Laurence Shatkin, PhD

May 20, 2009

Negotiate a Job Offer in This Economy?

Questions about salary history and expectations often elicit feelings of anxiety, particularly when times are tough in the job market. Many who have been unemployed for several months worry their power to negotiate has diminished. Others know they are overqualified for the positions they seek and fear their salary history will screen them out of consideration.

Fortunately, there are ways to side-step these obstacles and enhance a job offer—even in this economy—says Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., a leading occupational expert and author of the recently released book Your $100,000 Career Plan. He stresses that the most important thing to remember about salary questions is to delay discussing them until after a job offer has been made.

“Employers often ask for your salary expectations or salary history very early, perhaps even as part of the job application form or letter. This makes it easy for them to screen out a large number of applicants who don’t match the salary figure they have in mind. Don’t screen yourself out by giving this information,” warns Shatkin.

In his book, he provides a framework for answering such questions and outlines steps that will better prepare candidates to launch verbal negotiations. His tips include the following:

Before an Interview

• If there’s a blank on the job application demanding a figure, write “Negotiable.”

• If the employer refuses to interview you unless you indicate your salary expectations, give only a ballpark estimate and make clear that you expect both parties will be flexible as you learn more about each other.

During an Interview

• When asked about your salary expectations, shift the conversation back to your qualifications. For example, you might want to respond, “I’m sure you pay your employees fairly, and I expect you to pay me a fair wage for a person with my background. So let’s discuss my background and what I can do for your business.”

• If you feel you must specify your expectations, give a broad range based on research rather than on wishful thinking.

• Inquire about how much competition you’re facing. If you’re the only job candidate remaining, you’ll be able to negotiate from a stronger position.

• Use every opportunity to explain how you can improve the organization’s bottom line, because that is what justifies better pay

After a Job Offer

• If the offer is more than you expected, congratulations! But you may get an even better offer if you don’t jump at the first offer. Pause long enough to give the employer the impression you may be expecting more. You may even ask for time to think over the offer.

• If another employer has made a better offer, that’s the most powerful argument you can use.

• If you have no other offers, but your research tells you the going rate is higher than what they are offering, tell them so. Keep in mind that they probably have also researched the employment market, so be sure you have very good sources to point to.

• If they won’t raise their offer enough to suit your expectations, ask them to agree to review your salary sooner than they normally would.

• Employers who won’t budge on salary offers sometimes are willing to make concessions on benefits or perks that you want. Maybe you can get stock options, extra vacation, use of a company car, or the ability to work at home part of the week. Sometimes you can argue that you both will gain from the benefit; for example, if the company pays your tuition expenses for night classes, they will profit from your improved skills.

• You may also be able to get concessions on certain work responsibilities you either want or want to avoid. For example, you might ask to be given a managerial task that’s not normally part of the job, and this eventually could lead to a higher-paying position. Any tasks you ask to avoid should be lower-level so that ruling them out would not interfere with your growth in the job.

• If possible, do all your negotiations face-to-face, rather than by telephone, because you can gauge people’s reactions better in person.

Sometimes, candidates will say and do everything right during the interview process and during negotiations and still won’t achieve the job offer they were seeking. In these instances, Shatkin suggests telling the employer, “that the job is one you would like if the salary were appropriate, and thank them for their time and consideration. It is possible that they will not find someone else to fill the position and will reconsider hiring you at the salary you asked for.”

Your $100,000 Career Plan is available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (http://www.jist.com/ or 1.800.648.JIST).

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April 21, 2009

Five Right-Fit Jobs for Your Personality

When defining their dream jobs, many people base their selections on a similar set of criteria: earnings, fun, flexibility and even prestige. Yet many overlook what is perhaps the most important factor of all—how their personality type corresponds to jobs.

Personality type offers valuable insights into how well people will enjoy their job, get along with colleagues, and like their work environment, says Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., author of 50 Best Jobs for Your Personality, Second Edition.

“People who have a certain personality feel more capable of doing certain things and dealing with certain problems; they also feel more accepted when they are among people with personalities similar to their own. This is especially true for one place where people spend a major portion of their time: at work. People want to feel that they fit in with the people and with the activities where they work,” says Shatkin.

In his book, Shatkin connects occupational researcher John Holland’s RIASEC personality types to rewarding careers that suit them best. Shatkin selected these occupations based on a score of their combined earnings, growth and annual openings.

Below are five of the best jobs for each RIASEC personality type, according to Shatkin’s research and information from the U.S. Department of Labor:

Realistic Personalities

Civil Engineers
Average Annual Earnings: $71,710 • Percent Growth: 18.0 percent

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
Average Annual Earnings: $45,420 • Percent Growth: 12.8 percent

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
Average Annual Earnings: $52,570 • Percent Growth: 7.2 percent

Computer Support Specialists
Average Annual Earnings: $42,400 • Percent Growth: 12.9 percent

Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
Average Annual Earnings: $50,260 • Percent Growth: 15.1 percent

Investigative Personalities

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
Average Annual Earnings: $59,860 • Percent Growth: 19.1 percent

Computer Systems Analysts
Average Annual Earnings: $73,090 • Percent Growth: 29.0 percent

Forensic Science Technicians
Average Annual Earnings: $47,680 • Percent Growth: 30.7 percent

Management Analysts
Average Annual Earnings: $71,150 • Percent Growth: 21.9 percent

Market Research Analysts
Average Annual Earnings: $60,300 • Percent Growth: 20.1 percent

Artistic Personalities

Interpreters and Translators
Average Annual Earnings: $37,490 • Percent Growth: 23.6 percent

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture
Average Annual Earnings: $41,850 • Percent Growth: 11.5 percent

Interior Designers
Average Annual Earnings: $43,970 • Percent Growth: 19.5 percent

Public Relations Specialists
Average Annual Earnings: $49,800 • Percent Growth: 17.6 percent

Special Education Teachers, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary School
Average Annual Earnings: $48,350 • Percent Growth: 19.6 percent

Social Personalities

Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary
Average Annual Earnings: $45,850 • Percent Growth: 22.9 percent

Registered Nurses
Average Annual Earnings: $60,010 • Percent Growth: 23.5 percent

Dental Hygienists
Average Annual Earnings: $64,740 • Percent Growth: 30.1 percent

Training and Development Specialists
Average Annual Earnings: $49,630 • Percent Growth: 18.3 percent

Occupational Therapists
Average Annual Earnings: $63,790 • Percent Growth: 23.1 percent

Enterprising Personalities

Flight Attendants
Average Annual Earnings: $61,120 • Percent Growth: 10.6 percent

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
Average Annual Earnings: $64,410 • Percent Growth: 24.4 percent

Real Estate Brokers
Average Annual Earnings: $58,860 • Percent Growth: 11.1 percent

Personal Financial Advisors
Average Annual Earnings: $67,660 • Percent Growth: 41.0 percent

Social and Community Service Managers
Average Annual Earnings: $54,530 • Percent Growth: 24.7 percent

Conventional Personalities

Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
Average Annual Earnings: $53,560 • Percent Growth: 8.9 percent

Court Reporters
Average Annual Earnings: $45,330 • Percent Growth: 24.5 percent

Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage
Average Annual Earnings: $51,500 • Percent Growth: 12.5 percent

Accountants and Auditors
Average Annual Earnings: $57,060 • Percent Growth: 17.7 percent

Database Administrators
Average Annual Earnings: $67,250 • Percent Growth: 28.6 percent

50 Best Jobs for Your Personality, Second Edition, is now available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (www.jist.com or 1.800.648.JIST).

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April 13, 2009

Laurence Shatkin Connects RIASEC Personality Types to Best Jobs

When defining their dream jobs, many people base their selections on a similar set of criteria: earnings, fun, flexibility and even prestige. Yet many fail to take into account one of the most important factors of all—how their personality type corresponds to jobs.

A person’s personality type plays one of the most indicative roles in how much he or she will enjoy their job and get along with their colleagues, says Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., author of 50 Best Jobs for Your Personality, Second Edition.

“People who have a certain personality feel more capable of doing certain things and dealing with certain problems; they also feel more accepted when they are among people with personalities similar to their own. This is especially true for one place where people spend a major portion of their time: at work. People want to feel that they fit in with the people and with the activities where they work,” says Shatkin.

In his book, Shatkin connects occupational researcher John Holland’s RIASEC personality types to rewarding careers that suit them best. Shatkin selected these occupations based on a score of their combined earnings, growth and annual openings. In the book, Shatkin includes each occupation’s personality code, which indicates its primary and secondary (if any) personality types.

The following list reflects the top three jobs for each RIASEC personality type, according to Shatkin’s research and information from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Realistic Personalities
• Civil Engineers
• Surveyors
• Computer Support Specialists

Investigative Personalities
• Computer Software Engineers, Applications
• Anesthesiologists
• Family and General Practitioners

Artistic Personalities
• Multi-Media Artists and Animators
• Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
• Architects, Except Landscape and Naval

Social Personalities
• Registered Nurses
• Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary
• Physical Therapists

Enterprising Personalities
• Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
• Financial Managers
• Computer and Information Systems Managers

Conventional Personalities
• Accountants and Auditors
• Financial Analysts
• Cost Estimators

50 Best Jobs for Your Personality, Second Edition, is now available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (www.jist.com or 1.800.648.JIST).

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April 8, 2009

The 10 Most Recession-Proof Skills

Whether the economy is flourishing or floundering, you're a lot more likely to hold on to your job or find a new one quickly if you possess a vast set of transferable skills.

To discover which in-demand skills are most closely connected to job security and career advancement, check out the following list. It identifies the most recession-proof skills, according to Laurence Shatkin, co-author of 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs.

1. Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding of why they react the way they do

2. Writing
Communicating effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience

3. Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents

4. Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people

5. Persuasion
Persuading others to approach things differently

6. Active Listening
Listening to what other people are saying and asking questions as appropriate

7. Critical Thinking
Using logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches

8. Speaking
Talking to others to effectively convey information

9. Learning Strategies
Using multiple approaches when learning or teaching new things

10. Instructing
Teaching others how to do something

Now that you've seen which skills employers want the most, we'd love to hear from you! What are some activities or practices individuals can do at work or in their personal life to help them develop these key skills?

150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs is available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (http://www.jist.com/ or 1.800.648.JIST).

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15 Jobs the Stimulus Plan May Boost

“Our first job is to put people back to work.”

President Barack Obama has declared this call to action time and time again when outlining the new administration’s goals for rebuilding the economy. If the President’s massive economic stimulus plan succeeds as hoped, an explosion of jobs will be created and saved to help recession-weary Americans rebound back into the workforce and get the economy back on track.

But where can people expect to find these employment opportunities when job losses have swept nearly every industry and region across the nation?

In his recently released book, Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan, leading occupational expert Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., reveals which sectors and jobs are most likely to benefit from the President’s policies. Shatkin also debunks the myth that the government will try to accomplish its re-employment goals by hiring a large number of people to work for the federal government. Instead, 90 percent of the jobs to be created or saved are expected to be in the private sector, says Shatkin.

“It’s important to understand that the Obama team wants the coming upswing to be different from the ‘jobless recovery’ that followed the 2001 recession, in which businesses increased their profits without taking on many additional workers. Instead, as our country emerges from our current recession, we are expected to experience an era with many opportunities for employment. You need to be aware of the fields and jobs that are likely to grow and create a rewarding career for you,” says Shatkin.

Below are several sectors and occupations that Shatkin believes will benefit from the stimulus plan:

Jobs in Energy

    * Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
      Percent Growth: 12.3 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Postsecondary vocational training

    * Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
      Percent Growth: 10.0 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

    * Geophysical Data Technicians
      Percent Growth: 8.6 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Associate degree

Jobs in Infrastructure

    * Construction Managers
      Percent Growth: 15.7 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Bachelor’s degree

    * Environmental Engineering Technicians
      Percent Growth: 24.8 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Associate degree

    * Electricians
      Percent Growth: 7.4 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Long-term on-the-job training

Jobs in Health Care

    * Physical Therapist Assistants
      Percent Growth: 32.4 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Associate degree

    * Registered Nurses
      Percent Growth: 23.5 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Associate degree

    * Medical Assistants
      Percent Growth: 35.4 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Jobs in Education

    * Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
      Percent Growth: 8.5 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Bachelor’s degree

    * Adult Literacy, Remedial Education, and GED Teachers and Instructors
      Percent Growth: 14.2 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Bachelor’s degree

    * Library Technicians
      Percent Growth: 8.5 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Postsecondary vocational training

Jobs in Manufacturing

    * Industrial Machinery Mechanics
      Percent Growth: 9.0 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Long-term on-the-job training

    * Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
      Percent Growth: 12.8 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Long-term on-the-job training

    * Industrial Engineers
      Percent Growth: 20.3 percent
      Level of Education/Training: Bachelor’s degree

*Percent growth figures are averages that apply to the period between 2006 and 2016.

Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan is now available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (www.jist.com or 1.800.648.JIST).