And then there's the question of salary...

When it comes to negotiating compensation packages, the process can range from smooth to painful.  Most times, overall satisfaction is achieved. But in some cases, disagreements about a very small (as a percentage of total) amount of salary can result in one party feeling slightly more wealthy at the end of the process, with the other party feeling somewhat disgruntled.  Starting out on the right foot now requires a pair of crutches. 

It is true that reasonable minds generally prevail, except in the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois.  But, if you are hiring, what is reasonable when you are trying to attract the best talent?  If you are a job candidate, what is reasonable pay for someone at your level?  Here are some things to consider:

What should a candidate accept:

While seeking a controller for a small manufacturing company a few years back, I came across a candidate who had perfect experience, all the required credentials, lived in the general proximity of the client’s small town location, and was unemployed.  Great, I thought.  Job done! 

Unfortunately, the candidate had gained her experience at some larger companies which had paid much more generously than my small client could afford to pay.  She told me, “I won’t even consider that …I’ve been making $$$$$.”  Of course she had not made $$$$$ for the six months she had been unemployed, she had not yet found a comparable new job, and we were in the midst of the “great” recession, but who was I to say?

I kept on searching and found another ideal candidate who was happy with the salary being offered.  And I do not know where my highly paid candidate landed. 

If you are looking for a job, keep in mind that your current position is your current position.  If you do not have a position right now, "Unemployed" is your current position.  Here are some general salary negotiating guidelines for the employed and the unemployed:

¾    If you are happily employed, you may want to negotiate a significant raise before you leave the comfort and stability (?) of the position you know.

¾    If you are unhappily employed, you may be willing to take a lesser raise or no raise at all just to get out of the hell-hole.

¾     If you are not employed, you are not employed.  During this recession, many professionals have been forced to accept decreases in pay.  I suggest that you negotiate every offer very carefully.

 What should an employer offer?

If you are an employer hoping to make a successful hire, start by realistically assessing the pros and cons of your position in order to determine the kind of salary you need to offer.

If you are in a large metro area like Chicago, it should be easy to determine a reasonable salary for a position by performing a little research.  Contact a headhunter; do some networking; make a few phone calls; study internet job posting sites for comparable positions in your locale.

If you are in a small town 60 miles from the next small town and the average yearly temperature is 28 degrees, it might be a little harder to figure out what you need to pay to attract a good employee, but my guess is it will cost you a little more. 

Similarly if you are looking for a combination CPA/MBA/MD, you might have to pay more.

A general rule is:  the fewer people who are qualified for and/or would accept a position, the more you will have to pay.  Any negatives regarding job content, title, geographic location, office appearance, financial circumstances of the company, etc. may require a corresponding positive in the way of compensation.

Listen and Learn

By the time I have made a week’s worth of recruiting phone calls on a position, I can tell a client whether his salary range is realistic. If I have been told by a dozen prospective candidates that the job is interesting, but the salary is unacceptable – chances are the salary is, in fact, unacceptable.  Some clients believe that if I work hard enough, I can find someone who will take the lower salary – that is not always true.  You can’t buy a steak for the price of a hamburger.  If you do, plan on lots of ketchup.

"DON'T PUT IT IN WRITING," wrote the blogger

Many years ago, as my wife taught our two daughters about being “young ladies,” I taught them the Bob Ward principles of life.  One of these principles is “Life isn’t fair,” a simple truth about reality, which also conveniently served the purpose of shutting down the argument, “That’s not fair, Dad!” 

As they grew older, I taught them another piece of the Bob Ward doctrine. “Don’t put it in writing.” 

And today, I am sharing this same piece of advice with you.  When it comes to office communication, unless it is 100% work-related and without emotional nuance of any kind, DON’T PUT IT IN WRITING. 

In these days where e-mailing and texting have almost replaced the spoken word and the fingers do the talking, the temptation to communicate everything immediately and via “message” can be almost overwhelming. 

So when your boss says or emails something really nuts, you might be tempted to LOL about it with the co-worker two offices down. Or you might want to respond to your superior’s nasty-sounding e-mail with a scathing response composed in 12 seconds flat (IN ALL CAPS for emphasis).  I suggest you don’t. 

Similarly, if you are worried, stressed out, tired, insecure, angry, depressed or anything else that resembles emotion of any kind, you may feel the need to vent, but choose the vocal cords over the fingers and thumbs. (And choose out-of-the-office locations, as well.)

In each of the above cases, I suggest that an actual conversation has a serious advantage over a “message.”  Spoken words can be said and forgotten, or adjusted based upon the facial response and tone of the listener.  But regrettable e-mails can form a dangerous e-trail straight to your computer and just may land in your personnel file where they remain in perpetuity.

So, before you compose that next angry or emotional message, slow down and take time to think about four little words:  SAVE, FORWARD, and REPLY-ALL.

American Beer and Revolutionary Thoughts

“Did you know that the real Samuel Adams actually came from a family of brewers?”

The above is an example of the occasional conversational tidbit tossed out on any summer evening by my wife, who is in the process of re-reading John Jakes’ series of novels about American history.  Apparently, Adams was a more successful revolutionary than he was a beer maker.  As a headhunter and an American, I am glad Mr. Adams found his true calling.  But I am also happy that some current-day capitalist, in true American fashion, has found a way to build a better beer and a bigger business; and that in 2012, there is a brewery in his hometown of Boston bearing the Samuel Adams name. Sam Adams the Revolutionary would have been proud.

“Did you know that a round trip between Boston and Philadelphia took about ten days in Revolutionary times, depending on how hard you drove the horse?”

Depending on how hard I drive this horse, I can fly from Chicago to visit a client in Virginia, drive across three states to interview a prospective candidate or two and arrive back home within a 24-hour period.  Thanks to American inventors like the Wright brothers and American industrialists like Henry Ford, our big world has become a lot smaller and our economy truly global.  This means that, for better or worse, we share in the economic fortunes of Europe, China, and the Middle East. In modern times, you can read what I am writing at this moment in a matter of seconds rather than relying on Paul Revere’s messenger service.  And independent Americans can even pay a friendly visit to the mother country without undergoing weeks of seasickness.

“Are you aware that the Revolution really started because of an over-reaching British government and grossly unfair taxation of the colonists?”

Hmmmmm.  No commentary needed.

Because I like to celebrate every holiday for at least a week, I wish you a happy 4^th of July week.  Enjoy the fireworks, your family, your hot dogs and hamburgers and cherry pie, and at least one Samuel Adams summer ale.