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The 2008-2009 edition of The Guide to Internet Job Searching is now available. Order your copy from Amazon.com
The Riley Guide: Network, Interview, & Negotiate
Evaluating and Negotiating
Job Offers
May 2008
Evaluating a Job Offer ||
Employment Contracts
Submitting Your Resignation ||
Considering a Counter-Offer?
Negotiating ||
Negotiating Relocation Expenses
NonDisclosure / NonCompete Agreements
Do you accept the first job that comes along? Should you just accept the salary they've offered? What do you do about that counter-offer your employer made to get you to stay?
Evaluating a Job Offer
- Evaluating a Job Offer from the OOH.
- How do you determine this is a good offer? This article helps you identify the issues to be considered and how to answer the various questions that may come up as you consider your options.
Some of the resources under Negotiating also cover this topic.
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Employment Contracts
- Employment Contracts: Everyone Needs Promise Protection, Bernard C. Dietz, Esq. (AskTheHeadhunter.com)
- "You would never think of buying a home without a written contract setting out all of the details of the sale.[...] So why do people routinely accept job offers without a written contract?" Good advice from a lawyer in Richmond, VA.
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Submitting Your Resignation
- The Proper Way to Resign, Bill Radin
- "Once a new job has been accepted, you need to consider is the timing of your resignation. Since two weeks’ notice is considered the norm, make sure your resignation properly coincides with your start date at the new company."
- How to Leave a Job Gracefully, Bill Radin
- "When faced with leaving a job, it’s best to exercise decorum, whether the move is voluntary or forced."
- Your Resignation: Beware the Retaliatory Strike, Bill Radin
- "If your intention to make a job change is sincere, and nothing will change your decision to leave, you should still keep up your guard. Why? Because unless you know how to diffuse your current employer’s retaliation, you may end up psychologically wounded, or right back at the job you wanted to leave."
- The Right Way to Resign, Douglas Welch
- "Most times we are so busy looking for a new job that we put no thought towards leaving our current one. Often, how you leave a job can be just as important as how you get one."
- Writing a Letter of Resignation
- ...article with samples you can review. From About.com
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Considering a Counter-Offer?
- How should I handle a counter offer from my current employer?
- ...some sound advice from CareerPerfect.com.
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Negotiating
Negotiating is probably the hardest thing you will ever have to do. Knowing what is and isn't negotiable (salary is only one item) and what you are willing to give up in order to get something before you start will make your position much stronger.
- Salary Negotiation Guide, Susan Ireland
- "This guide is about sharpening your negotiating skills with some insider tips on how employers think about money and how you can ask for what you want."
- Negotiating for a Federal Job, Kathy Troutman
- Kathy Troutman, author of several books on resumes and the leading expert on Federal resumes, talks about what is negotiable if you have been offered a job with the Feds and where to gather the information you need to begin these talks.
- Just hired? Now is the time to talk severance (ITworld.com)
- It talks more to the IT professionals, but everyone should read this and consider the information and advice presented. "The first hard lesson tech workers must learn is that employers have the upper hand at severance time. The real shock for most workers, according to Loeb, is that they have no legal right to severance pay or advance notice of termination." They have links to additional info at the end of the article.
- Negotiating Job Offers: Making the Right Decision Florida State University Career Center
- ...what is negotiable, how to make the right decision, how to handle the negotiation process, and how to accept or decline the final offer. Very good for all employment levels.
- The Salary Quiz
- ...what you did or didn't know about salary negotiations from Jack Chapman, author of "Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute."
- Salary Negotiation Strategies from JobStar
- ...a collection of links and book recommendations intended to help you in negotiations for an acceptable salary and compensation package, many of which you can find in your local library. Online tools found here include the Salary I.Q. test.
- What are the best ways to handle salary discussions?
- ...some sound advice from CareerPerfect.com.
- The Negotiation Clinic from Salary.com
- ...an 8-part series of articles offering advice and an outline of what you need to do in order to successfully negotiate with an employer. They go over what is and isn't negotiable, "dream packages" vs. reality, and how to negotiation a raise or promotion.
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Negotiating Relocation Expenses
Discussions about relocation expenses should be included in your salary negotiation as these are a benefit that could be included in your total compensation package. In reading these and in talking with job seekers, I don't think you should believe that there is a "standard" relocation package offered by employers. Everything is negotiable. These articles will give you an idea of expenses to be included in this discussion.- What to Expect in a Relocation Package by Allan Hoffman (Monster.com)
- "Relocating within the US may be a hassle, but it is not nearly as complicated as moving you, your family and maybe even your pets to another country."
- Negotiate Relocation Package, SanDiegoHomes4u.com
- "We have been asked, 'How hard should I push for relocation expenses?' Try to analyze your bargaining position relative to the prospective employer. Does the employer have many options? Are there many qualified local applicants for the same job? Or do you have unique skills unavailable in the local market? Ask yourself, 'If I owned the company would I be willing to pay for my relocation?' "
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NonDisclosure / NonCompete Agreements
- Sample Confidentiality and NonDisclosure Agreement, R. Mark Halligan, Esq.
- ..."R. Mark Halligan, Esq. is a principal in the Chicago intellectual property law firm of Welsh & Katz, Ltd. and he also serves on the Adjunct Faculty at John Marshall Law School in Chicago where he teaches Trade Secrets Law."
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Jobs, Career Resources, & Articles from The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal Online Small Business Channel -- advice on buying or starting a business.RealEstateJournal -- advice on buying or renting a new home, apartment, or office.