Negotiating a Job Offer

Seeing as I shall be leaving university soon I think it is important to discuss methods on how to successfully negotiate a job offer. In the past I have obtained jobs by either knowing the employer or getting lucky so I’ve never really had to sit down and prepare myself for an interview. I always thought it would be fairly simple as I have moderate confidence in myself that I’d be ok in an interview... that was until I learnt about the possibilities a job offer can contain in a recent lecture.

For a quick academic outlook on negotiation, I shall look at what Cohen (1984) discusses where negotiation is an acquired skill of which one party is looking to gain something from the other through communication. In terms of a job offer the variables are that of the employee offering a job with money and possible benefits and the interviewee has to communicate his or her way through the interview process to arrive at a respectful deal for both parties. 

The most important step for preparing for this situation is to plan your end of the deal – what are you trying to gain from getting this job? You have to keep in mind that although they don’t want to give too much away at the beginning, they are still looking for someone to employ so will be willing to wager assets if you have the skills. Below are a few simple things which will help you prepare and tackle an interview.

·         Discuss all possible outcomes with the employer (such as health benefits and payment bonus’)

·         Enter the interview in a confident manner – show them whose boss!

·         Be polite but assertive to show you are a strong individual and will benefit the company

·         Stay away from becoming aggressive or pushy – they do need a new employee but you may not be their only option!

·         Construct some knowledge on the company itself and the employer if you know who they will be. This can get you some inside knowledge and may get the upper hand

·         Make sure you can validate what you are asking for – if you only want more money because you’re being greedy they may be resilient to offer you the position

·         Smile! A positive attitude can go a long way

 

Hopefully this will have helped you in the future if you need to apply to a job. Let me know what you think in the comments section below!

Putting down Put-Downs...

It is more than frequent to experience put-downs in the work place, whether you dish them out or receive them. They can be intentional as a form of expressing your authority over someone in a lower division to you, but they also can often be unintentional. The term ‘put-down’ itself refers to when one person demeans another by insulting them. McIntosh and Luecke explore the idea as a bad habit which ‘will probably undermine your work relatonship’ (McIntosh & Luecke). Although some abuse their power over others and use put-downs as an empowering tool, a lot of the time put-downs are not always intentional.

Take for example a pair of colleagues who have to work on an assignment together. Worker 1 may suggest that he takes the harder aspects of the assignment which to him is because he knows he will do it faster, but this may come across as an insult to worker 2 as he may think he is being put down and will feel insulted. So how should you deal with this sort of situation?

I know in my experience I have more often than not just accepted it and moved on, even if it has made me feel insulted. This should not be the case! Bakc & Back (2005) provide some useful tips to deal with a put-down:

1. Preparation: Be prepared to tackle the issue at hand. Respond to the put-down immediately and think realistically as to why you may be receiving the criticism
2. Challenging: Don’t just take it as an insult, instead demand a response in an assertive manner. There must be an underlying reason, seek this information!
3. Stand up for yourself: Don’t get pushed around, take charge and reinstate your position or idea. This will show others that you aren't one to be messed around with.

"But I thought they went there..."

With regards to my personal experiences, one memorable time I have been put down was during time spent behind a bar with a, how to say it politely, not very nice lady. It was a busy shift and I was fairly new to the job and at one point she decided to raise her voice at me for forgetting to correctly replace some glasses. This was hugely embarrassing, especially in front of a busy bar. At the time I apologised and moved on, but I would have felt much better about myself if I had stood up to her (even after the shift) and questioned her lack of respect.

So tell me what you think about put-downs in the comments section below. I say put down the put-downs for a better quality of life!

/Charlie

So, you think you know conflict?!

Debates, arguments, and confrontations – whatever you come across, conflicts will always be around. You can’t please everyone, and there will always be someone who disagrees with you. But what if conflict isn’t as bad as it might seem and that in many cases confronting an issue can lead to a better solution than leaving the situation to boil? The answer to this is something I was recently introduced to.

Huczynski & Buchanan claim that conflict, in essence, ‘is a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something the first party cares about’. (Huczynski & Buchanan) This description makes conflict seem somewhat negative and it can be, but sometimes it is rather beneficial. Although conflicts do have some obvious benefits, I’ve always considered them as a negative approach to most situations and generally try my best to avoid them (or take a more ‘let’s figure this out calmly’ approach). It was only until recently though, during a lecture at university, that my
perception of conflict was changed: we took a look at how conflict can often actually benefit a situation.

Take for example a group of designers within an advertising agency who are working together on a new campaign. They all have been briefed and taken time away to put together their best efforts at the project. Two of the best ideas are chosen to be considered, but who chooses the winning design? You can’t just shout your way to the top, instead you have to argue (albeit, respectfully) why yours should be picked, and with the right knowledge on how to deal with conflict situations you can win over your peers. It really is a useful skill and I know there have been times where it would have benefited me in the past. It could even settle an argument such as pancake or waffle?!

Due to my nature I shall most likely still steer away from any unnecessary conflict, although I will be more willing to engage in disagreements when a betterment of the situation might be at hand.

So tell me about your experiences of conflict in the comments section below. Did it achieve a positive result or cause more of a fuss? Thanks for reading.

In The Beginning...

...there was a blog. A first blog, with the sole purpose of testing the Blogger website and providing an idea for what the layout will look like in the future. That is all - for now.

/Charlie