I'm delighted to be able to send you this new newsletter e-zine; I am sure you'll find the subjects interesting and the content useful. Today I'm sitting in an office looking outside at the beautiful sunny weather and wishing I was outside. Unfortunately my computer cable won't stretch that far so I'm writing to you from a rather hot office!

This time of the year is often associated with those dreaded exams, so if you have one coming up, good luck.

If you like this e-zine, which I sincerely hope you will, why not do a friend and me a big favour and "pay it forward".

If you received this newsletter from a friend, and you like what you've seen, you can easily subscribe yourself if you visit my Careers Update page where you can sign up for your own FREE copy.

In recent issues we covered:

The Dreaded Interview – what should I expect and what should I not do?

Dealing with Interview Nerves;

Assessment Centres - what are they?

Psychometric Tests;

Body Language - the Unspoken Clues;

What do you look like?

Take the worry out of presentations.

Assert yourself.

Just follow the link at the bottom of this newsletter if you want to check out the back-issues

And in this month's issue we're going to talk about:

• When You Get the Offer

• Avoid Your CV Ending Up in the Bin

JOB OFFERS AND PAY NEGOTIATIONS

So never accept a job, or resign from your present job until you have received a formal offer in writing for the new position. Occasionally, after an interview, employers try to shorten their process by asking if you will accept the job there and then.

You should be careful in your response and if you are interested say “I would like to accept it but please confirm your offer in writing”

A formal job offer should include all these points: • job title • pay • benefits • normal hours of work • place of work • holiday entitlement • notice period

If something is not covered, you need to find out what it is as you will not be able to make your decision without this information. And don’t wait until you start work to raise queries. It will be too late to discuss or negotiate then.

Check the offer letter carefully against what you understood was being offered, and don’t sign the acceptance letter unless you are fully satisfied with it.

As it forms the basis of your new contract, you need to be sure. And finally, don’t accept the first job you are offered unless it’s the right one.

PAY NEGOTIATION

At interview, try to avoid in-depth discussions of money and perks until you are sure that the company wants you rather than one of the other candidates — in other words, once they have offered you the job. When you know they are prepared to ‘buy’ then you have room to negotiate.

KNOW YOUR NEEDS

Consider your current or last package — in other words, not only your pay, but things like benefits, pension, bonus, health insurance, overtime, car loan etc.

KNOW THE MARKET

Gather information so that you know the market value of someone with your skills. What are the industry averages for your level of responsibility and type of work?

KNOW HOW TO TALK ABOUT PAY

If you are pushed at an early stage to discuss your pay expectations, say that you would like to come back to this when you have more information about the job. Or you could give a very general indication of what your pay expectations are whilst confirming your interest and enthusiasm for the job.

If you are already on the market, beware of firms trying to get you below your market worth. You must be ready to justify why you are worth more — because of your skills and experience, and reassure them that you are not just looking for a stepping-stone.

If they ask you what you are prepared to accept always say: “I have an idea but what do you have in mind?”

If the pay offered is lower than your expectations, start to negotiate. Start negotiating with the pay itself and emphasise that whilst the pay is not as important as the opportunity and the challenge of the job, it is important; and then proceed to the benefits package. Be prepared to negotiate a compromise. If it looks as if you are not going to reach a compromise, make sure you still sign off on a pleasant note. They may come back to you later with a better offer or remember you favourably when a bigger job comes up.

Always aim to leave a positive image!

Avoid Your CV Ending Up in the Bin

Your cover letter is generally the first document potential employers will read. So your job is to make sure it introduces you effectively and positively.

Best ways to make sure your CV or resume does get thrown aside:

• You don't include a powerful cover letter

• The same cover letter was photocopied or obviously used for another job

• The cover letter doesn't include all the information the employer specified

• The cover letter contains spelling, grammar or typo errors

• Your skills and qualifications don't match the job description or person specification

You really want to avoid that, don't you, so when writing your cover letters, be sure to:

• Customize the cover letter to the particular job you're applying for

• Emphasize exactly how you expect to contribute to the company or organization

• Show interest and enthusiasm in the advertised job.

• Tell them you know about what they do and why you are interestedin joining them

• Illustrate how your skills match the job description

• Check carefully for spelling errors and typos

• Address your letter by name to the person advertising (ring for the name if possible)

Your cover letter will get much better results if you show that:

• You know what employers want

• Your strengths have the edge over the competition

• You tailor your cover letter to meet their specific employer's needs

If you need more specific guidance on writing great cover letters or could use some examples to help you just click here.

Comments, ideas or feedback?

I'd really love to hear from you - just reply to this e-zine and let me know what you think.

Best Regards

Peter

p.s if you haven't yet signed up for your own FREE copy of Careers Update click here and I'll make sure you get one.