Be Sure Not To Sell Yourself Short
How To Ensure You Are Priced Properly When You Seek A Position
When you seriously need a job or change of job, the temptation is to grab the first opportunity that comes your way. After all, who knows, another one may not be coming too soon. Most times, we reason that way and as a result, end up short-selling ourselves. You short-sell yourself when you accept a position at below your true value or worth, given your capacity to contribute to the performance of the organisation you are joining. The danger is that if you continue to sell yourself short, you undermine your progress and may fail to ultimately realise your potentials. You may reason that the new employer will soon appreciate your potentials and take steps to reposition you, but that is a very long shot. Your best bet is to get a good deal when you negotiate a new employment, before you accept the offer. How can this be, when you desperately need the job? Well, try the following tricks.
 1. Don't Be Desperate
Contradiction? Not really. You may need a job, but showing desperation about it isn't going to help. You don't need to feel it either. If you believe in yourself, your chance will come, one way or the other, so why take a patronising offer? A feeling of desperation will weaken your bargaining power; a manifestation of desperation will strengthen the other party and compound matters for you. Your best bet: believe that you need a fair deal and must get it, when you will.
2. Research The Market
Short-selling yourself may be the result of limited knowledge of what the market potentials are. You probably do not know what you command in the market and the only way to know is to research the market. It may be a location where you've not operated and you price yourself based on what you are familiar with. This may deny you what you deserve and which you can get in the new location. It may also be a case of not getting information about the particular company you are interested in and possibly using your currently low pay to benchmark yourself. The answer? Get all the information you need for an informed judgment.
3. Deliberately Set A Lower Cut-off
Shouldn't you really set a standard for yourself? If you don't aim for something, you will fall for anything, so go ahead and fix your minimum expectation before you commence the process. That way, you will readily know an opportunity that falls flat and simply take it to be none. When you preset your firm cut-off, you'd possibly include a premium for the risk of a new job (if you already have one). After all, you will again be on probation and face other challenges of fitting in and proving yourself. Shouldn't there be a compensation for the risk?
4. Review Offers Critically
Having an offer can always be tempting, especially if you feel like proving a point to your current employer. If you've had any issues in the current job, you may jump at a chance to turn your back to it all. But take your time to review a job offer. Ask for time to think it over, especially if it is not readily an obvious improvement on your current position. If you cannot justify it with any clear advantage, check if you are not better off in an organisation that has already accepted you and the contribution you are making. A hasty action can leave you feeling short-changed at the end.
5. Be Patient, If Need Be
If you are a good worker, more opportunities will definitely come your way, meaning that you don't have to accept one that undermines your value. If you find there are shortcomings about you that may affect your market rating and you'd want to command better value, why not set your mind to it and work on improving. Once there is determination, most weaknesses can be worked on and eliminated. Either way, it calls for a patient but focused approach to get the value you desire.
Ultimately, it is possible to insist on and command a fair price when you seek to take a new job. The problem is that the candidate often undermines his interest through his own weaknesses. You cannot justify harming your interests through your personal actions. So build the mental toughness you need to bargain for appropriate pricing when you negotiate the next job deal.
Copyright © 2006. Acceler8now.com. All rights reserved.
If you would like to receive coaching for launching and growing your online business or advisory support for building your offline small business, Acceler8now.com will provide the hand-holding to ensure your success. Contact us now for more information or visit www.acceler8now.com for online resources.
|
