How much is too much to ask for in a job offer

I hate to break it to you, especially on a Monday morning, but money does not grow on trees, nor does it rain from the heavens when an employer is preparing an offer for you as a prospective employee.  A common misconception is that companies are just rolling in piles of cash that they are not using for anything else, and naturally they should be able to dip into that reserve and go above the range they were anticipating to fill a role.

The bottom line is that companies go into a search for a new employee with either a very specific range they are looking to pay, or at least a pretty solid idea of the top end of that range.  I have been recruiting for over twelve years now and have never had a client say to me, "Just find me the right employee, and we'll pay whatever it takes.  The sky is the limit!"

While I realize money is not always the main motivator for a job search, for the purposes of this topic let's assume that money matters.  With that in mind I typically have two questions that I ask of candidates when considering an offer.  Or more importantly when they are in negotiations and looking for that right number that makes them feel like they received something competitive, but didn't ask for so much that it turned off the employer.

The first question is fairly objective - What does the market pay for a like position in a like company?  There are many ways to figure this out, including working with a third party search firm to see what they are experiencing at any given moment with similar projects.  If I am working on a position that typically pays $55-65,000 and a candidate tells me they want to make $80,000, I am quick to tell them that is unlikely based upon what I'm seeing.  So if you are interviewing for a position where you thought that was the range from the first conversation, but somewhere in the back of your mind you were hoping to blow the high end out of the water, think again.

You would be surprised how many times this happens.  I see it all the time, and I've heard stories from clients with similar outcomes.  Do not even enter into an interview process if you are only looking to comparison shop and accept if you get a 50% raise.  It will burn bridges, and it is too small of a world to consider that.  If you really want that kind of money in a job offer, say it up front.  I guarantee it will limit your options and could even possibly prevent you from entering into a conversation that would have otherwise been a perfect job move.  But at least you'll be honest with all parties involved.

The second question is a little more subjective, but possibly even more important - What are you willing to accept if you do get an offer?  I have had candidates recently tell me that they don't want money to eliminate them from consideration.  Yet they have a salary expectation that is unrealistic when compared to the employer's expectations.  They get to the end of an interview process, get asked the question "What will it take to get you to say yes to an offer?", and then quote a number that is high.  As if this is the same negotiation process that one experiences at the used car lot.  I go high, they go low, we meet in the middle, and everyone is happy.

Instead what usually happens is the employer says no, or at the very least seriously re-considers if you are the right candidate.  Now you've created an awkward situation where they wonder if you do say yes if you are really committed to the long term.

My best advice for both employers and candidates is to seek the enthusiastic yes.  Now companies are clearly going to try and do that within the pre-ordained salary range, but candidates need to play by the same rules.  If you are a candidate who receives an offer in the top end of a range, or even slightly north of what that number was supposed to be, that should always get that enthusiastic yes to an offer.  With the two questions I outlined above as your guiding light.

Have you ever asked for too much in an offer and had it backfire?  Or is asking for more simply expected any more and what you should do in offer stage?

How to avoid controversy in an interview

Many of you reading this are probably thinking this is a "no duh" sort of topic.  Of course you want to avoid controversy during an interview process.  Especially in the early stages when looking to make a great first impression.  But I can tell you story after story of candidates and companies alike that create completely unnecessary controversy, sometimes without even knowing it.

Over the weekend the U.S. Women's golf team battled back in amazing fashion to win the Solheim Cup from Europe.  But it did not come without controversy and headlines.  One story I saw pop up this morning had the headline "U.S. Shocks Europe Amid Controversy".  It is a longer story than I'll make it for the purposes of this blog, but basically one of the Europe team members did not concede a "gimme" par putt to a U.S. team member, the U.S. lost that hole, and eventually the match.  Almost cost them the Cup.  Fortunately the European player did come out this morning apologizing publicly, but the damage had already been done.

With that in mind, this serves as a reminder that you are not likely to have a change at a public apology if you create controversy in an interview.  Here are a few tips I have learned over the years that I hope you find helpful:

1)  Never show up late.  As you can see, I continue my logic with some "no duh" statements.  But this one happens more than I care to admit.  I've heard all the classic excuses - traffic, getting kids off to school, parking headaches, over-sleeping, getting lost, and many more.  The bottom line is that none of them really matter.  Short of a traffic accident that shuts down a major road to the office you are interviewing at, almost every other excuse can be mitigated with proper planning.  Showing up late is the perfect recipe for making a bad first impression.

2)  Never talk poorly about a current or past employer, colleague, or business partner.  Once again you would be absolutely shocked with the stories I can tell about candidates and clients doing this.  For some reason people think that talking poorly about others somehow makes them look better.  It only makes you look worse.  Even if the other party starts talking about someone or something first.  Besides, you never know when someone you are talking about poorly is actually well thought of by the other person across the desk.  I will never forget one time when I was out with a colleague and we ran into someone from a vendor.  This person starting talking about how much they hated their job, and in particular hated their boss.  The more this person spoke of this boss of hers, the more we began to realize it was my colleague's wife.  The look on this person's face when we made her aware of that fact was nothing short of complete embarrassment.

3)  Never make up something about a topic you know nothing about.  People are scared to death to consider using the phrase "I don't know" during an interview.  When oftentimes that is the best answer, especially compared to making something up on the fly.  I heard back from a client once that the candidate they interviewed tried to talk her way around every answer that she didn't know.  It led to mis-truths, incorrect statements, and flat-out lies.  It also led to the need to cover up those miscues with more babble that led to a quick "pass" from my client contact.

4)  Never lie about your past.  One of the most common occurrences with this is when someone speaks highly about an accomplishment that was really not theirs.  Surprised again on this one?  Don't be.  The world is too small to not be found out when you exaggerate or completely concoct a story about a past accomplishment or success that was not your own.  Most commonly we see this with producers and salespeople when talking about past successes.  They use premium instead of revenue projections.  Or only talk about new business instead of renewals.  The list goes on and on.  At the end of the day, however, your accomplishments should stand on their own merit or not be pointed out at all.  If you have to polish that proverbial you-know-what, it wasn't worth having mentioned in the first place.

Have you experienced any controversy in the interview process?  Any pearls of wisdom you could share to help others avoid the same pitfalls?

Can you really jinx a job offer?

Any Cubs' fan that has been more than a casual observer knows the long history of jinxes that have occurred over the years in the chase for that elusive next World Series' championship.  Is there such a thing as a jinx or bad karma?  That topic has been debated in and around Chicago for years.  But is it a real thing and can you jinx a job offer once received?

The easy answer is yes, you can absolutely jinx a job offer.  Not in the way a black cat, a Billy Goat, or Steve Bartman can evoke images of a jinx to a Cubs' fan.  Instead there are things to stay away from once you have received a job offer from a prospective employer.

1) Wait until the background check has cleared before you resign.  Most offers will say they are contingent upon a background check.  Which means that they absolutely are.  Until that is 100% complete, the offer can be rescinded, the start date can me moved, questions can arise, and much more.  I just advised a candidate last week to hold off until the final green light was official.  Lo and behold a few things took longer than expected with the check, and the start date was pushed back.  Fortunately nothing else was changed, but you get the point.

2) Don't tell your current co-workers about it until after you have resigned.  This one is a little more gray as everyone makes good relationships at work.  You know, the kind that you trust with everything and you believe they won't tell anyone about your pending resignation.  You are so excited about the offer that you tell who you believe is a close friend because you want them to be the first to know.  Well, what if something happens a day or two later, that person lets it slip, and then gets back to your boss?  It could escalate quickly as your boss will have an obligation to the employer most likely and could show you the door.

3) Hold off on sending too much communication to future colleagues.  I know the natural tendency is to announce to the world your intentions once you receive an offer that you intend to accept.  Unfortunately I have seen some ill-advised emails, calls, and even snail mail go out from candidates to future colleagues at a new employer that start things off on the wrong foot.  One extreme example was so bad that they employer literally decided to rescind the offer and not fill the position.  While that is unusual, why risk it?  Don't hear what I'm not saying - I am not suggesting sending nothing, but think carefully before you send anything.

Bear in mind that the vast majority of offers extended are accepted and pushed through with little or no problem.  These tips will simply ensure you do not have to endure the pain of a jinx.  With a job offer it is more difficult to use the line Cubs' fans are all to accustomed to - there is always next year.  There is not always a next year or next offer!  :-)