Dear Deb: I recently completed four rounds of interviews for a position with a large, multinational company. This role would be a significant increase in responsibility and visibility for me, and I was really excited about it. However, when the HR manager called me with the offer, the salary was only 10% more than I’m currently earning. When I did the math, this works out to only an extra $260 per month, and I don&...

The beginning of a new year is a time to reflect upon what we’ve accomplished in the past, and envision what we’d like to accomplish in the future. When we think about new year’s resolutions in terms of our careers, it can be tempting to oversimplify by simply stating the end goal. For example, in 2017, I want to increase my salary by 20%, or in the coming year, I want to move into a management position. T...

Companies are moving away from the traditional annual performance review process, much to the delight of employees and managers everywhere. The annual performance review process, as well as goal and objective setting, has long since ceased to be a meaningful process that improves productivity and morale. Instead, it is viewed as a bureaucratic time suck that is of little value. If we want to change that and make it a truly...

Being involuntarily separated from your employer can be devastating. Not only are there worries about finances, but there are concerns about how quickly you can find a new job, and how to position the separation. If you’ve been hit with a layoff—as has been the case for many productive, valuable employees since the early 1990s—I have one consistent piece of advice for you. Stop using the word “fired&...

There is much advice on how to deal with a lowball offer from a prospective employer. We talk about how to avoid being on the receiving end of a lowball offer, and how to negotiate your way out of one. But what we don’t talk about all that often is how candidates sometimes lowball themselves. This is a tactic often borne out of desperation, and one that should be avoided at all costs. When unemployment protracts an...

One of the questions I frequently field pertains to how a job seeker should position himself when he’s involuntarily left his previous position. Many people think that being involuntarily severed from a previous employer leaves them with an indelible mark and that they are forever stained. This simply is not true. Many, if not most people will find themselves on the wrong side of the conversation with HR at some point...

I’m sure you’ve heard some of these from well-meaning friends and family. What worked back in the era of the 3 martini lunch—or in the era when MTV still played music—doesn’t work today. If you hear any of these bits of advice, you have my permission, and encouragement, to ignore them! Drop your resume off in person. Companies follow strict protocol for resume submission. I don’t know...

Dear Deb: Debra WheatmanI have recently re-entered the job market, after being in my previous position for nearly ten years. One of the reasons that I stayed in that role for so long was that it offered enormous flexibility of schedule. I have a special needs child, and I really need the ability to work from home as needed to accommodate things like doctors’ appointments, therapy sessions, and meetings with school....

October 24, 1975. 90% of the women in Iceland went on strike. No work. No cooking. No shopping. No cleaning. No caring for children. Almost 25,000 women assembled in the capital city of Reykjavik in protest of economic inequality of women. The impact was enormous. It paralyzed the economy, and put the tiny nation of Iceland at the forefront of the fight for gender inequality. This year, on the 41st anniversary of Women&rsq...

Undoubtedly you’ve heard the adage that everything is negotiable. Whether or not this is true is up for debate, but what is true is that in any situation, it’s worthwhile to explore options. When you’ve been engaged in a job search, it can be tempting to jump at the first offer that comes your way. Most people do. In fact, only a mere 37% of candidates negotiate their job offers, and an abysmal 7% of women...