefits received from the promotion? Exposure to new leaders? Enhanced learning? Future career opportunities?
8. How will I feel or respond if the eventual raise does not match the promotion, especially after waiting and doing more work for the same money?

Employees receiving promotions without raises may find their engagement with their job and employer teetering. After hearing about a promotion AND learning that there will not be an accompanying base salary increase, digest the news, and unearth the reasons behind the decision before accepting.

Your Options

Once you have answered the questions above, you have these options to choose from:

1. Accept the promotion and stay.  

Leaving the firm may pose greater risk than staying. The promotion could be offering the opportunity to work in a new field, expand current relationships, develop new relationships or launch a career further.

The foregone pay increase might be worth the opportunity. If this course of action suits your situation, consider asking for other forms of compensation (e.g., additional vacation, higher incentive opportunities or equity).

2. Decline the promotion and stay in your current role.  

While the new role may significantly expand your responsibilities — additional direct reports or functions or increased P&L accountability — if accepting the promotion without a raise negatively impacts your personal career objectives, self-confidence, or self-worth, your personal dissatisfaction outweighs the value provided by the promotion.

3. Accept the promotion and reevaluate later.  

Consider whether the promotion benefits you developmentally and promotes your ultimate career goals and objectives. If it does, embrace the new role and responsibilities, and reevaluate the situation in a few months.

Revisit the money discussion or leapfrog to a desired role and pay level elsewhere using the newfound job title, roles, and responsibilities.

Selecting Your Best Option

At this point, assess your career and the company’s situation. Determine whether (a) there is long-term career advancement and growth with this firm and (b) you actually want a long-term career with this company. Or consider whether the promotion will help you in a job search, even without the raise.

If the title and responsibilities increase your marketability, it may be worth it for the short term.

The Bottom Line on Promotions Without a Raise:

Accepting a promotion without a raise — or promise of a raise in the near future — can have both positive and negative personal consequences, depending on the employee’s attitude and reasons for accepting the promotion. Understanding the reasons behind a promotion without a raise — and its potential benefits — requires some investigation and soul-searching before saying “yes.”

More About Successful Salary Negotiation

• Guide to Salary and Compensation
• When to Ask for a Raise
• What to Expect in a Job Offer
• Winning Negotiation Strategies for Your New Job (free ebook)
• Salary Negotiation Strategies for Stay-at-Home and Working Moms
• Answer This Interview Question: What Is Your Current Salary?
• Answer This Interview Question: What Are Your Salary Expectations?

About the author…

Stacey Hawley is a salary and compensation consultant and career coach. She helps companies reward and recognize their people effectively and helps individuals like you earn more money. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, or via her website.
More about this author…

The post Should You Accept a Promotion Without a Raise? appeared first on Job-Hunt.