A Fail-Safe Guide to Salary Negotiation

A Fail-Safe Guide to Salary Negotiation Salary negotiation can be a sensitive topic to approach with a future employer, as it is important that they are aware of what your salary expectations are for your best chance of being offered it, however, jumping in too soon and asking for more than they are willing or able to pay can lead to disappointment. Nonetheless, with the right guidance this needn’t be such a difficult matter to address and this slideshow from SThree offers 7 helpful tips on how to successfully negotiate your salary. Takeaways: Come prepared with a realistic salary expectation in mind, based on what you are currently earning and research of the market salary level for similar roles to the one you are going for. Emphasise why you are worth them paying you your desired salary, by reinforcing what skills and experience you can bring to the company. Allow your future employer to make a salary suggestion first, however, don’t be afraid to make your expectations clear. Express what you need and why, but make it clear that you are prepared to be flexible. Remain positive throughout the discussion, by showing your keen interest in the job and without becoming disgruntled if you are presented with a low offer. Aim to find a positive outcome and closure to the discussion. RELATED: How to Negotiate Your Salary in 10 Simple Steps

Top 10 Professional Resume Writing Services in Australia

Top 10 Professional Resume Writing Services in Australia There’s no sugar-coating it: The Australian job market is insanely competitive. But there’s no sense whining about it. Instead, crush your job search by doing just one critical thing.Go hire a professional resume writer.CVs and resumes aren’t what they were in the past. A resume is your envoy into the professional world. To beat the competition, it has to be a laser-focused and keyword-rich marketing tool. If you think your resume already has what it takes to do you justice, good on ya! But chances are you could use a little help from someone who knows exactly what hiring managers want.An experienced resume writer will make you look great on paper and give you peace of mind. To help you find one, here is our list of the top 10 resume writing services in Australia.Best Resume Services in AustraliaIf you are in a hurry and don't want to read our detailed reviews below, here is a list of the Best Resume Writers in Australia:Find My Profession (that's us!) CV Saviour Arielle Execut ive CV People Australia itouch Professional Solutions My CV Consultant Resumes To You CV Jedi Resumes for Dudes All Resume ServicesAnd now for the detailed reviews...1. Find My ProfessionFind My Profession is not just a top-notch resume service available in Australia. We are a global company headquartered in the US on a mission to master effective, ATS compatible resumes that convert into offers.A major perk of Find My Profession is that we are not a one-person shop.Collectively, our team of elite resume writers has experience in 85+ unique industries/professions. This allows us to assign you a professional writer (in the United States) based on your unique background and experience.We are also not a resume factory. We will never use “ghostwriters”. You will have your resume writer’s name, email, and phone number for direct communication.With 100+ 5-star reviews and a 60-day interview guarantee thatspeaks for itself, you can sleep easy knowing that your satisfaction is our #1 priority.Pros:Find My Profession commits to working with each client until they are completely satisfied. Don’t worry about having a limited number of edits, or a set amount of time with your writer.Cons:Find My Profession is a virtual/online company. While we provide services in your city, we don’t have a physical office.Also, with a focus on more senior positions, our entry-level resume service may be a bit pricey for recent graduates.Turnaround: 3-5 business days. Can expedite to 2 business days.Cost: $395-$895 USDPhone: +1(831) 888-0967 or help@findmyprofession.comDon't take our word for it, check out some of our 5-star reviews.Trustpilot2. CV SaviourCV Saviour promises you a resume that “rises above the rest”. Reviewers say that they barely recognised themselves on paper after getting a CV Saviour resume makeover. This company will optimise your CV or resume to pass the scrutiny of three different gatekeepers: the high-volume ‘skim’ reader manager, the next-level-up , detailed reader, and Application Tracking Software. They offer a free DIY CV health check-up if you want to dip your toe in the water first before deciding on a full investment (which you probably will). We loved their website because they fully disclose their pricing and process and give examples of their work.Pros: They don’t make graphically fancy designs, and they explain why. That said, their examples are still nicely organised and appealing to the eye.Cons: They used to offer in-person consultations, but no longer do. Honestly though, this is a task that can be done well virtually with today’s tools.Turnaround: 5â€"7 business days.Cost: $419â€"$2987 (top packages include LinkedIn).Phone: 1300 08 07 063. Arielle ExecutiveArielle Executive is one of the top executive resume services in Australia. They serve clients at the director/senior manager-level and above and according to their recent client survey, those clients receive an average $43,000 pay rise after using the se rvice. No prices are stated, so this will probably be a hefty investment in yourself. However, if your budget allows it, this company is likely to give you a great return on that investment.Pros: There is no part of your personal branding mission this company can’t handle.Cons: This service is for executives only, but no worries if that's not you. There are heaps of other options on this list for entry-level job seekers.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost: Not stated.Phone: (02) 8294 9090 Sydney; (03) 8658 2244 Melbourne4. CV People AustraliaCV People Australia recently did a client survey that produced stunning results. According to CV People, their average client using their CV/resume service had 3.4 times more interviews, 2.6 times more job offers, and a 24% salary increase. Reviewers by and large were thrilled with their CVs and many of them report having landed jobs they felt they would not otherwise have been offered. This resume service has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, a nd Adelaide.Pros: The writing process includes a one-on-one consultation with your writer and the finished product is 100% satisfaction guaranteed.Cons: Some reviewers mention breakdowns in communication or the need to switch writers after starting the process.Turnaround: First draft in 48 hours.Cost: $398â€"698.Phone: (02) 8006 02255. itouch Professional Solutionsitouch Professional Solutions has won a number of awards for resume and CV writing, including an award of Lifetime Excellence from Australian Employment Guide. As a former recruiter, Roland Coombes can give you a targeted resume with rich content and the right keywords to get you straight onto your target company’s shortlist. Read his page about his competency-based resume framework if you want to learn more about his methodology. He serves all Australia job markets.Pros: The samples on his website are simply stunning. There is no question that you would feel good about the way you look on paper with this service. He can also do a great LinkedIn profile for you.Cons: It’s hard to find fault with Roland’s approach. However, we would have liked to get some idea of a turnaround timeframe from the website.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost: $210â€"440 + GSTPhone:1800 450 527 (free phone)6. My CV ConsultantMy CV Consultant has absolutely perfect reviews from an array of satisfied customers and is an all-around respected source of resume writing in Australia. Their resumes have landed clients jobs at organizations like Qantas, Australian Government, Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, Channel 7, IBM, and Fortescue Metals Group. In addition to resumes, they can set you up with elegant cover letters and a spiffy LinkedIn profile.Pros: You can contact them between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm seven days a week.Cons: You can’t tell much about their services from their spartan website. Our advice would be to read the reviews and then if you decide to invest time in finding out more, call for a quote.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost : Not stated.Phone: (04) 5015 75027. Resumes to YouResumes to You has more than 100 five-star reviews and is one of the more affordable options on this list. In addition to resume services, they can help you with government selection criteria. If you are applying to government jobs, that is a must. That’s not to say that they don’t have an excellent track record helping job seekers at all levels make career moves in the private sector. They do that too.Pros: School leavers and entry-level job seekers will find a very affordable option here.Cons:A phone consultation is not guaranteed. The process begins with either sending a current resume or filling out a questionnaire.Turnaround: 3â€"7 days.Cost: $119â€"470 (top packages include LinkedIn).Phone: 1300 761 6268. CV JediCV Jedi, based in Perth and with three other Australian locations, is a professional career consulting firm with more than 20 years’ experience in recruiting and human resources. They have a diverse team, each wi th a specialty in a different industry, and provide other valuable services such as LinkedIn profiles, outplacement services, and interview coaching. Reviewers across the board felt this service was worth their investment.Pros: FIFO and DIDO resume clients were particularly vocal about how much this service helped them.Cons: CV Jedi has clearly defined of specialty: Mining, Construction, Health Local Government, IT T, Sales Marketing, Not for Profit, Charity NGOs. That covers a lot, but if your role falls outside of that scope, there are plenty of other great choices on this list.Turnaround: Not stated.Cost: $279â€"349, cover letters extra.Phone: (04) 2286 96289. Resumes for DudesResumes for Dudes is a Perth-based professional CV and resume writing service with heaps of positive reviews. You can start with a free CV health check and if you like their quote, can proceed by uploading a current resume or filling out their questionnaire. Compared with other resume writing services i n Australia, their total turnaround time is quite quick.Pros: People in mining and other trade disciplines gravitate toward this service. If you are in those industries, you will definitely find a specialist here.Cons: Sorry, ladies! Although a handful of reviewers were female, this service is definitely targeting the boys.Turnaround: 3â€"4 business days with 24-hour rush service available.Cost: Individually quoted.Phone: 1300 780 17710. All Resume ServicesAll Resume Services is clearly confident that your resume will impress potential employers. They offer a 30-day money-back interview guarantee. That’s right: they will refund your entire purchase if you do not get an interview within 30 days after having your resume done. Many resumeservices in Australia will do a rewrite for you if you don't get interviews, but few will actually offer your money back as this service does. The All Resume Services team are pros at handling both your essential and desirable selection criteria for government positions, so don’t hesitate to ask them for help with those.Pros: This service is quite affordable and they can tackle resumes for job seekers at all career levels.Cons:We could not find any resume samples listed on the website.Turnaround: 3â€"5 days.Cost: $125â€"350.Phone: (04) 1093 4371This List Serves The Following Areas In Australia:Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Geelong, Hobart, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin, Toowoomba, Ballarat, Bendigo

How to keep your startup afloat

How to keep your startup afloat Scalability is the cornerstone of a start-up. This new infographic shows in numbers  which start-ups are bound to do well or survive in difficult times.  For example, start-ups ready to redesign raise 250% more money and enjoy 360% more user growth. The infographic also  contains a lot of information that  you might find useful  to keep your start-up afloat. Understanding the user experience on your site and improving it directly affects the customer confidence in whether to do business with you or not. Pay attention to the numbers below if you want your start-up to succeed. 7

The 3 Reasons Your Email Needs to Integrate with Your Recruitment Software

The 3 Reasons Your Email Needs to Integrate with Your Recruitment Software In our digital world, today’s staffing and recruitment professionals are reliant on email as their primary source of correspondence with candidates and clients. The challenge for many recruitment agencies is managing all the electronic communication in a central location in a quick integrated way. To better understand the need, we asked top managers and professionals about how they are using recruitment software, and if it needs to integrate with their email client in order to effectively run their staffing and recruiting businesses. These recruitment professionals expressed three top reasons email needs to integrate with their recruitment CRM software. 1) Time is money In the fast paced world of recruitment, success means your team is making the most placements they can during their working week. Your team’s productivity relates to results. “Time is today’s most precious commodity. We all have 525,600 minutes in a year and when it comes to our work days, we are all fighting for minutes. Studies show that the average office worker spends over a quarter of their day on email. That’s 2.5 hours of email. If your email system and your staffing software system aren’t integrated, you are losing precious minutes every day, not to mention the frustration of having to duplicate work. Anything that can provide you more minutes to have meaningful communication with your clients and candidates should be the highest priority. The cost of that non-productive time shows up in results, relationships and employee turnover,” says Mary Ann McLaughlin, managing partner, Butler Street. 2) Enhanced email documentation It is critical for your recruiters to document all their correspondence with hiring managers and candidates. Without integration of your email client and your recruitment software, your team has to manually cut and paste their emails into their recruitment software or, worse, work in two systems. We asked Amy Bingham, Managing Partner, Bingham Consulting Professionals, about a world where her recruitment software and email systems were separated.  She says: “Divorce is not an option; they need to go to marriage counseling and figure out how to make it work! It is essential for the recruitment software and email software to talk to each other.” With email integration, documenting correspondence is streamlined and seamless within your recruitment software. 3) Better company communication In a recruitment agency, many people, from recruiters to hiring managers to payroll and billing administrators, all may need to interact with one candidate. It is essential that each understands what information the others have shared. Without a central location for all correspondence, misinformation may occur. Or worse, many people will need to be copied-in on or forwarded emails, creating an email pile-up! “Email is too critical a communication tool for recruiters with both hiring managers and candidates. Email messages must be captured in the front-office system,” says Bingham. Larkin Dailey, CPC, CPS, President, Snelling ATL, says integrating email is: “Important for saving time, along with efficiency and accuracy of documentation. It also helps because recruitment employees can often forget to do the copy and paste and then important history is not documented.” Luckily, when your email client is working in sync with your recruitment software, it does the work for your team â€" all of your important and necessary email communications, tasks, meetings and more are documented within your recruitment software for reference and collaboration. Communication improves, and ultimately, time is saved. Are you ready to experience the ease of email integration with your staffing software? The Adapt Outlook Add-in makes combining email and recruiting easy and efficient. Schedule an Adapt demo to learn more. Author:  Megan Walker is Marketing Manager at Bond International Software Image: Shutterstock

Is It Needed to Use Resume Writing For Teachers?

Is It Needed to Use Resume Writing For Teachers?From students who want to move up in their college careers to professors who need to make sure that their cv is up to date, resume writing and English faculty writing are big parts of many schools and colleges these days. But why is this type of writing even needed in the first place?English faculty have jobs which are all about educating the public about academic subjects - but that doesn't mean that they also have to be able to teach it. It's a great time for teachers to network with employers by filling out resumes that showcase their passion for teaching. In this regard, resume writing for ESL faculty would not only help the teacher gain recognition within their field, but also help them promote themselves as potential employers when they are out looking for someone to hire.In fact, while the academic career can be a full-time occupation, some professors who teach English may need to come up with the time to do a bit of resume writi ng to meet the demands of their career. This time is often spent on teaching their own courses and this leaves very little time for their families. In addition, they have to spend time traveling between the different locations in their area. Resume writing for these professors will help them present their credentials on their teaching skills, experience, and other areas in which they can be an asset to their school.So, when is it needed for teachers to use resume writing as a means of providing their information to employers? First of all, you will need to remember that resume writing for academic and English faculty does not only apply to these professionals - it applies to everyone who writes resumes. And yes, this applies whether you are a professor or just starting out as a new teacher.The demand for teachers means that every educator should be able to find a job or two to be able to keep their English faculty writing filled with job offers. These jobs don't come along every day so the urgency to obtain them is undeniable. So when is it needed to provide this information to employers?A new teacher is going to start out a bit slower than those who have been teaching for a while. This is true for anyone who has been teaching for any length of time. But no matter what the circumstances are, it is important to be able to market yourself effectively by being a quick and decisive resume writer.If you are on a college campus looking for work in your field, resume writing for English faculty is a way to quickly boost your credibility and professionalism. By offering your full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address, you can make yourself a person worth looking at. In this sense, anyone who takes advantage of resume writing for teachers will see results fast.So if you are looking for a new job, if you are a college or university professor, or if you are simply a professional who wants to be more visible to employers, resume writing for English facult y is the answer. Because, in addition to education, there is a strong need for anyone who writes resumes to have marketable-sounding skills. So take a few minutes and find out how you can fill your resume with your skills and passions.

What retailers need to know when hiring

What retailers need to know when hiring What retailers need to know when hiring With consumer confidence and spending ramping up, retailers will be looking for fresh talent to fill out their ranks as they try to reduce turnover â€" especially as seasonal workers depart. During this transition, theyll face a perennial challenge: Making sure they hire the right people for the jobs. Knowing the specific traits to look for when building sales teams can make or break retailers bottom lines. Why it matters It turns out that hiring sales staff with good customer service skills can be a great way to boost business. A recent study by American Express found that more than two-thirds of retail customers say they are willing to spend more money â€" 14 percent more, on average â€" at a company they believe provides excellent customer service. What are the top traits that companies should be looking for when hiring for these roles? SkillSurvey, a company offering sophisticated software that generates insights about job candidates based on reference feedback, recently released new statistics on retail workers based on feedback from almost 17,000 references on about 4,500 job candidates. Ray Bixler, CEO of SkillSurvey, puts these insights into context: Customer service and sales job candidates are generally strong when it comes to people skills. Almost all of them (95 percent) are rated highly when it comes to treating people with fairness and respect. Similarly, 93 percent are honest when dealing with others, and 90 percent show ethics and integrity in their work. But there are missed opportunities, too. Job references report that almost a third of job candidates for customer service and sales roles have room for improvement when it comes to their ability to encourage customers to upgrade or buy new products or services. More than one in four could work on their ability to give customers specific recommendations about company products and services, based on information they learn about the customer. Bixler said, Employers will be well served by seeking out candidates who have shown that they can use creativity and strategic thinking to create smart solutions to customer problems. The bottom line Whether in-store, on the phone or online, retailers may not be completely satisfying customers and could be leaving sales on the table if they dont make the right hiring decisions this year, said Bixler. He added that smart, strategic companies can set themselves apart and boost their bottom lines by hiring customer service and sales representatives who have demonstrated that they are great listeners and able to engage thoughtfully with customers. Using input from job references to identify those hard-to-find markers of success is a great way for retailers to boost results this holiday season, he said. And for you, job seekers or career-changers, dont dismiss retail as a great opportunity to put your customer service skills to work.

3 things every woman launching a tech startup needs to do

?3 things every woman launching a tech startup needs to do In the last 30 years in the United States, more women than men have graduated from college, and today 48 percent of medical school students are women. Women are entering the workforce in the same numbers as men, but still make only 79 percent as much as their male counterparts. Women run only 4 percent of the fortune 500 companies, make up only 1 percent of all startup founders, and receive less than 10 percent of venture capital funding. In the tech world, women face the same challenges as men, but they aren’t letting that hold them back from leading innovative startups. Women are beginning to crack the boys’ club of tech entrepreneurship. Charu Sharma, an award-winning entrepreneur and the author of Go Against the Flow: Women, Entrepreneurship, and Success, says that every woman who is thinking of launching a tech startup should do the following. 1. Make sure you have a sellable product If you are one of the many women with creativity to burn, it’s easy to spin out lots of exciting ideas, but it is crucial to think in clear and specific terms about who will pay for your product and why. This simple exercise will help you do just that. Fill in the blanks: ____ will use my app for ____. ____ will pay me for ____. My sample answers: Women in business schools will use my book to learn to build their companies. Harvard Business School will pay me to train their aspiring entrepreneurs to build successful startups. You should have strong answers before you think about raising money or quitting your job to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams. These questions can help you arrive at the answers: Who are the user and buyer of my product? Are they the same person? What do they want? What do they need? Why will they choose my product over other options? How much they will pay me? Knowing exactly what need your product fills and who is most likely to buy it will help you inspire confidence in stakeholders, employees, clients, investors and even dubious friends and family. 2. Develop confidence Too often women start off with a confidence deficit. If you are going to launch a tech startup, you’re going to have to navigate some big egos, and without a ton of self-assurance it can be easy to be intimidated by them. Also, you must be able to project confidence if you are going to attract funding, top employees and support of all kinds. To help you develop more confidence, ask yourself these three questions: What are three things that make me feel more confident? What are three things that make me feel less confident? What are three things I can do to increase my confidence? (reflect on question 1 here.) Here is how I answered the first question: Dressing in business casual style makes me feel more authoritative and professional. When I walk into a room with people who have some understanding of my past accomplishments I feel better able to pitch new ideas to them with confidence. When I am prepared with a clear and concise idea of how I can provide value to someone I am meeting with I feel more confident about building a relationship with them and asking them for support. 3. Find a woman mentor The importance of having a strong female mentor to guide you through the male-dominated tech world cannot be overstated. A good mentor will not only provide you with practical knowledge, but inspire you to keep going when you hit the inevitable roadblocks. Not every successful entrepreneur is a good mentor, and it will take some work to find the right match. Start by looking for someone who is in the same market and running a startup at a scale that you aspire to achieve. Googling and searching sites such as LinkedIn or Angel List are good ways to begin your search for a mentor. Most entrepreneurs have their emails readily available on their websites. Do your homework: learn about their careers and read their social media feeds and any articles they have published. When you are ready to reach out, see if you have common connections on LinkedIn who can do an introduction. If not, take the plunge and contact them directly. Offer to treat a potential mentor for coffee or lunch, or ask if they would like you to meet them in their neighborhood for a walk. Don’t ask them to travel any great distance to meet you. Go to them. Make it as easy as possible for them to connect with you in person. Be prepared with some key questions, such as: Once you had an idea, what were your next immediate steps? How did you validate your idea, build your app, start selling? What was the sequence of steps you took? How do you set your metrics and timeline for goals? How do you inspire your team to do their best work? How has being a woman affected your journey as an entrepreneur? Do you have specific advice for me to be able to communicate more assertively and directly? Can you recommend anyone else I should meet with? Launching a tech startup takes guts and grit, and the playing field still isn’t level for women. The good news is that women are breaking barriers every day and showing us all the way forward. Not only are these women bringing exciting new products to market, they are also proving that women have what it takes to compete in one of the toughest business arenas in the world. While the past still casts its shadow, the future is wide open. With the help of women entrepreneurs it can be one in which women are as respected as their male counterparts. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!