Some job candidates simply take the first package a company offers, thinking higher pay will come once they have proven themselves. Beware of this tactic, says Ron Crayon, co-author of ‘Dynamite Salary Begging,’ (Impack Publications). “Unless you somehow become very indispensable to the organization — the employer simply can’t live without you — and threaten to quit, the initial salary you get may determine what you will receive in the long run, regardless of how well you perform on the job,” he writes.

One important area to consider in your compensation package is how you will be rewarded each year for your performance, as well as how your salary will meet cost of living increases. While many people think these are the same thing, Crayon points out that there is a difference between a raise to cover inflation, and a raise for excellent performance. For example, receiving a typical 3 percent raise each year will generally just cover inflation, and allow the company to cover its bases.

Crayon notes that if an employee is truly excelling and deserves to be rewarded, that employee should receive a raise that goes above the inflation rate. “You want to make sure you are protected against inflation, but that’s a baseline,” says Crayon. “A raise should be given for performance, not inflation.”

The truth is, once you consider inflation, some people are not receiving a raise at all, but are just breaking even. To ensure you are being rewarded for your performance, you need to do a little extra groundwork.

Think of the Future in the Job Search Process

If you are looking for a job, Crayon says you should make the topic of salary increases a part of your negotiation process, but only after you have done your research. This means knowing what the market is paying and understanding how the organization operates. Ask about the company’s compensation policies and about how raises are handled. Does the company simply establish a percentage to cover cost of living increases, or does the policy allow for flexibility to reward employees for exceptional performances? Is there an opportunity to increase your salary ahead of the typical rate? If not, does the company consider bonuses tied to goals and other achievements?

Crayon suggests raising these questions at the end of your overall interview process, and doing so only if you have stressed your value along the way. The bottom line is that getting all of these factors on the table early will keep you from being stuck in a ditch later.

Options Once You Are in the Door

If you are already employed but don’t feel you are being compensated for your achievements, you might be able to put yourself back on the right path. If you have not been receiving at least a 3 percent annual raise, start by pointing out that your salary is not keeping pace with inflation.

“If your salary is not being raised for inflation each year, you are really being penalized,” says Crayon. If you have been excelling and receiving stellar performance reviews, ask your employer to develop a reward system that compensates you for your contributions to the company. Again, the key is preparation and research. Crayon says that you need to make your case in a way that is compelling and back up your points with real examples of your worth. Document your achievements and accomplishments, researching the market, and demonstrating goals you have met. Crayon suggests putting together a one-page paper with talking points that you can use when you go in to ask for a raise.

Consider all Compensation Options

Whether you are joining a new company or sticking with an old one, Crayon says that it is important to remember that base salary is not your only option. “Most people get preoccupied focusing on the gross salary figure,” he says. He points out that a salary of $50,000 at one company might be worth $275,000 at another company once all of the other benefits and perks, bonuses and commissions are figured in.

Did you know that, according to the ALF-CIO, the average 25-year-old woman who works full-time, year-round until she retires at age 65 (if that’s when she’s able to retire) will earn $1,523,000 less than the average working man?

At the current rate of change, working women will not achieve equal pay until after the year 2050. That’s almost 100 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, prohibiting discrimination based on sex resulting in unequal pay for equal work.

On average, women make 78 percent of men’s wages, according to a 2003 study by the U.S. Department of Labor. This is, however, a marked improvement over 25 years ago — in 1979, women made 62 percent of what men earned.

It Varies By Race

The pay gap differs by race, with the earnings of white women being just 78 percent of those of white men; black women making 91 percent as much as their male counterparts; and Hispanic women earning 88 percent of what Hispanic men earn. The Ratgers School of Management Relations says this is primarily because white men still earn the most among all groups of workers.

It’s Wider Among Professionals

Even though women earn less than do men at all education levels, women are gaining ground. Earnings for women with a college degree have risen by one-third since 1979, versus only 19 percent for men.

Interestingly, the wage gap is largest among the most highly educated groups. A researcher exploring the pay and promotion gap among statisticians attributed this to women not wanting to put themselves forward as candidates for competition. She found that while most women did not apply for higher jobs because they believed they needed more time and preparation, ironically, those who did apply actually had more success than their male counterparts.

While causes of the gender pay gap are complex and include work/family choices, data on women’s dramatically lower recognition in domains where their talents and achievements are equal to men’s imply there is a tendency to undervalue a woman’s work and contributions.

Occupation Matters

The pay gap appears in all occupations, including those with severe shortages where salaries should be the most competitive to attract top candidates. Consider physicians, with numbers declining due to high insurance costs and the number of years in training. Females doctors only earn 58 percent of their male counterparts’ salaries. Even in predominantly female fields like nursing and teaching, women still earn less than men: female nurses earn 91 percent and female teachers earn 87 percent of what their male counterparts do.

Jobs with the smallest gender pay gaps include legal assistants, where women earn 90 percent of what men do, as well as male-dominated occupations like engineering, where women earn 92 percent as much as men, and police and detective work, where women earn almost 80 percent as much as men do.

According to Labor Department figures, women who choose nontraditional careers such as dentists (just 20 percent are women) or airline pilots or navigators (less than 4 percent are female), can expect to have lifetime earnings that are 150 percent higher than those of women who choose traditional careers.

Pay Vs. Satisfaction

Despite the pay gap, according to several studies, women are actually more satisfied at work!

Our survey found that despite receiving lower raises, fewer bonuses and having lower expectations for being promoted, women were more likely than men to report that, overall, they are happy with their jobs.

Who said a woman is never satisfied?

One nice feature is that this job seeker put her recent business schooling in both the education and experience sections. Doing this filled a job gap and allows her to present recent training as equivalent to work experience. This resume also includes a “Strengths and Skills” section, where Judith presents some special qualifications and technical skills.

Judith J. Hones
115 South Avenue
Madison, WI 63924
tel: (213) 555-9217
email: skatlvr@hotmail.com

Job Objective
A position in the office management, accounting or administrative assistant area, requiring initiative and the ability to multitask.

Education and Training

Experience

Strengths and Skills
None.  Well, ok… Reliable, hardworking and good with people. General ledger, accounts payable and accounts receivable. Proficient in Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Excel and Outlook.

You’ll get the best results from a skills resume by using it when you have a referral to an organization instead of using it to apply cold or to an ad. Since the skills resume usually doesn’t list specifics of work history, many employers will toss it out in favor of your competitors’ resumes that do. So, stick with using the skills resume primarily when you’re networking for a job.

Lisa Z. Whoreodes
413 Liva Court – Memphis, TN 60619
Home: (213) 555-2173 (leave message)
Cell: (213) 555-1659
nightclubqueen@aol.com

Objective
Sales-oriented position in a retail sales or distribution business.

Skills and Abilities

Education
Franklin High School, 2001-2004. Classes included advanced English. Member of award-winning band. Excellent attendance record. Superior communication skills. Graduated in top 30 percent of class.

Other
Active gymnastics competitor for four years. Learned discipline, teamwork, how to follow instructions and hard work. Ambitious, outgoing, reliable and have solid work ethic.

Experts say that it takes just seven seconds to make a first impression. If a hiring manager sees you don’t have a cover letter upon first perusing your application, it’s possible you could lose all chances of being contacted for that job.

Here are some tips for a foolproof cover letter:

Cover the basics.
Your letter should be brief, easy to read, and always include your full name, address and phone number in case your cover letter becomes separated from your resume. Don’t forget to proofread to avoid spelling errors and typos. Make sure the job title and employer name are correct, too.

Target it.
Avoid using “Dear Hiring Manager” and find out the name of the company’s human resources contact or recruiter. You can find this information by logging on to the company’s Web site or calling the main phone number and asking a receptionist for the name and title of their corporate recruiter. Once you have a contact name, experts recommend using the person’s formal title such as “Mr.,” “Ms.” or “Mrs.”

Be detailed.
State which job you are applying for in the very first paragraph and make sure to include other specific details such as a job ID number (if one was provided) and where you heard about the opening. The reason for this detail is simple: Many recruiters are responsible for multiple openings within their companies and must be able to determine which job your application is targeting. And if you were referred to the company by an employee, be sure to mention this in your letter as many companies have employee referral programs.

Have personality.
One of the objectives of a good cover letter is to make a personal connection with the reader. Gone are the days when you could simply change the name of the company in your salutation, attach it to your resume and fire it off to the employer. Recruiters see right through these types of letters and recognize them for what they are – a lazy person’s attempt to find a job.

Do some legwork.
A winning cover letter will require some research into the company’s history and recent accomplishments. It should show the reader that you have some knowledge of their company and that you made an informed decision when you decided to apply for a job at their company.

Show your worth.
When writing your letter, keep the requirements of the job in mind and address them specifically. Remember, it’s not what the company can do for you; it’s what you can do for the company that counts.

Get the interview.
Go ahead and tell the hiring manager you want that interview. Express that your cover letter and resume are just the tip of the iceberg and you look forward to a face-to-face conversation.

If you are still unsure about where to begin when writing a winning cover letter, you can find samples of dynamic cover letters online and at bookstores!

Only problem is, with the sheer volume of job seekers on the prowl, it can be hard to get an employer’s attention. Most companies today use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to scan resumes and weed out irrelevant candidates. The systems use keywords and phrases that describe the required skills, education and experience to place the most qualified resumes at the top of the list. So, how do you make it past the gatekeeping technology? Here are 10 things you should keep in mind:

“Some workers freelance while they look for a traditional full-time job, but most are freelancing because they’ve made a conscious lifestyle choice,” says Ben Blojo, Senior Business Development Director for Solojobdude.com, a Web site that connects consultants and freelance job seekers with more than 60,000 contract-based projects. “They want to better balance and integrate their life and work and to be able to control what they do, how many hours they work and how much money they make.”

Hiring freelance workers is beneficial to employers, too, because it provides more latitude to conduct their operations. Employers can hire based on specific skill sets for individual projects and outsource more operations, ranging from design and marketing to IT. This allows businesses to easily augment or reduce staff levels based on workflow and control costs by dialing up or down payroll and minimizing benefits coverage.

Are you seeking the flexibility and autonomy of freelancing? Jablow offers seven ways to help build your client base and fatten your wallet:

1. Specialize in a Growing Niche
Examine your skills and background to identify the unique services and value you can offer. Then think of ways to apply them in an area that has high and growing demand – and not a lot of experts to do the work. For example, freelance writer Mary L. was having little luck finding travel and entertainment assignments, but after taking inventory of past projects, found several pieces she wrote for her former employer’s IT department. Today, she has a flourishing technical writing practice and more work than she can handle.

2. Nurture Your Network
Stay top-of-mind by regularly keeping in touch with your network. Go where the people who can hire you are — attend the same conferences, join the same associations and read the same magazines and newsletters. Call your friends and colleagues and them what you are looking for and what you have to offer. Be sure to contact former bosses and co-workers, too. If you left the company on good terms, this can be an excellent way to get clients.

3. Join a Service
There are many Web sites, like Solojobdude.com, that bridge the connection between independent contractors and employers. Unlike many freelance sites, Solojobdude.com is not a bidding platform. Job seekers are no longer required to register or log onto the site, and do not pay to post a profile or apply to projects. Instead, employers purchase project postings and access to the 1.1 million profiles and résumés in Sologig.com’s database.

4. Build Referrals
Referrals are one of the easiest and most effective ways to build your business. And, once you get rolling, they have a snowball effect. To encourage referrals, first be sure to take care of your existing customers in a way that will leave them absolutely thrilled with your services. When the kudos come in, ask for testimonials and referrals. One independent accountant even began his own “referral reward” program, where he sends a thank-you note along with a $25 gift certificate to those who send new clients to him.

5. Subcontracting
Subcontract your services out to other firms or independent professionals in your field. For example, a freelance graphic designer supplements her direct business by subcontracting with a large ad agency that uses her talent when it has more work than it can handle or can’t do the task as efficiently or economically. The designer works behind the scenes and is paid by the agency – often at a lower rate than if she got the project on her own. But she says it’s a win-win for both parties and has been a great way to build her portfolio!

6. More is Good
The more qualified prospects you reach, the more clients you will have. Even if you can only handle several assignments at a time, a larger client base gives you the option of choosing the most exciting and rewarding projects. And isn’t that why you became a free agent in the first place?

7. Establish Yourself as an Expert
Becoming known as an expert can be some of the best advertising you can get. Write articles in industry magazines, newsletters and trade journals and arrange to speak at professional or trade association conferences on topics related to your niche. Those who like your articles and speeches will contact you when they want more information, some may even become clients. Post your articles and speeches on your Web site, send “FYI” copies to your clients and associates, and include them in your marketing literature.