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A Thanksgiving...
...feast of job opportunities!
November 2006 - Vol 1, Issue 7
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November Notables
  • Laufer and Associates Welcomes Michael Samuelian!
    • Michael Samuelian

    Michael Samuelian joins Laufer and Associates with thirteen years experience in the enterprise software industry. Michael specialized in developing strong customer relationships, and selecting and managing successful sales teams. He is excited to transition to a career in recruiting, seeing it as a way to unite his sales talents with his interest in building relationships.

    Michael is a native Bostonian, educated at Boston University's School of Management, and considers the city one of his favorite places in the world. Michael is eager to enter into this new phase of his career at Laufer's growing and dynamic firm.

    Alyssa Brymer

    November's Temp of the Month is Alyssa Brymer. Alyssa came to us at the end of the summer looking for temporary work until the New Year. She has been working as an administrative assistant with an accounting firm in Cambridge and has received outstanding reviews from our client. Her reliability and work ethic have been an asset to the team.


    Alyssa writes, "I'm currently in graduate school for my masters in education, and temping has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to balance both the demands of school and work. Additionally, I feel very fortunate to have been placed at the company I'm currently temping at. I started my assignment over two and half months ago and have enjoyed working in a challenging yet fun environment."
    appreciation
    by Emily Sabo

    As November and Thanksgiving roll around you may find yourself thinking about what you have to be thankful for-maybe a loving family member or an exciting new job opportunity. During this season it's also important to think about the ways in which you can demonstrate your thankfulness-and one helpful approach is to think about expressing appreciation throughout your job search and your workplace. It can have a big impact in both arenas.

    'A recent Gallup Poll report quoted this statistic: "the number-one reason people leave organizations is that they don't feel appreciated, notes the U.S. Department of Labor."'

    While this suggests that management has an obligation to demonstrate how much they appreciate their employees, whether you are just beginning the job search process or are already employed, it is still important to make sure you appreciate your boss. (They're people too!)

    When interviewing it is crucial to make a positive first impression and part of that occurs even after you have left your meeting. Always send a thank you note, right after an interview. According to a survey executed by Careerbuilder.com, "nearly 15 percent of hiring managers say they would not hire someone who failed to send a thank-you letter after the interview. Thirty-two percent say they would still consider the candidate, but would think less of him or her." Timing is also important, "twenty-six percent of hiring managers expect to have the letter in-hand two days after the interview, and 36 percent expect to have it within three to five days."

    There are several benefits to this:

    *Demonstrate that you recognize and appreciate the time they chose to spend with you- establishing that you are on the same wave length and the same team as them.

    *Re-connect to the interviewer and highlight any accomplishments that you may have forgotten to mention in the interview. In "No Thank You Could Mean No Job," Rosemary Haefner stresses the necessity of remembering to diligently proofread; "double-check to be sure your note is free from typos and grammatical errors. Don't rely solely on your spell-checker." She also instructs readers that the strength of your thank-you note has much to do with the specificity of your response, use details and "tailor your note to the specific job and the relationship you have established with the hiring manager."

    Sometimes finding ways of showing appreciation can feel a bit stiff at first. To combat that, Esther Hardy offers some advice on ways to seamlessly integrate demonstrations of appreciation into your life. In her article "The Appreciation Gap" Hardy offers both guidelines and traps to avoid. These are tips to remember if you are still searching for a job too. If someone takes time to meet with you for an informational interview or to offer advice they deserve to be appreciated too.

    Guidelines:

    *Be authentic. When complimenting anyone, the most important factor is your sincerity-people can easily recognize and resent insincere praise.

    *Appreciate privately. Even when you sincerely appreciate steps a boss has taken- anything from a year-end bonus to organizing a fun office party-by publicly gushing over it, you may be seen as the workplace brown-noser. Instead, by communicating your sentiments in private, you can avoid some ugly office-politicking, and the sincerity of your admiration will shine through.

    *Appreciate weekly. In order for appreciation to work it needs to be recognized and reinforced on a regular basis.

    Traps to Avoid:

    *Don't dilute the value of appreciation. When expressing appreciation, there's no need to follow the carrot and the stick model. Appreciation can and should stand on its own. Squeezing in criticism will only dilute the value of appreciation.

    *Token rewards anger as often as they delight. Make sure that the steps you take to demonstrate appreciation are original and specific. The recipient will notice if they seem rote.

    *Don't wait. Even if it seems nerve- wracking start showing appreciation right away. Just begin with baby-steps. Eventually, it can make a huge difference!
    union negotiation cartoon
    by Kim Lankford Monster Contributing Writer

    Good negotiation skills have a huge impact on your career -- whether you're a salesperson making deals or an entry-level employee trying to get good assignments or cube neighbors to quiet down.

    "Most people think of negotiation only when they need to get something more," says Tammy Lenski, a professional mediator who helps universities and businesses nationwide with conflict management. "The reality is that at work, pretty much every conversation is a negotiation. You're negotiating deadlines, the quality level, what might be taken off your plate to make room for this priority project and what benefit you might get for taking on that project. The minute you walk into the workplace in the morning, you're negotiating."

    Lenski says big negotiation mistakes are common -- people either are too confrontational or cave in because they're afraid to ask some basic questions. "If people think of a negotiation more as a conversation than something that needs to be won, they'll do much better," she adds.

    Be a Better Negotiator

    Here are four of Lenski's tips on becoming a good negotiator -- and improving your situation at work:

    * Tactic Is Dictated by Situation: Playing hardball in the office can backfire when you need to work with your coworkers every day. "You have an ongoing relationship with these folks, and you're trying to not leave debris," Lenski says. "People need to stop thinking about negotiating as getting more of what I need, which means getting less of what you need. Instead, think about how I can get their needs met while also getting mine."

    Instead, find out the other person's needs, and try to come to a conclusion that helps both of you. "The best negotiating is using the really good human relation skills in an effective way," Lenski says. "It isn't about pushing or convincing or manipulating the other person. It's about having them figure out what they want and how you can help them get it."

    * Ask Good Questions: In negotiations, you know what you want. But you also need to find out what the other side wants in return. It's most efficient if you just ask openly.

    When starting her private practice 10 years ago, Lenski presented her fee to provide conflict- management services to a company in turmoil. The department head asked her to slash her price 20 percent. Lenski said this was her bottom-line number, but the department head said everything is negotiable.

    When starting her private practice 10 years ago, Lenski presented her fee to provide conflict- management services to a company in turmoil. The department head asked her to slash her price 20 percent. Lenski said this was her bottom-line number, but the department head said everything is negotiable.

    Lenski then asked the essential question: "Why do you believe everything is negotiable?" The department head explained the head of finance would ask if she bargained and got a good deal. At that point, Lenski crossed out the original fee and wrote a new one that was about 25 percent higher. "Will this work?" she asked.

    The department head said, "Well, I'll have to offer you 20 percent less than that." And they had a deal.

    You won't always get such a clear-cut answer, but it only strengthens your case if you can find out about the other person's goals.

    * Deal with Issues Up Front: Instead of keeping quiet and thus becoming resentful, "negotiating is figuring out how to raise the things that are bothering you so they can be sorted out," Lenski says.

    There are gender-based differences in negotiation. "Many women are not very good at asking, or when they are made an offer, they tend to think that they have to say yes or no," Lenski says. "But men tend to think of it as the opening volley in a negotiating experience."

    Instead of just thinking about what might make it difficult to accomplish your goal, talk with your boss about those issues right away. "It's much more helpful in general to think about under what conditions you might make it possible, and how can you help me do that," Lenski says.

    Lenski was recently asked to speak at a conference, and the university offered to pay her travel expenses but not conference fees and hotel room. She discovered a colleague who was manning a nearby conference booth was getting all her expenses paid by another college department. Instead of having hard feelings, Lenski approached the dean. "Aren't I doing as much to get the college's name out there?" she asked. When she pointed out the discrepancy, he offered to pay her way too. People are too often afraid to have those difficult conversations, bottling up their resentment. "If I hadn't asked and would have gone home and fretted, I wouldn't have had the money," she says.

    * Do the Right Kind of Homework: Lenski says people tend to waste a lot of time worrying about scary negotiation scenarios. "They go into it thinking about all the ways it can go wrong," she says, even though the negotiation generally turns out much better than expected. "Instead, they should spend their time thinking of it from the perspective of the other person. What would make them want to join with you to figure things out? Not what will make them change their mind, but what will make them want to sort this out with me. Invite them into joint problem-solving."

    Not only does this tactic lead to more successful negotiations, but your colleagues will also have a better opinion of you. "You have to keep seeing most of the folks in the workplace, and they can have a lot of input on whether you move up," Lenski says. "You want to approach them in ways that you're seen as a team player."
    writer hands
    Please contact us with any questions or if you have any ideas about what type of material you'd like to see featured in future newsletters!

    Emily Sabo, Marketing & Communications Liaison

    Laufer and Associates

    phone: (617) 367-2800