Successfully Negotiating a Pay Increase Is Better than Winning the World Series

One of the most awaited sporting events of the year has kicked off a couple of the days ago. With the start of this year’s World Series games, whose side are you on?

Negotiating your salary is just like baseball. Everything is fast-paced and three strikes could get you out of the game. Human resources books have wonderful insights on getting the job of your dreams and the salary you truly deserve.

But what about the changing times? You may ask. Well, that’s what the World Series is for. Here’s what the game has taught me so far about negotiating my salary:

Ready with research

Before dropping any hint that you’d want a pay increase, make sure to start gathering facts. Ask around for the standard industry rate of professionals in your industry who have the same years of experience and skills. In thinking through how much your services are worth, always factor in your certifications, post graduate education as well as the industry awards you’ve received.

Accomplishments on the bat

This is the best time for you to brag (nicely) about what you’ve accomplished throughout your career. In listing your achievements, start with the success stories you’ve created for your current employer. Make a list of previous projects and tasks that made a big impact on the company. Whether it won your current employer an award or closed a big deal under your wing, make sure to take credit for it. When the negotiations begin, this list will serve as your cheat sheet in reminding your boss of how much you're worth in the company.

“It can be done” attitude

With the current worldwide economic downturn, salary increases have moved down the priority lists of companies. But this shouldn’t rub you off staying hopeful and aiming for the salary increase that you deserve. Keeping the right frame of mind is the key to getting passed through this setback. Seeing the situation in a positive light can greatly boost morale in negotiating your salary even in these trying times. Remember to take the possibilities of failure as signs for you to take caution.

Survive through persuasive arguments – not through deception

Negotiating is the art of friendly persuasion. So in putting forward your points as to why you deserve a pay increase, always remember to bring the spotlight to your achievements and the advantages the company enjoys with having you around. Clearly state the perks in black and white to allow your current employer to see how increasing your salary can benefit the organization as a whole. Keep in mind that though you would be the one receiving a higher pay every month, your employer considers it as an investment. Let them know how investing in you can give them the extra mileage over competitors.

Expect the unexpected

If all else fails, you might want to consider other opportunities with another employer or perhaps offering your expertise as a consult to companies who might be needing assistance.

Aiming for the big salary win?

Take the first step by being bold to negotiate your salary. Let me know how strike the bat by leaving a comment below. Oh by the way, I guess all of us want to be a manager so here are some tips on Becoming a Manager if not Today Tommorow

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3 Ultimate Rules In Finding And Pursuing The Right Career Goals

Human resource books are experts in helping plan out your career. But have you consulted them lately? If you don’t have enough time to go through piles of books, I’m sharing with you the 3 ultimate rules in choosing and achieving career goals.

Career Planning Key # 1 Be specific

The first step in setting goals that you can actually achieve is to know what you’d like to attain. Writing down that you’d like a promotion or a raise is not good enough. Given that example, here are 5 smart questions that you can ask to get the ball rolling towards success at the top of the corporate ladder:

• To what position do I want to be promoted to?
• How will I measure my achievement?
• What milestones can I put in place to check my progress?
• How much time am I giving myself to reach my ideal weight?
• How will I achieve my promotion?
• What new skill should I learn?
• Will I need to go back to school or get a couple of certifications?
• Why is this goal important to me?

These basic questions will help you uncover the exact end goal that you want to achieve. Getting down to details is very important when plotting out your career. Remember that the goals remain as dreams until you write them down and identify concrete steps to be taken.

Career Planning Key # 2 Tackle your goals one step at a time in bite sizes

It is very easy to feel overwhelmed by long term goals that are grand. More often than not, these types of career goals appear unreachable because of their size and the time frame that we’ve set to reach them. Remember that leaving them to appear this way can lead you to a point of no return. Procrastination is one of the top reasons why many fail to achieve their goal. Here are 4 practical ways on how you can keep your big dreams manageable and attainable in small chunks:

• List down concrete steps that you’d need to take in order to achieve your goal
• If you’d need more than a year to get to your dream, develop a yearly plan that outlines which part should be accomplished in a given. Keep your milestones specific so they can also serve as your progress tracker
• Break down your goals into phases to help you focus your efforts Create a monthly and weekly to-do list for your yearly tasks. This will ensure that you have covered your goals at the end of the year

There are tons of ways to keep your quest towards success running smoothly. Just always remember to approach your goals slowly but surely by taking one step at a time.

Career Planning Key # 3 Be ready to weather the failure storm

Having a back-up has always been a sensible decision. No matter how much you prepare or try to stick with the plan, there would always be unexpected roadblocks that can keep you from getting where you want to be. When writing down your career goals, think of a plan B or even a Plan Z just in case surprises come along the way. Make use of what you have already accomplished when you unexpectedly have to make a detour from your plans. In this way, you are sure that none of your efforts are put to waste.

Do you know where your career is heading?

Start planning your career path today. If you’ve been down the same road for a couple, it’s probably time to reevaluate your goals and make a couple of new ones to bring you higher on the corporate ladder.

Still thinking what career to pursue? Perhaps having a career change, here are some Career Jump-start Tips

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