It was week 11 of my Career Solutions Workshop, and on the agenda was a hot topic for job seekers: negotiating.
Negotiating has always put me out of my comfort zone, and I suspect I'm not alone. So I welcomed a frank discussion of how to navigate this somewhat slippery landscape. In this post, I'll share a few tips from veteran executive recruiter Maureen Walkinshaw, a Career Solutions board member and presenter.
When you receive a job offer, take a pause. Slip on that poker face. Yes, hide your excitement when you get that offer. Wait, look thoughtful and ponder.
The pause can pay off, says Walkinshaw. If an employer really wants a candidate, they may just throw in a few more goodies during that silence to sweeten the deal. It's especially true if the employer sought you out, or if the hiring company is a small business that is not entrenched with big-corporation hiring policies.
Think about what kind of leverage you may have going in, and know your value in the marketplace. Do your research on salary beforehand with a website such as Salary.com, so you can evaluate the offer realistically.
Many items are up for negotiation in addition to salary. If the starting salary is less than desired, you may be able to secure an early review, making it possible to get your raise after three to six months instead of a year. Telecommuting, flex time, extra time off...all may be on the table. If you can stay on your spouse's insurance instead of taking insurance from the new company, you might be able to turn that into a signing bonus.
Go from least to most important, asking for the item that is most significant to you last, and it's smart to include a throwaway item or two that you don't mind losing.
Asking for an expanded job description with more responsibility might pave the way for a higher salary, too.
Be sure to express appreciation for the offer, and it's OK to ask for a day or two to weigh this important decision. (Be careful not to offend the employer with a flippant "I need to think it over.")
In this state, it's unusual to get an offer in writing. To make sure you have correctly understood what was offered, it's a good idea to send an email restating your understanding of the offer, to make sure that you and the employer are both on the same page.
In this short space, I can't distill the essence of a three-hour class, which included other topics as well. You've got a chance to take the entire 12-week workshop, which will begin a new rotation starting with Session One on Monday, Oct. 10. Details at www.careeersolutionsworkshop.com.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Entrepreneurship After 40: It Worked for Vera Bradley
For some people, the path to a new career is entrepreneurship.
It worked for two 40-something women named Barbara and Patricia, who started sewing quilted handbags for friends and family in the basement, and ended up as the creators of Vera Bradley, famous maker of all those cute and colorful totes and accessories. (Be prepared to see the word "cute" a lot in this post. It's part of the company culture.)
Monica Edwards, the company's vice president of marketing and communications, told their story to advertising industry professionals at the 2011 Central Region Conference of AAF Friday at Fort Worth's downtown Hilton. I attended with hopes of networking and making good connections with other working advertising folks, and that's exactly what happened. But in this post, I'm going to focus on some of what Edwards told us about the Vera Bradley company and its journey "from basement to branding."
After noticing the lack of cute luggage items for women at the airport, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Polito Miller began cutting out fabric and stitching the pieces into bags on a basement ping pong table. Their initial $250 investment, made 28 years ago, has turned into a $350 million enterprise traded on NASDAQ as VRA.
The colorful bags and accessories, in distinctive florals and paisleys, are popular with females from 8 to 80, but the typical customer is an upscale woman of 39, who buys the bags for herself, her daughter and her mother. Girls wearing school uniforms enjoy Vera Bradley's colorful backpacks because they bring style and individuality to their daily look.
Edwards shared some funny and touching stories from the company as well as some things you or I never knew about Vera Bradley:
* The company is named for the late Vera Bradley, Barbara's mother, instead of Patricia's mother, whose name was more difficult to remember.
* There are 3300 Vera Bradley retail partners and 50 company-owned Vera Bradley stores, whose ambience is modeled after Vera Bradley's home. Dillard's will now carry Vera Bradley merchandise as well.
* It takes 18 months to create and execute a new design.
* The company mission: To be a girl's best friend.
* Company values: Caring, Creativity, Optimism, Fussy (in a good way, as in caring about the details), Honesty, Humility, Respect and Fun.
* The company's culture includes a number of unwritten rules and courtesies, some of which are: Be nice! Mentor and teach others. Give people your full attention. And be sure you look cute on a plane!
* One of the best ways to build brand awareness for a company like Vera Bradley is called "seeding," and it's simple: Hand a bag to a cute girl.
* Employees try out new products first and offer feedback.
* Vera Bradley does not delete negative customer comments on social media. They find that much of the time, their own customers will defend their merchandise for them to other consumers.
* The company supports the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and more than a thousand other organizations nationally.
A final note: To my delight, I won a Vera Bradley tote at the conference luncheon, and I'm doing my best to wear it cute. When I carried it to lunch today before attending The Kaleidoscope of Homes tour, I made sure to wear a blouse that matched the violet petals in the print.
It worked for two 40-something women named Barbara and Patricia, who started sewing quilted handbags for friends and family in the basement, and ended up as the creators of Vera Bradley, famous maker of all those cute and colorful totes and accessories. (Be prepared to see the word "cute" a lot in this post. It's part of the company culture.)
Monica Edwards, the company's vice president of marketing and communications, told their story to advertising industry professionals at the 2011 Central Region Conference of AAF Friday at Fort Worth's downtown Hilton. I attended with hopes of networking and making good connections with other working advertising folks, and that's exactly what happened. But in this post, I'm going to focus on some of what Edwards told us about the Vera Bradley company and its journey "from basement to branding."
After noticing the lack of cute luggage items for women at the airport, Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Polito Miller began cutting out fabric and stitching the pieces into bags on a basement ping pong table. Their initial $250 investment, made 28 years ago, has turned into a $350 million enterprise traded on NASDAQ as VRA.
The colorful bags and accessories, in distinctive florals and paisleys, are popular with females from 8 to 80, but the typical customer is an upscale woman of 39, who buys the bags for herself, her daughter and her mother. Girls wearing school uniforms enjoy Vera Bradley's colorful backpacks because they bring style and individuality to their daily look.
Edwards shared some funny and touching stories from the company as well as some things you or I never knew about Vera Bradley:
* The company is named for the late Vera Bradley, Barbara's mother, instead of Patricia's mother, whose name was more difficult to remember.
* There are 3300 Vera Bradley retail partners and 50 company-owned Vera Bradley stores, whose ambience is modeled after Vera Bradley's home. Dillard's will now carry Vera Bradley merchandise as well.
* It takes 18 months to create and execute a new design.
* The company mission: To be a girl's best friend.
* Company values: Caring, Creativity, Optimism, Fussy (in a good way, as in caring about the details), Honesty, Humility, Respect and Fun.
* The company's culture includes a number of unwritten rules and courtesies, some of which are: Be nice! Mentor and teach others. Give people your full attention. And be sure you look cute on a plane!
* One of the best ways to build brand awareness for a company like Vera Bradley is called "seeding," and it's simple: Hand a bag to a cute girl.
* Employees try out new products first and offer feedback.
* Vera Bradley does not delete negative customer comments on social media. They find that much of the time, their own customers will defend their merchandise for them to other consumers.
* The company supports the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer and more than a thousand other organizations nationally.
A final note: To my delight, I won a Vera Bradley tote at the conference luncheon, and I'm doing my best to wear it cute. When I carried it to lunch today before attending The Kaleidoscope of Homes tour, I made sure to wear a blouse that matched the violet petals in the print.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Come September
I was afraid it wouldn't happen this year.
Every Texas summer is a scorcher, by the standards of someone who grew up in the upper Midwest. But during all of my years in Texas, a slight, but noticeable cooling trend has been ushered in shortly after the Labor Day holiday.
Mercifully, it did cool down in Dallas/Fort Worth right on schedule, even with the three months of triple-digit temperatures we've endured.
I also think I see a slight, but noticeable upward trend in the number of open positions of the kind I'm looking for -- advertising copywriters, editors, public relations writers and the like.
I know, it goes against the flat, dismal government job statistics that have Wall Street in a tizzy.
But it makes sense, in my world. Summers were always times to catch your breath, for a moment at least, in the newspaper business. And you needed to take that break when you could, because things always sped up in a big, fat hurry come September.
So even if the economy is wretched, it's still back-to-school time, back-to-serious-business time. And that's why I think I'm seeing more appropriate jobs to apply for, even if some of them are freelance or temporary assignments. I'm open to those as well as "real" work. I found that my last freelance assignment (which was also my first) gave me a certain sense of validation, and satisfaction in flexing my professional chops.
In addition to finding more job openings than usual this week, I also attended a weekly networking event called "Social Media Lab."
Held at a North Richland Hills coffeeshop called "Roots," this group is an ongoing, informal and hands-on-the-laptop discussion on honing your social media skills not only for the job search, but for on-the-job purposes as well.
It's a small, friendly gathering run by volunteer coaches who ask only that attendees pay it forward by sharing what they've learned with others. Oh, and one more thing...if you go, make sure you thank the folks at Roots by purchasing a latte and something tempting from the bakery case. Go ahead, "Like" them on Facebook. They are awesome to host this event each week.
I'll tell you more about Social Media Lab in a future post. Meanwhile, if you're interested, it is held every Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at Roots coffeehouse on Hwy. 26 in North Richland Hills, just east of NRH2O. Bring a laptop if you have one, but no worries if you don't. Just sit next to someone who has one and look on. It's part of the deal.
Every Texas summer is a scorcher, by the standards of someone who grew up in the upper Midwest. But during all of my years in Texas, a slight, but noticeable cooling trend has been ushered in shortly after the Labor Day holiday.
Mercifully, it did cool down in Dallas/Fort Worth right on schedule, even with the three months of triple-digit temperatures we've endured.
I also think I see a slight, but noticeable upward trend in the number of open positions of the kind I'm looking for -- advertising copywriters, editors, public relations writers and the like.
I know, it goes against the flat, dismal government job statistics that have Wall Street in a tizzy.
But it makes sense, in my world. Summers were always times to catch your breath, for a moment at least, in the newspaper business. And you needed to take that break when you could, because things always sped up in a big, fat hurry come September.
So even if the economy is wretched, it's still back-to-school time, back-to-serious-business time. And that's why I think I'm seeing more appropriate jobs to apply for, even if some of them are freelance or temporary assignments. I'm open to those as well as "real" work. I found that my last freelance assignment (which was also my first) gave me a certain sense of validation, and satisfaction in flexing my professional chops.
In addition to finding more job openings than usual this week, I also attended a weekly networking event called "Social Media Lab."
Held at a North Richland Hills coffeeshop called "Roots," this group is an ongoing, informal and hands-on-the-laptop discussion on honing your social media skills not only for the job search, but for on-the-job purposes as well.
It's a small, friendly gathering run by volunteer coaches who ask only that attendees pay it forward by sharing what they've learned with others. Oh, and one more thing...if you go, make sure you thank the folks at Roots by purchasing a latte and something tempting from the bakery case. Go ahead, "Like" them on Facebook. They are awesome to host this event each week.
I'll tell you more about Social Media Lab in a future post. Meanwhile, if you're interested, it is held every Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at Roots coffeehouse on Hwy. 26 in North Richland Hills, just east of NRH2O. Bring a laptop if you have one, but no worries if you don't. Just sit next to someone who has one and look on. It's part of the deal.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Mercenary me
Open up the dictionary to "freelance" and you'll notice that one definition is "a medieval solder who sold his services to any state or military leader."
In other words, a mercenary. Like me. Writer for hire, with sharpened pencil standing in for the lance.
I've just had my first freelance copywriting assignment published, a story of approximately 2,000 words on trends in kitchen and bath design. If you want to see it, head for Central Market or a Barnes & Noble in Fort Worth and buy a copy of 360 West magazine. Turn to page 73 for The Kitchen & Bath Guide.
Or, just visit this handy link to a digital copy of the September issue of the entire magazine, which is celebrating its biggest issue ever.
The best part of the experience was working with some former colleagues from the publishing industry who now work to put together this exceptional magazine every month.
It's beneficial to have a fresh writing credit, as I forge the new direction of my post-layoff career.
In other words, a mercenary. Like me. Writer for hire, with sharpened pencil standing in for the lance.
I've just had my first freelance copywriting assignment published, a story of approximately 2,000 words on trends in kitchen and bath design. If you want to see it, head for Central Market or a Barnes & Noble in Fort Worth and buy a copy of 360 West magazine. Turn to page 73 for The Kitchen & Bath Guide.
Or, just visit this handy link to a digital copy of the September issue of the entire magazine, which is celebrating its biggest issue ever.
The best part of the experience was working with some former colleagues from the publishing industry who now work to put together this exceptional magazine every month.
It's beneficial to have a fresh writing credit, as I forge the new direction of my post-layoff career.
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