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PayScale’s VIP Blog Roundup: Help! I Tried to Negotiate, and the Employer Pulled the Offer

Topics: Negotiation

When you’re evaluating a job offer, it’s almost always smart to ask for more money. After all, if you don’t ask, most of the time, you won’t get. That said, occasionally you’ll run into hiring managers who choose to see even a perfectly reasonable request as a personal affront. This week’s roundup includes expert advice on dealing with that situation, plus tips on how to build your personal brand and avoid the pitfalls of crafting a college essay.

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(Photo Credit: David Blackwell/Flickr)

Alison Green at Ask a Manager: Employer Pulled the Job Offer After I Tried to Negotiate

Do You Know What You're Worth?

A reader writes to relate what is possibly the worst nightmare of job seekers: he or she received a job offer and tried to negotiate a small increase, only to have the entire offer rescinded. Green responds:

Well, the first thing to know is that this guy is completely out of line. Assuming that you were professional and polite when you tried to negotiate, no reasonable employer would yank an offer just because you asked for a few thousand dollars more. They certainly might say no, but telling you that people shouldn’t even try to negotiate? Negotiating in that range is a normal, common, totally accepted part of the hiring process. Unless he told you earlier that he doesn’t negotiate and that his offer was his best and only offer, it’s irrational and wildly out of touch to penalize people for engaging in normal behavior.

In short, although it might not feel like it, the reader might’ve escaped a bad situation by not going to work for such an unreasonable person.

Emmelie De La Cruz of The Branding Muse, at Career Rocketeer: How to Get Followers for Your Personal Brand

Unless you just heard of Twitter for the first time yesterday — in which case, tell us which isolate tropical paradise you’ve been living in, so that we can go visit — you’re probably aware that most big-name social media celebs buy followers, or follow a lot of bots that follow them back. To build your personal brand, however, you’d be better off with engaged followers who came to you on purpose.

De La Cruz offers advice on how to get them on various social networks, including:

Twitter: Tweet articles in your niche at least three times a day. Remember to use hashtags and engage with other influencers in the space.

Facebook Business Page: Create a page and use it to engage your followers. Ask questions, share quotes and tips and promote your content.

Google Plus Page: Google+ is a great way to improve your search engine results. Google+ content ranks highly on Google search pages so it would be wise to share your content with your circles and use it as another distribution channel.

Ryan Hickey at Parents Countdown to College Coach: 7 Positive Things That Can Look Bad on a College Application

When can a positive turn into a negative? When it’s stressed in the wrong way, presented out of context, or otherwise shoved in a reader’s face. In college essays, it’s particularly easy to present good news in a bad way.

Hickey writes about how that life-changing volunteer trip can wind up making your application look bland to an admissions counselor who’s seen it all:

The story of volunteering to teach English to people in a small village in Ecuador seems like a no-brainer.

“I went to Quito and from there braved the jungle and you know what…? I thought I was going to teach others English, but instead found that it was I who had the learning experience.”

It’s a beautiful story of commitment, and it’s also the number one story not to tell. The reason? Admissions counselors get this one ALL the time. ALL the time. If you must share this volunteer experience, the story should be truly unique and specific. What exactly was learned in the wilds of Ecuador? How does this tie into a desire for higher education?

In short, don’t forget your audience. You’ll need a fresh angle and some real insight into your own journey in order to impress the right people.

Tell Us What You Think

What’s the best career advice you’ve heard this week? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt
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