High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 10 Time Management Tips That Work

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 10 Time Management Tips That Work: "The good news is that real time is mental. It exists between your ears. You create it. Anything you create, you can manage."

• How to Create a Tight-Knit Company Culture: "To scale culture successfully, you can't just rely on senior leadership or the founders to push it from the top down. Culture is co-owned by leadership and your on-the-ground culture teams to make sure it's bottom up, too."

• Why You Should Always Ask For More Money: "Experts say it’s essential to always ask for more money because when you don’t negotiate, you signal to the company that you don’t value your own worth."

• How to Earn Loyalty as a Leader: "We earn loyalty when we take ownership for what should be done. We don’t simply give people what they ask for; instead, we own the goals and outcome for our customers and colleagues."
• How Successful People Handle Toxic People:"If you set boundaries and decide when and where you’ll engage a difficult person, you can control much of the chaos."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: The Best Advice for Getting a Raise ... From Kids

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Fast Company, the host interviews kids to get their advice on asking for a raise. Not a bad strategy because kids usually get what they want. Take a look.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: The Best Time to Ask for a Promotion

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Here is the Best Time to Ask for a Promotion: "
  Visier discovered the ideal times, and circumstances, to receive a promotion. 
  If you’re waiting for cooler weather to ask for a promotion, think again. The research showed summer was the best season to ask for one
  ."

• 4 Steps Women Should Take When Considering a Career Transition: "Take stock of your skill set and what sets you apart. Be brutally honest with yourself about what you do well and where you have previously failed. Ask for feedback."

• Why You're Probably Networking Wrong (and what to do instead): "these tools automatically sync your communication history with your contacts across a variety of networks, and remind you when it's about time to reach out and rekindle those relationships."

• Do This One Thing During Vacation to Come Back Recharged: "When we are on vacation and feel some sense of distance from the hustle and bustle of our daily routine, Kadoch says, life feels good again and gives us the chance to come back to work with more energy and focus."
• 4 Things Leaders Bring With Them Every Day: "Humility opens the door to learning. It also allows you to defer to the person with the greatest subject matter expertise and context about the problem so it gets solved the best way possible."

How to Have a Difficult Conversation with Your Boss

Throughout your career there are times when you need to have a frank conversation with your supervisor. Perhaps you feel you’ve been disrespected in front of your peers, or you’ve been overlooked for a promotion or for an important assignment.

However, confronting your manager about this can be intimidating and so you might put the matter off, increasing your frustration and making it less likely you’ll find resolution on the issue.

Here are several tips for having a difficult, but productive, discussion with your supervisor.

Schedule a meeting. Do not just pop in on your manager and attempt to have a serious conversation unannounced, even if he or she has an open-door policy. You want a good result from the meeting and you’re more likely to get that if you’ve both been able to prepare for the discussion. Therefore, you want to set up a meeting time with your boss, providing a brief purpose for it.

Prepare for the meeting. Be clear about what you want to say and what your desired outcome is for the meeting. If you want a raise you need to be able to succinctly state your case for it, ask for a specific dollar amount or percentage increase, and request a deadline for hearing back about your request. These three steps can serve as a simple outline, regardless of your question or concern.

Be specific. When meeting with your boss, state clearly what the issue or concern is without judging or criticizing your supervisor. Take ownership of the issue and seek to bring about a win-win. For example, if you felt disrespected in front of your co-workers, assume the best of your boss and let him or her know that you experienced the situation as disrespectful rather than stating that your supervisor disrespected you. You are more likely to have a good outcome when you avoid attributing negative intentions and assume the best in your supervisor.

Follow up. Be sure to again thank your manager for taking the time to address a difficult subject and for their willingness to hear your point of view. Also remind your boss of any follow-up necessary and then be sure to follow-through on getting back to him or her at the appointed time.

Learning to address conflicts and concerns with your manager will improve your work experience, make you more effective at your job, and help you develop leadership skills necessary to advance in your career.

5 Tips When Asking for a Raise

You've earned it, that much is clear, and yet you find yourself impatiently waiting on your manager or supervisor to approach you about a raise.

It's time to take the initiative and manage your career by engaging your boss in this discussion. Though it can be intimidating to bring up money with your manager here are five tips to help the process.

1. Understand your value. Do some research so you know where you fit in with the current salary range in your field, and also within your company. This will give you an indication of what you can expect from a raise.

2. Document your accomplishments. Be sure you have clear documentation for the work you've accomplished, along with your specific successes. If there is a way to tie it to the financial success of your company that can help your chances for a raise.

3. Be specific. Determine exactly what it is you are looking for and know what your target number will be when you ask for a raise.

4. Practice will make confident. Take some time to practice what you will say to your manager and how you will state your case for a raise. The more comfortable you are with your presentation the more confident you will appear when asking for your raise, and your manager will appreciate and respect your confidence.

5. Schedule a meeting. This is obvious but until you actually schedule a meeting with your manager to ask for a raise all your preparation is useless. In fact, go ahead and schedule that meeting with your manager today. Give yourself a week to prepare steps 1-4 and go into the meeting with confidence that you're prepared to state your case well.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Answer the 10 Most Common Interview Questions

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Answer the 10 Most Common Interview Questions: "We talked to six hiring experts to find out which questions trip up most job candidates, and the better answers that could win you the job."
• 15 Steps to Successfully Reinvent Yourself After Losing Everything: "Whether if it’s reading or attending a workshop or webinar, find ways to enhance your knowledge. It will make you a more well-rounded individual and help you grow both personally and professionally."
• 9 Skills Bosses See Lacking in New Graduates: "An online benefits and compensation information company unveiled which hard skills managers find lacking in new grads. Here are the results of the survey."
• How to Build New Leaders: "For any business that lasts, it’s incumbent upon current leaders to build a deep farm system of developing leaders. Mentorship programs are one answer."
• How to Ask Your Boss for a Raise: "However, it's important to keep in mind that it's okay to ask, even if the execution feels uncomfortable and comes across as awkward. Your delivery will improve over time."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Ask for a Raise

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 5 Lessons to Make a Partnership Work: "Having a sense of shared community made us feel less lonely and uncertain about our choices."


• How to Cultivate Your Professional Relationships: "Make 'reconnect' files on your calendar that recur on a monthly basis. These remind you to reach out in a way as small as a call or email to say hello, see how they’re doing, send a pertinent article or ask how you can help them."


• Things You Must Never Reveal About Yourself at Work: "The last thing anyone wants to hear at work is someone complaining about how much they hate their job. Doing so labels you as a negative person, who is not a team player."


• How to Ask for a Raise: "First, and most important, are facts about your own unique contributions that bolster your case: money-saving efficiencies you implemented, results from a project you’ve just overseen, positive customer testimonials, or praise from higher ups."


• 11 Tips for Job Seekers on Twitter: "You can and should include a link to a personal website, social landing page or LinkedIn profile. Think about where you want people to learn more about you, and use the right link to send them there."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How You Sound When Asking for a Raise

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below Fast Company presents a humorous take on what it really sounds like when we ask for a raise. After watching you might consider adjusting your strategy!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 6 Steps for Rekindling Your Career in 2013: "Tis the season to begin thinking about New Year's resolutions. Get a jump start on your career and professional development by including some of these items to your list."


• 8 Tips for How to Ask for a Raise: "Don’t just go storming into your manager’s office and pound your fist on their desk asking for more pay.  Keep track of your performance as you go through the year.  Gather data and statistics that clearly demonstrate your contributions."


• 14 Ways to Stay Focused at Work Through the Holidays: "
  Avoid multitasking. Work on one project at a time ... 
  In addition, try to avoid working on personal and work-related tasks at the same time
  ."


• 6 Lessons From a Work-From-Home Mom and CEO: "There are countless studies that show working from home can be more productive than working in a traditional office setting with benefits such as fewer interruptions from colleagues, less office politics to deal with, a work environment that's in your control, etc. BUT, in order to benefit from these, you really need to be disciplined with your focus and time."


• How to Win New Contacts and Job-Search Allies at Holiday Parties: "Make sure you follow through with anything you said you'd do during your first conversation and don't squander potential opportunities by failing to keep in touch. When you do, you'll have a better chance of adding new allies to your job search efforts."

Tips for Requesting a Raise During a Recession

Most people who are employed right now are simply thankful to have that job. Asking for a pay raise is most likely the last thing on their mind. However, if you don't ask for a raise, you will almost certainly not get one. You need to find a balance between being sensitive to the company's financial state and asking to be compensated for your value. Here are some strategies you can employ when asking for a raise - no matter the state of the economy.

Assess your worth
Conduct some initial research that identifies what someone in your geographic location, with your education and experience levels, and in your industry should be making. Use sites such as www.salary.com and www.glassdoor.com to conduct this research. If you discover in your research that you are earning below industry standard wages, then you should proceed with the process. If not, go back to being thankful for your job and prepare yourself to make a case during your next annual review.

List your achievements
Remember when you wrote your resume and you documented measurable accomplishments for each position? This step is very similar. Evaluate the key contributions you have made to the company. Whenever possible, quantify the value in percentages or dollars that these achievements have brought the company.

Identify the specialized skills you bring to the table. Are you fulfilling multiple roles that would require you to be replaced by multiple individuals? Is there room to propose a promotion within the organization because of the way you have performed? Do you have any customer, client, peer, or supervisor compliments that relate to your performance? If you are having trouble answering these questions and gathering evidentiary data of why you deserve a raise, you will have a very difficult time making a case for that raise.

Make your case
When you get the opportunity to speak with your supervisor to request a raise, you must tread carefully. You do not want to come across as though you are threatening to leave, and you don't want to appear pushy or angry. When asking for a raise, do not make it personal. Your boss does not want to hear about your personal financial struggles. You are simply there to present the facts (backed with data) of the value you bring versus the compensation you are receiving.

Be ready for the fact that your boss may acknowledge the validity of your claim, but be unable to meet your requests at the current time. This is a good opportunity to negotiate for other reimbursements such as an upgrade in title or responsibilities (which should come with a raise), increased vacation time, or even a written agreement to increase your salary at a time that you can both agree to.