They Don't Teach Corporate in College (9 page)

For example, you might say, “I'm really excited about this position and I think I'm a great fit for the company, but I don't think I could afford to take less than my minimum of $50,000. I have several other opportunities that are in my range, but I'd really prefer to work for you. Is there any way we could work this out?”

Remember that salary ranges are rarely fixed, and once the interviewer has decided she wants to hire you, she will usually meet your request for more money. However, occasionally you might find that great career moves come
with a lower price tag. You might be wise to accept an offer that is less money initially, yet pays greater dividends in terms of growth and experience.

When deciding whether or not to accept an offer, relocation may come up as an important issue. Careful consideration of the following three questions will aid your thought process.

If this job didn't exist, is the area in question a place you'd ever want to go? Think about what your regular daily routine will be like in the new location. Do the pace of life and the amenities appeal to you? How about the people, the culture, the weather, and the traffic? Remember that a job is only one aspect of your life, and even work that you enjoy won't be enough to overcome the distress of being stuck in a locale that's not a good fit.

Your new organization may or may not pay relocation costs (moving company, temporary housing, and so on), but a more important issue is whether you can afford to live in the new city. How does your proposed salary compare with the cost of living? For example, $75,000 goes a lot further in Columbus, Ohio, than it does in Chicago, Illinois. Ideally, you should be able to pay your monthly expenses while saving a decent amount for retirement. In this day and age, living paycheck to paycheck is simply not sustainable.

Relocating is serious business, and it's not something you want to do repeatedly in a matter of a few years. So before taking the plunge, you want to be sure that your new position offers strong professional development and the probability of advancement. In the event that things don't work out the way you hope, will you be able to secure gainful employment in your industry and at your level? No matter how great your new company is, you don't want to
put all of your eggs in one basket, and your career prospects will simply not be the same in a rural or declining area as they are in a major metropolitan area.

At the start of your career, you might be considering taking an internship or volunteer position to break ground in a new industry, or working for free so that you can develop relationships with clients who may eventually pay you.

If this is your situation, you should be aware that unpaid internships have come under legal fire recently, with the U.S. courts ruling that media giants Fox Searchlight Pictures and Hearst Corp broke the law by not compensating their interns financially.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, for an unpaid internship at a for-profit employer to be lawful, it should pass a six-point test. Among the requirements, the employer must derive “no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern,” and the intern must not “displace regular employees, but (work) under close supervision of existing staff.” In addition, the internship must be “similar to training which would be given in an educational environment.”

That said, the protocol for non-profit organizations, small businesses, and consultants is far less clear, and working for free in these organizations may be a viable option for you. When deciding whether or not to work for no pay, you should first determine if you can afford it. What is your family's financial situation, and are you gainfully employed in another role? It's also smart to assess—specifically—how each position will deliver value in terms of your long-term prospects. Don't be afraid to ask the person with whom you are working for free. Contrary to what some believe, most people are not interested in exploiting workers and will be open to discussions about what's in it for you.

The proposed time commitment is an important factor too. Those who are employed should not devote more than 20 to 25 hours a week to an unpaid gig, or they risk burning out or short-changing the job that pays the bills.

If you have limited experience in the field, the person watching over your work during an unpaid gig may play it safe by giving you small tasks. Don't let her. Get involved with as many large, complex projects as possible, and jump at the opportunity to challenge yourself, master new skills, and be exposed to people who perform a variety of roles.

When the end of your volunteer stint draws near, think about whether you want to pursue a full-time, paid opportunity in the new field or with the
contacts you've made. If nothing arises right away, actively keep in touch with the people you've met through email, social networks, or, even better, occasional in-person get-togethers.

Twenty-somethings ask me all the time if they should get a career coach. Usually this comes at a time when their job search is taking longer than they anticipated and they are starting to wonder if they are doing the right things.

My answer is usually that it can't hurt, but coaches cost money, so if you are going to hire someone you should get as much out of it as possible. Ask around for a referral or find one through the International Coach Federation (coachfederation.org). Before you sign on, review the best coaching practices on the ICF's Website to ensure that your coach is qualified and that you know what to expect from the process. Interview your prospective coach or ask for a trial session first so that you can determine if he is someone with whom you feel comfortable and challenged.

Give coaching the time and attention it deserves, and set concrete goals with your coach as quickly as possible so that you can begin feeling a sense of accomplishment. Don't shy away from discomfort, and keep the lines of communication open so that your coach can help you work through emotional roadblocks that may arise.

As the majority of coaching engagements last between six and 12 months, you and your coach should work together to determine an appropriate end point. If a coach has done her job well, then you won't be dependent on her and will be able to continue working effectively on your own.

Back when I graduated from college, it was a sin—and an utter sign of failure—to move back in with the 'rents. But the times, they are a-changin'.

Thanks to last decade's recession, college students started moving back in with their parents in record numbers. According to various studies, the number of 18- to 34-year-olds currently living at home hovers around 40 percent.

Look, I'm not going to tell you to move out immediately if your financial situation is dire, but I
will
tell you not to get too comfortable. The longer
you live with your parents, the more you delay your own progression into real-life adulthood. And if you want to have a spouse, children, and a healthy 401k, you don't have a decade to wait. Every personal and professional decision you make now should relate to the goal of getting your own place as soon as possible.

Whether you live with your parents or not, they are probably your friends, and you may well speak to them multiple times a day. It's terrific to have this kind of support system when you're getting a career off the ground, but do not let it go too far.

I am fond of the true story of an HR rep who had to throw out an application because the candidate's mother had accidentally written her name on it instead of the candidate's. Your parents should not be filling out your job applications, guys. They should also not be accompanying you to interviews, calling hiring managers to negotiate your salary, or stepping in when you have a problem with a colleague. In fact, as far as employers are concerned, your parents should be completely invisible.

If you are in the habit of asking your parents for advice on every major and minor decision, you should practice stepping away from the smartphone. As we'll talk about in
Chapter 5
, effective problem-solving is an important part of a successful career, and the longer your parents serve as a crutch, the longer you'll delay your development.

One of my past jobs was at a retail behemoth with a cutthroat culture. During the interview, I kept noticing current staff being curt with each other, but I put it out of my mind because the company was really prestigious. I just wanted them to like me, and I didn't stop to think about whether I liked them. Of course I took the position and regretted it when, after a month or so, they began to treat me like they treated everyone else. Today I'd tell my 25-year-old self to pay closer attention to signals that a company isn't going to be a great place to work, and to remember that interviewing for fit should be done on both sides.

Luke, 38, Kentucky

Explore your career options.
Before putting yourself on the job market, take the time to fully investigate career options that will utilize your skills, interests, and personal mission.

Promote yourself.
Think of yourself as a publicist with the task of promoting you. Learn to capitalize on your skills and succinctly assert your achievements.

Learn to network.
Don't base your job search solely on advertised openings. Increase your chances of landing interviews by personally connecting with individuals within your target companies.

Create a professional persona.
Project a strong persona (your most mature, competent, and friendly face) throughout the job search, application, interview, and negotiation processes.

What a relief! Your job search is officially over. You've accepted an offer and have agreed to start the following Monday. Resist the urge to become complacent. Between now and the end of your first month on the job, it is critical that you skillfully wield your professional persona to make a stellar impression. Although it may sound intimidating, transitioning into a new work situation is fairly easy once you know what you need to do. This chapter will walk you through the actions you should take prior to your start date and during your first few weeks on the new job. Here I'll also cover some new-employee essentials that will help you be successful, such as decoding office lingo and getting past human resources.