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Q: I took an entry-level job with my company, but I'm no
longer doing entry-level work. How do I approach them about a raise in
pay?
Q: If one's productivity is up-to-snuff, should a
supervisor insist that one get to work on time?
Q: How do you constructively give your boss criticism?
Q: What's the best way to pick up the pieces after making a
big mistake at work?
Q: Is it OK to interview for other jobs so I can try to
leverage a better salary out of my current employer?
Q: What's the key to a successful performance review?
Q: What should I do if my performance review is overdue?
Q: I didn't get the raise I was promised. What should I do?
Q: Does a Master's Degree result in higher salary?
Q: How do I convince an employer to give me
responsibilities related to the field I'm trained in, but wasn't
originally hired for?
Q: How can I get my boss to recognize my abilities and give
me more responsibility...even if it means moving me out of a position
I'm good at?
Q:
After I graduated last year, I took an entry level position with a
small company. During my interview I was told that I would be
assisting for a year at the entry-level salary. I have been here less
than three months, and I am now doing most of my supervisor's work. I
found out that I will be replacing her soon, and she will go on to do
other things in the company. My question is how should I ask for a
raise since I am not doing entry-level work anymore.
A:
First you might create a portfolio of the work you have done. If you
can demonstrate with several concrete examples that you have completed
assignments above your initial entry-level responsibilities, your
bosses will have a hard time denying your claim. Also check starting
salary offers for the work you are doing now. NACE (National
Association of Colleges and Employers) creates a Salary Survey for
entry-level bachelors degree recipients, and it's broken down into
salaries by major and career industry. This will give you a good
starting point for deciding how much you might be asking for. Contact
your alma mater to ask for this information.
Choose a good day to ask for your raise. Monday mornings and Friday
afternoons are not good choices. A Thursday afternoon would be great,
since you won't have to spend 8 hours at work sulking if your boss
says no. Approach him or her respectfully, and ask if they have a few
moments to speak with you. Start off on a positive note, emphasizing
how much you like working for the organization, and state your
understanding that you have the opportunity to obtain a raise in
approximately a year. Then open your binder up, show the samples and
state something like, "Although I've only been here for three months,
many of my duties now include those of my supervisor. I understand I
may be replacing her soon, and I'd like to take this opportunity to
inquire whether we could consider a salary raise at this time."
Hopefully your boss will note the hard work you have done and agree to
some debate. You should be ready with a salary range for the position
you're up for, and facts to back up where you found that information.
Listen carefully, and give yourself time to consider all offers before
agreeing right away. Of course, your boss may revert to your original
contract, and refuse to negotiate until your year is up, or until you
actually assume your supervisor's role. You can then either wait, and
re-approach this subject later, or consider a career change to an
organization willing to pay you for your efforts.
Q:
Why is it that being a good employee starts with getting to work on
time? I don't see the connection between getting to work on time and
meeting deadlines. If one's productivity is up-to-snuff, should a
supervisor insist that one get to work on time?
A:
Well, in some jobs it doesn't matter. In most jobs, however, you have
to maintain "normal" work hours so you can interface with co-workers
and peers. Your manager is not being unreasonable in asking you to be
in at an appropriate time if this is the expectation of the company
you work for. You really only have a case if you are the only person
being asked to perform in this manner.
Q:
How do you constructively give your boss criticism? I have a boss who
sees the grand, end result, but has no clue of what it really takes to
achieve it. She is constantly putting unrealistic deadlines on her
staff when there is no possible way to do what she is asking.
A:
Your question poses two potential answers. First, to your direct
question as to how to provide your boss criticism: Here's something
refreshing--try being honest. Don't do this in a group. Ask for some
time alone to go over the project plans so that you can make her aware
of what it takes to get the job done. When you're hit with these
incredibly tight deadlines, you have an obligation to explain what it
takes to get that job done. Will your boss understand your situation?
She might just have a better understanding than you realize.
The
second point is one that many people stumble over. It's your boss's
job to push you further and farther, to set goals that force you to
become more innovative, creative, and work harder. One of the
realities of the work place is that it's not set up to make the
employees happy--it exists to meet a business need.
Q:
I'm a Director in a small, fast-growing company. Recently I was
assigned a project which was very important to our company's growth.
To make a long story short, the project didn't go well, the customer
threatened to leave and my supervisor assigned the project to one of
my peers. I know the mistakes that I made, but now I'm afraid I will
never get another chance in this company. What should I do?
A:
Telling you that everyone makes mistakes is a small consolation now.
But while everyone makes mistakes it is the minority of people that
can actually learn from them and turn themselves around. So try to
become one of the select few that actually makes a change in his/her
behavior as a result of a "learning opportunity".
First,
admit your mistakes. Whether it is to your supervisor or your peers
you will be respected for acknowledging your part in the failure of
the project. If you discuss it with your supervisor, include the plan
for what you would do differently with the next project.
The
worst thing you can do is pretend the mistakes didn't happen or blame
someone else for the problems. Believe it or not, an honest person is
still valued in today's business and someone smart enough to not make
the same mistakes twice is quite a gem!
Q
Is it OK to interview for other jobs so I can try to leverage a better
salary out of my current employer?
A:
Well, even if I don't mention whether it is ethical or honest (which
it is not), I'd say you're putting yourself at a big risk. By
interviewing for other jobs just to get your company to give you a
counter offer, you're displaying a lack of loyalty to your company.
Your company may give you a counter offer today and have a recruiter
start recruiting for your position tomorrow! Once you show an employer
that you are willing to leave, they may believe they need to start
recruiting for someone they consider to be more dependable. If you are
sure that you are irreplaceable, this ploy may work. Just remember the
old adage, "No one is irreplaceable!"
Q:
What's the key to a successful performance review?
A:
The key to a successful performance review is to start months before
the actual performance review and lay the groundwork with your boss.
Make sure your boss knows what you have accomplished during the past
year and focus on accomplishing those things which your boss considers
to be a priority. If you make your boss look good to his or her
superiors then you will make yourself invaluable.
Once you
have done that the best way to get a big raise at performance review
time is to ask for more responsibility and to convince your boss that
you can handle it. The money will inevitably follow. If it doesn't you
can take those additional responsibilities, place them on your resume
and go to another company and get more money.
Q:
When I started working for my current employer, their offer letter
stated that I would receive a 6 month performance review. My review is
now 3 months late, but even though I've mentioned it to my superiors
both verbally and in writing, they refuse to give me one. How should I
deal with this?
A:
Performance reviews are so important and I don't know why it is one of
the first things busy managers fail to do. Giving feedback, setting
goals and objectives is vital for a well-functioning employee and
manager relationship. And, the busier the company is, the less time
there is for informal communication, making performance reviews
indispensable.
Your
options depend on how much you enjoy the job (other than not getting
performance reviews). If it is almost the job of your dreams, you may
want to let this go until your 12-month anniversary. Gently remind
your manager about a month before that your one-year anniversary is
coming up and you'd like to make an appointment to sit down and
discuss your performance. If your manager is really busy, make it easy
for him by saying that you want to have an informal discussion about
your performance. After the meeting you can summarize what you
discussed and send the notes to your manager in an e-mail. This may
not count as an "official" performance review, but you'll have a good
idea of where you stand.
Another
option you have it to go to your Human Resources Department. More than
likely, your HR department would also like to see the Performance
Review completed and will help you remind the manager.
Whatever
you decide to do, remember that you need to maintain a positive
relationship with your manager to do well. Constantly nagging him
about a performance review or bringing it to the attention of the
Human Resources Department both have some potential for damaging this
relationship. Weigh out the risks of pursuing this against waiting a
little longer for your performance review before deciding what to do!
Q:
I am an executive into my second year and am a 30 year old female. I
was promised a certain salary when a new structure and range was
introduced. Now my supervisor says he shouldn't have promised it to me
because I wasn't going to receive any raise. I believe in principle
and commitment. What should I do?
A:
You are in a not-any-fun spot. And no matter what you do, there will
be a risk involved. You could say and do nothing. But you've already
told me that you believe in principle and commitment so my sense is
that you cannot just ignore this.
Consider
the possibility that your supervisor may have made an honest mistake.
There may have been a miscommunication somewhere in the system. Make
an appointment with the Director of HR and air your concerns. Find out
whether you should be getting a raise or not.
If you
find you have been treated unfairly you may then want to go to your
supervisor's supervisor. You may get your raise, but you may also
damage your working relationship with your supervisor. However, if
you're willing to take this risk, be sure and have your discussion
points well planned. Make it very objective. Point 1--There is a new
salary structure. Point 2--I am eligible and was promised a raise.
Point 3--Now I'm notified that I'm not receiving a raise. You may even
want to bring up that it is a matter of principle for you.
Above
all, keep discussions professional. Don't blame anyone for the
problem, just work toward resolution that everyone can live with.
Q:
Does a Master's Degree result in higher salary?
A:
An advanced degree will generally result in a higher salary over time.
However, it is not the degree but the knowledge that you acquire while
getting the degree that makes you more valuable. Sometimes in fields
such as education employers will automatically pay you more when you
get an advanced degree. Most employers, on the other hand, will pay
you based on what you can do for them. A master's degree will only
result in more money if the skills you have developed pursuing that
degree allow you to do a better job and take on more responsibilities.
Keep in
mind, that if you pursue an advanced degree full time you are
foregoing the opportunity to learn skills while on the job. Sometimes
the best way to advance your career is to pursue a master's degree at
night or on weekends while you continue to develop skills and
experience on the job. This is particularly true if you intend to stay
in the same field after you get your degree and want to attend school
locally. Sometimes your employer will even pay the cost of your
continuing your education at night.
Q:
I've been working for several years in a field (desktop support)
that's different from what I'm trained in (system administration). I
want more system admin exposure--which is what I thought my current
job would provide--but I'm still doing desktop support. So how do I
convince an employer to give me responsibilities related to the field
I'm trained in, but wasn't originally hired for? And if I leave my
current job, how do I handle this during the interview process?
A:
I would be upfront about what you are looking for in interviews with
prospective employers. Often it is necessary to trade on your current
skills in order to get a company to give you the opportunity to
develop other skills. So while you want to make it clear that you
desire to develop those other skills you don't want to make a
prospective employer think you consider the work you are doing
to be beneath you. When you get another job offer be sure that you get
it in writing.
You can
look for the right job while you continue with your present employer.
In the meantime, talk to your present employer to see if you can get
more systems exposure while you are helping them with desktop support
they need.
Q:
I'm 37 years old and have been employed most of my adult life as a
secretary. I went back to college several years ago, earned a degree
in English and now want to make the transition from "pink" to "white"
collar work (as an entry-level writer/editor). I'm an excellent
secretary, but feel that this is working against me. Managers (past
and present) recognize my writing and editing skills, but I feel that
because they don't want to lose me as a secretary, they drag their
feet when tell them I'd like more responsibility. Do I need to become
more aggressive in my career management? Is it my age or the way I
present myself? Help!
A:
Often the best employees in a company aren't given career
opportunities because their bosses don't want to lose them. That's
probably what is happening to you. But being an employee who is
"excellent" does give you a unique set of challenges. Basically, need
to get your boss (and others in the company) to start seeing you as
someone with more to offer.
Start by
talking with your boss. List ideas you want to share like new work
interests, strengths, development goals, your career game plan, etc.
Ask for career feedback, suggestions and further contacts. Focus on
the future, not the past. Be positive. Be prospective. Share your
career objectives and seek your supervisor's understanding and
support.
Re-introduce yourself to the company--rather than continuing the image
of your present position, start developing the image of the position
you want. Upgrade your wardrobe. Get to know other employees
performing jobs you find interesting.
Use your
writing and editing skills whenever you can. Volunteer selectively to
develop those skills--help write employee letters for the United Way
campaign, write for the company newsletter, etc.
By doing
this you can move up without moving out. Your boss will see you as a
valuable asset to the company. Giving you extra job responsibilities
or helping you find another job within the company is a better option
than losing you completely!
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