Some Advice on Job Hunting From One New Pro to Another: Setting a Salary Range

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Recently, I accepted a wonderful new position and gave notice to my previous employer. Everything went very well and I was asked to assist in the hiring process for my replacement. I prepared myself for the difficult task of sorting through resumes and agonizing over a hundred people with the perfect qualifications to fill my position. I was ready to carefully consider nuances in presentation and to weigh one person’s experience against another. As it turns out, the process was much easier than I had ever imagined.

At least 50% of the resumes were discarded almost immediately because of salary expectations. As for the other 25%, more on that later…

Advice Tidbit #1: How to Set a Salary Range
First of all, if they ask for your salary range, give it to them (after careful consideration of course). If you don’t, your resume could get passed over for others who are able to follow directions and have salaries in the company’s range. The way to successfully give a salary range is to consider both your own worth and the level assigned to the job by the hiring company. For instance, if the position is listed as an “entry level” position, you should have a clue as to their salary range based on other jobs in your area. If you are job-hunting in my area (Cleveland), you should know that a basic entry-level salary is much less than $50,000 -70,000. If the salary listed in your cover letter is more than $10,000 (or even $5,000) too high, your resume may be headed for the circular file. Here are some tips on the dreaded “please include your salary expectations” request:

• Just Do It – Sure you don’t want to take yourself out of the running by giving a salary that’s too high or too low, and it may be tempting to leave it off altogether. Stop and just do it. If the company asked for it and you don’t give it, it may look like you don’t/can’t follow directions.
• Always Give a Range – go from the lowest you would possibly accept to a little more than you would expect. If you give an appropriate range, you can always ask for more based on what you learned about the position in your interview.
• Never Lie (to the employer or yourself) – Don’t lowball them to get an interview for an entry-level position hoping that they will increase the salary for “the right” candidate (you). You’ll end up seeming dishonest if an offer is made. If the salary is too low for you, it’s not the right position anyway.
• Pay Attention to the Position Description – you know what your current job pays, and can look at the national averages on the PRSA website. If the position description says entry-level or junior – or director – you will have a good idea of a general range the company might expect to offer.
• Consider the Company – a small nonprofit will have a completely different salary range than a large corporation or a prestigious agency. Consider the size and prominence of a company when setting your salary range.
• Don’t Sell Yourself Short – If the title, responsibilities listed and company sound like they fit with a $50,000 salary, and you are qualified, then ask for it. If the company throws your resume to the side because your expectations are too high, the position is probably not worth pursuing.
• Be Flexible – Sometimes saying that you are flexible or that your salary is “negotiable” is a way to get a phone call even if you are out of their range. It doesn’t hurt to add it if, even after research, you don’t have a clue what the range might be.

Setting the perfect salary range for you and the company you are applying to is truly something of an art, but it’s an art worth mastering. Researching the company, reading the position description carefully and knowing the industry averages can not only help you set an appropriate salary, but can help you make the best decisions regarding your personal worth and avoid positions that don’t offer fair compensation for the level of experience and responsibilities. I hope to follow-up soon with another article based on my recent hiring experience, and in the meantime, best of luck job hunting!

Julie Cajigas is the president and owner of Inspired Copy & Communications, LLC, in Cleveland, Ohio. Inspired Copy & Communications, LLC provides freelance copywriting, ghostwriting and freelance public relations. She can be reached at Julie@InspiredFreelancer.com http://www.inspiredfreelancer.com.

Thoughts and Fears of a PR Newbie

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With only one official year under my belt, I am still asking myself the same questions I had the day I graduated. Am I good enough? What am I worth as a professional? What do I have to offer?

I would be willing to bet that many of you are asking yourselves the same questions. Maybe you took a job that is less than what you had expected or wanted, and are now feeling unchallenged and underappreciated. Or maybe you feel ready to move ahead in your career, but are having a hard time finding the right fit for you.

How exactly do you overcome these feelings of intimidation and, sometimes, anxiety?

Here are some things that I have found to be extremely helpful in strengthening the beginning of my career:

• Evaluate yourself on a regular basis.

What do you do? Do you like it? Have your projects been successful? What are some ways that you can improve? What would you like to be working on? How can you incorporate that into your daily tasks?

Ask yourself an insane amount of questions and answer them truthfully. You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn about yourself.

• Make every moment of your job count.

Yes, this is so very obvious, but so very important. There are times when my workload is extremely light… or nonexistent. This is when I really dig deep into my skill set and find ways to improve how I work.

Another thing you can do is look into your company’s sales/marketing materials, press kits, and other documents and think of ways that you would update them. If you feel confident about your ideas, share them with your superiors (they’ll be surprised by your initiative).

• Do freelance work.

Besides looking great on a resume, freelancing is tons of fun and allows you to explore other talents that you don’t get to use in your full-time job.

Sometimes you’ll have to take several jobs with no compensation, so it’s important to find something that you enjoy doing or that you really care about.

• Volunteer.

Again, this looks good on a resume, and can also be a lot of fun and rewarding. Many organizations are looking for extra help in their public relations/communications efforts. If you feel passionate about an issue or organization, form relationships and offer to help whenever a need arises.

Doing these things will not only strengthen your professional skills and image, but it will teach you so much about yourself as an individual.

Have a few more tips that you’d like to share? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

About Paige Presley: With a public relations degree from Middle Tennessee State University and experience in both corporate and agency public relations, Paige now serves as a marketing assistant at Lightning 100, Nashville’s favorite independent radio station. She is also the Chapter Development Committee Chair for the PRSA New Pros group.When she’s not at work, Paige enjoys taking on various freelance projects and volunteer activities with organizations like the American Red Cross and NashvillePAW magazine.(This post can also be found here.)

It Is About Building Relationships

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by Jim Haynes, APR, Fellow PRSA, jhaynes1102@sbcglobal.net

Make your copy clear and concise.
Write with the audience in mind.
Know your purpose:
* Inform/educate
* Motivate
* Entertain
Write short sentences.
Use active verbs.
Use simple words.
Get to the point quickly.
Check your facts.
Proof. Proof. Proof. (Spell checker results are not reliable. Check this: “Its letter perfect awl the weigh; my checker tolled me sew.”)
Know your audience.
* Write what they know and understand.

* Don’t assume that they know the meaning of acronyms and jargon.
* Use terms they use.
* Ask one of them to check your work.
If you use an abbreviation or acronym, explain it.
Use the style appropriate for the medium.
Use the styles prescribed by the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook for print media and the AP Broadcast News Handbook for broadcast media.
Play the hand you’re dealt
Be sure your writing advances the organization’s objectives.
Get the level of management’s approval that’s needed.iWriting:

Write in “chunks”—headline, then a “brief” or lead, then text (More).
Understand that the user gets to decide how deep to read or scan.
Make each “chunk” useful.
iButtons and iLinks:
Limit each to 1-3 words.
Make them clear and precise.
Break your text into chunks.
Limit paragraphs to 2-3 short sentences.
Provide a link option for the full-text version.
Writing the effective iHeadline:
Make it short, and stand-alone.
Include both a subject and a verb.
Make the tense present or future.
Limit it to 10 words.

Finally: Let it rest!
Leave it overnight.
Take another look the next day.
You’ll probably find ways to improve it.

—

Mr Haynes is a partner and director for QuickSilver Interactive Group, Inc. of Dallas, and is a member of PRSA’s national Board of Directors. He has taught PR at four universities and served as assistant dean at The University of Texas at Austin. He also is the co-author of the textbook Public Relations Writing: Form & Style.

It’s a Question of Ethics

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I was very happy to see PRSA finally respond to the recent controversy involving Scott McClellan–the former White House press secretary who just released his book that includes, among other controversial acknowledgments, his confessions about knowingly lying to the press corps on behalf of the president on more than one occasion.

First of all, with all the political mumbo-jumbo ongoing right now, my personal opinion is that once a liar always a liar. I’m not saying you can’t change if you lied in the past, but I am saying that we don’t have to believe you ever again. Think of it as the “fool me once” principle.

How can McClellan expect anyone to know he is telling the truth now, and not just trying to capitalize on the current animosity towards Bush and politicians in general? As a student of public relations (PR), he knows that playing on trends makes for a much more compelling story than if he launched his book a year after being asked to resign. Oh, did I just say he was (allegedly) asked to resign? If he was indeed asked to resign his credibility is even less than moot. But I digress.

His actions and those of other questionable PR professionals inspired me to write a little about the ethics of PR work, especially as it relates to Web 2.0.

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