You may not be content at your current job: you may feel it’s time for a raise, you may be expecting lay offs or you may just want to try something new. You’re ready to start looking for a new position. The problem, though, is that you still have this one. You don’t want to give notice before you have another job lined. Just letting your boss get a hint that you’re shopping around and you may not have that buffer while you job hunt. Worse, many future employers are unwilling to hire someone that they know is hunting for new employment without quitting a current job. Most will presume, that if you’ve done it once, you’ll do it again.

How do you keep your job search quiet while you consider moving on? The first step is simply not speaking about it. Your co-workers may be your friends, but that’s not a guarantee that they’ll keep their mouths shut. Wait until you’ve actually handed over your letter of resignation to pass around the good news.

You also need to make the effort to be discrete. Don’t take phone interviews at work, and direct any email about new jobs to an account separate from your work email. Prospective employers can recognize a work email address and realize what you are up to. Your work email is also susceptible to review by your employer, depending on where you work.

You should be careful about scheduling interviews. While you may have to take time off of work to interview for a new position, you should ask for personal time off, rather than trying to lie about the reason you won’t be in. In addition, if you suddenly need to take off several days closely spaced together, your boss may become suspicious. It’s worthwhile to try to schedule all of your interviews on one day or to time them during your lunch hour or normal time away from work.

Another apparent interview error is showing up to work in your suit or nice clothes, if your work place is generally more relaxed. This sort of change in your behavior can quickly clue your employer in to your strategy.

If you are found out, the only thing that you can really do is face up to the fact. If you claim innocence, and then quit a week or two later, you’ll have burned an important bridge. Your employer is less likely to give you any sort of references, no matter how good your previous work was. Even if you are honest about the situation, don’t count on retaining your job for those last few weeks. Many employers will ask you to leave immediately if they find you have been seeking new employment elsewhere, no matter the situation.

You can manage to complete your job search with no one the wiser, though. You should keep quiet about that fact during the resignation process, and make every attempt to be polite about the matter, in order to maintain a good relationship with your former employer.  

It is very important for you to plan your salary negotiation strategy well before you get to the interview. Going in without a plan could mean that your potential employer can take advantage of your lack of knowledge and hire you at a inferior salary, or you will end up with your ideal salary but way too many additional tasks.

Negotiate and come out ahead of the game:

Skills vs. Job Profile

You need to measure your skills against the job profile. That way, you know where you stand. Next conduct some market research to find out what the salary range is for the position.

By knowing the salary range in advance, you’ll have a good idea as to where you should start based on your education, experience and background.

You will also know if the company is “lowballing” you – After all why would you want to work for an employer that does this?

Power of Persuasion

When you start negotiations, be unfaltering but polite while speaking with your interviewer. Don’t get personal and maintain your professional demeanor. If the company is large and you feel that the salary they offer you is not enough, then you could courteously mention the salary offered is equivalent to those offered by smaller companies; and since their company is large and the scope of responsibilities greater, you deserve a more lucrative compensation package.

This is where your coaxing abilities come in.

Convince them that you have advanced skills and experience, so you will be more useful to them in the future. The more you lead the negotiations towards how much the company needs your services, the better your chances are of getting the salary you want. Also, always evaluate the total compensation package, such as health benefits, bonuses, and other incentives when you’re negotiating salary.

There is a thin line between negotiating and haggling - so once you think that you have reached a fair figure, don’t be greedy. The idea is to negotiate, not haggle or force your potential employer into submission.

Have a definite plan in mind before negotiations begin - and you just might get your dream salary, along with your dream job.

#1  When utilizing resume and cover letter templates don’t simply copy and paste your information into the  “insert here” spaces. Rather, allow the templates to guide and motivate you toward your own great masterpiece.

FYI

Popular High-Paying Jobs Are Still in New York(This is soley based on my opinion)

As of the beginning of 2008, TheLadders.com reported that New York still
supplies the best jobs for the $100,000+ executives, attracting the highest
number of job-seekers from other parts of the US. While other cities
such as San Francisco, Boston, Seattle and Chicago are in the race, New
York stands out as a winner with an incredible 3:1 ratio of job-seekers
to job postings. Some of those hiring firms include JPMorgan Chase,
Johnson & Johnson, and General Electric.

We all no that going for a job interview is already nerve-racking enough without the interviewer asking point blank, “What’s your greatest weakness?”

Don’t panic there is no easy way out – but realize that the very nature of this question is designed to catch you off-guard.  So don’t fall for it.

Be Prepared

Being prepared is the key to a victorious job interview. Know as much about the company, their products and their people as you can before the interview begins. That way, the interviewer will have less chances to make you nervous during the interview process.

Of course they will probe you with diverse questions to find out what your weaknesses are. Do not try to perpetrate your way out of difficult questions. It will only give the impression that you will likely resort to cheating when you are put under pressure.

Straight And To The Point

Some interviewers still like to ask the question “What’s your greatest weakness?” during an interview. You can answer this question by either stating a weakness that you encountered during your previous job and how you overcame it, or you could reveal a weakness not at all related to the job profile.

Don’t ever say that you don’t have any weaknesses, Why? because you are human. This is the fastest
 way to ruin your chances.  Rather, you should use the approach of changing your weakness into a strength. You will sound confident and capable if you are able to recognize your own weaknesses and find strategies to overcome them.

Being prepared for this question before each interview is the key to winning. Try to turn negatives into positives. You will impress your interviewer with your adapt ability if you handle this question comfortably.