Creative Career Negotiations (Part Two of a Two-Part Series)
Asking for a Promotion, Raise, or Additional Perks
In preparation for this article on career negotiations, last week we discussed the different perks you can request if a salary increase isn’t currently realistic. This week we will help you prepare for that important meeting where you actually talk with your boss about that promotion, raise, or additional perks.
If you’ve reached the point in your career where you want to negotiate for better compensation, we’re guessing that in evaluating your contribution to your employer you’ve determined that you have indeed earned what you hope to request. The last thing you should do is wake up one morning and decide to ask for a promotion simply because you’re in the mood for one. You must first demonstrate that you have earned it. Then, and only then, can you follow these seven steps:
1. Consider your employer’s needs
Your appeal for a promotion will go over better if you have considered your employer’s needs and how your contribution enables them to better accomplish their objectives. The more integral you are to their mission, the more valuable you are as an employee, and the more likely you are to receive a promotion. In communicating how much you’ve contributed to the company and how much more you’d like to contribute, your boss will be much more receptive to your requests.
2. Express yourself
Before that important sit-down meeting with your boss you want your employer to realize how valuable you are. Take on additional assignments, express your enthusiasm for your position, and take the time to notify your boss when you have achieved anything notable. This will enable management to recognize your contributions and how much you benefit the collaborative work environment.
3. Pick a good time.
Don’t go to your boss during the busiest time of the year. Wait for a time when your boss is relaxed and ready to respond to you positively; this applies to the time of year and even the time of day. It’s also a good idea to ride a wave of success into your boss’s office; it may be best to schedule “the talk” after you’ve made some significant contributions that are a good measure of your success.
4. Know what you want
Before you begin negotiations, share your achievements with your boss, measuring your success with tangible numbers. When you do begin making requests, be sure you know what you want, and be specific. How much of a raise are you expecting (be realistic)? Or were you more interested in being promoted to a different position with more responsibility? Perhaps, after last week’s article, you’ve decided to request different perks that would enable you to better enjoy your job. Whatever you’re interested in, be sure to ask for it specifically.
5. Have a backup plan
This article is called “Creative Career Negotiations” for a reason. When you talk with your boss about enhancing your employment, the discussion is likely to include give and take. You probably won’t be handed your request on a silver platter. In the case that you need to back off your request, be sure you come ready with a Plan B. Try not to walk away empty-handed. Is there something else you could request in the interim? Perhaps permission to attend a high-profile conference or receive additional training may be more reasonable requests at this time.
6. Be graceful, whatever the response.
Remember that you shouldn’t end the discussion if your boss doesn’t offer you the promotion. It is the perfect time to ask for feedback. What more would you need to do to earn the promotion? Is there a possibility of enhancing your compensation in the future? Walking out of the office and slamming the door won’t do you or your boss any good.
7. Know when to leave
There are definitely times when you should stay in a job regardless of whether or not your employer is able and/or willing to enhance the compensation you receive for it. But there may also come a time when you must evaluate your standing and determine how long you’re willing to work for your current pay and benefits. There is such a thing as a dead-end job, and if you feel that describes your current position, there may come a time for you to leave and look for something better.
Enhance Your Promote-ability
You can increase your chances for receiving a promotion by enhancing your skills and earning professional certification. The Professional Bookkeeper Program will teach you small-business accounting and train you to act as your employer’s Profit Expert, enabling you to help the company make informed business decisions that will increase profitability. Does that sound like a skill that will increase your promote-ability?
When you enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program you learn the following:
- The key components of the accounting process including General Ledgers, Specialty Journals, and Subsidiary Ledgers.
- The various accounts used by specialty industries such as Flooring Payable, Contracts in Transit, and Bank Reserve Accounts.
- The assessment of a company’s financial position.
- The uses and methods of calculating depreciation and allowance for bad debts.
- Various collection techniques for slow-paying accounts that will improve success.
- How to master debits and credits through recording hundreds of daily and monthly transactions.
Once you pass the Professional Bookkeeper exam with a score of 90 percent of above, you will also be able to add the PB designation to your name and resume. Don’t wait to enhance your chances of promotion. Enroll in the Professional Bookkeeper Program today and begin enhancing your promote-ability.
Universal Accounting is a company that is making a difference in the lives of their students! For those who are pursuing or looking into the possibilities of pursuing a career path into the Accounting, Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation services, you need to get to know more about what all Universal offers in their comprehensive training programs.
If you’re good with numbers and enjoy accounting, you’d make a great tax preparer. Every year, more and more individuals and businesses have professional tax preparers do their taxes. The complexity of tax laws is enough for most tax payers to look for help during tax season, and because every adult is required to file their taxes every year, your potential client base is limitless.
Others like you have completed the Professional Tax Preparer Certification with great success. Graduates have prepared tax forms for up to 50 individuals in their first year. At an average of $150 each, they made $7,500 working just the 45 days before April 15. For many people, this represents 3 months of salary. If you are the kind of individual that likes to work hard for a concentrated period of time and then have time to relax, preparing income tax forms could be perfect for you. And imagine, in just 30 hours you can earn enough money moonlighting as a tax preparer to pay for the program 3 times over.
Victoria Richardson started her business in January of 2004, and has seen incredibly rapid growth and profit ever since. She only spent the first 6 weeks marketing. Since then, she has had all the clients she can handle. In fact, she tells us that she has had to cut down to “only” 18 clients so that she has the quality time that she wants to spend with her children. Victoria is a stay-at-home mom and Professional Bookkeeper.
At the time Victoria started her own accounting business she had two young children: ages one and two months. She was having ethical conflicts with her employer and had reached a point where she wanted something different.
But Victoria knew she needed more practical education. She had a bachelor’s degree in business, but didn’t feel she had the confidence to manage the accounts of multiple clients without hands-on training. So she decided to enroll in Universal Accounting Center’s
The accountant/bookkeeper is a major cog in the business machine. Accountants/bookkeepers analyze key accounting indicators that assess a business’s profitability. If the accountant/bookkeeper shares that information with those who can make necessary modifications, profits will increase. This type of proactive accounting evolves an ordinary accountant into the Profit Center Expert. If you want to be a Profit Center Expert you must study key accounting indicators that will signal areas in need of attention.
While colleges train accounting majors how to manage the finances for large corporations, over 98% of businesses are small. There is a huge demand for accountants who understand the specific needs of small businesses, because the most common problem plaguing small business owners today is their inability to understand their finances. Not only that, but for years Universal Accounting Center (UAC) has proudly relayed reports that by 2008 accounting jobs would increase by 20%. That great forecast has been extended to 2014! They predict “Employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014. As the economy grows, the number of business establishments will increase, requiring more accountants and auditors to set up books, prepare taxes, and provide management advice.” The future is bright for accountants!
” . . . Continuing education is key to furthering your career, and the fact of the matter is the more skills you are able to bring to the table, the quicker your career will become everything you want it to be.
Are you tired of working for what seems like an eternity, without ever getting ahead? Do you dream of making more money and being able to enjoy it? Do you wish you had more free time to spend with your family or pursuing your favorite hobby? The field of accounting could offer you all that and more. The accounting field is growing at a phenomenal pace and the US Department of Labor predicts that “Employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through the year 2014. As the economy grows, the number of business establishments will increase, requiring more accountants and auditors to set up books, prepare taxes, and provide management advice.” In fact, here are just a few occupations you could qualify for with the proper accounting training:
Last week
Don’t obsess about the past. Being informed about a business’s fiscal history is important, but it’s even more important to use that information to improve the business’s future.
Alf Bostrom