As I have previously mentioned in my article Top 5 tips to land a good job one of the most important skills you can have is to be able to interview well. You can have the best resume in a huge pool of people and it won’t make a bit of difference if you get out interviewed. On the flipside of that, if you have an average resume but killer interview skills, you will pass the entire field ahead of you. So, its about that time in the post where you are probably saying to yourself “Wheres the beef?” Well, heres a nice step by step process that will work well for you 99.99% of the time including THE MOST underutilized interviewing skill that quite frankly can take EVERYTHING else out of the equation that I really think has the most to do with 100% interview record. Yeah, that big time.

1) Do your research on the company
The very first thing you need to do is study up on the company that you will be interviewing with. The very first thing you want to do is figure out what their “style” as a company is. It may be somewhat difficult just using outside information but it is good to at least try. Every company is different and sometimes the differences have a very strong influence on who they will hire. For example, are they more concerned with only your specific skills or are they the kind of company that wants to “get the right people on the bus” ala Good to Great. More on this later.

2) Think ahead of time what kinds of questions they will ask you
If you are interviewing for a technical job, think about what kind of questions they will ask you about technical details. For example they might ask a programmer about inheritance, or they might ask a crane operator about procedures. Whatever your particular field is, think hard about what kinds of tough questions they might come up with.

Bonus: a lot of companies do variations on a test that my company calls the “who” test. These kinds of questions are open ended questions designed to try and figure out what kind of person you are. They might have to do with integrity or ethical situations. An example might be “Describe a time when you thought something a manager was doing was unethical and what you did about it.” They are not meant to be “trick” questions with a right or wrong answer, but rather a way of probing personalities.

3) Dress nicely/appropriately
As tempting as it might be to show up in jean shorts, tshirt and sandals it really isn’t a good idea. Well, its a good idea if you want to be laughed at after you leave, or maybe not even let in…but otherwise not so much. It might sound like a no brainer but for my most recent position apparently one of the interview candidates actually did show up in sandals. Showing up naked also not advised…stick to business attire. If you don’t have any nice clothes go buy some.

4) Arrive early for your interview
This is somewhat obvious but there are other reasons aside from just looking good. When I went into an interview for HP I showed up at the building (actually it was one of the mods onsite) and there was no front door. Thats right, a corporation and the place I was supposed to meet at had no front door. Not only that but EVERY DOOR WAS LOCKED. Luckily I was about 30 minutes early and after about 15 minutes someone saw me standing outside. If I had been running late I might not have ever had that interview…and that job for six years.

5) Stay calm and confident
You want to show you are poised, relaxed and overall a badass that is up for tackling everything. They want someone ready for challenges? Bring it on. They want a team player? You’re their man(or woman). They need someone who wrestles alligators? You make crocodile dundee look like a wuss.

6) Establish Rapport and then turn the interview around
Here is your secret weapon. This is your fourth ace when theres a flush on the table. Every other sucker in the interview room is being interviewed, you are interviewing. Here is what I mean. Several years ago my friend, roommate and former coworker was interviewing for a job. He came home and I of course asked him “Howd it go?” - “Great” - “What did they ask you about” …….. “I don’t really remember but I know the hiring manager’s life story. I start next week.” Even the most seasoned hiring professionals are susceptible to this. Why? People love having things in common with other people and people love talking about their company and then themselves. In a group interview environment this is much harder but still has an opening. Ask about the company and their group. You surrender information about yourself gracefully and answer technical questions to the best of your ability, but when it comes discussion time, pour it on. You can BOMB the technical part of the interview and save yourself here. I had an interview with Dell (that I didn’t end up taking the job) and they never even got around to asking me more than two questions, and (no joke) ended with the senior interviewer telling me “well, we will have to have a beer at <a pub in houston that has belgian ales> when you get down here”

7) Most interviewers ask about your weaknesses. Answer with Strengths.
Here are two different examples that I have used before:

“Name a weakness that you have in your day to day working environment”
-”Well I would say my main weakness is that I do sometimes get frustrated with people that do not pull their full weight and put in 100% effort.”

“Name a personal weakness”
“Sometimes I drive myself too hard. I am a perfectionist and so I tend to be hard on myself at times.”

Two things you should never say:
“I don’t really have an weaknesses” -It comes off as an arrogant lie.
“I am not really sure” -The employer point of view is: you mean you don’t know yourself?

8] Follow Up
This is HUGE. I have had one job where I did not think I got it, only to be surprised when I followed up with a phone call. “Oh yes, we haven’t been able to send out the formal offer yet, but we are extending one to you.” Always always always follow up. Always.

In an ideal world we would all be paid what we think we are worth and no one would ever have to ask for a raise. Then again in an ideal world I would be in cabo drinking a life size margarita right now. Unfortunately it’s not a perfect world, I am not in cabo, and gas is still 3 something a gallon. Anyway so you’re underpaid and unhappy. You haven’t had any automatic increases you say? Well it is time to take matters into your own hands, so here we go.

Before asking for a raise you should be doing some prep work. First of all you should be asking yourself a few questions. Remember the real goal is to align your paycheck with your value to the company.

“Am I making a contribution toward my employers goals above and beyond what is expected or SHOULD be expected from someone in your positions?”
This doesn’t mean you are working 14 hours a day. It means that either your employer is demanding more of you than average or you are doing work above average.

“Have I been given a reasonable raise lately?”
If yes, maybe its time to wait a while, if no, then you are a go.

“Am I completely prepared for everything the boss might throw at me?”
Before you go in its good to understand that when you do go in there are three different things that could happen. One, you get a raise. Two, you do not get a raise. Three, you work out a deal where the boss evaluates your performance in a certain time frame and agree to meet back in the future. Ive read some sites on careers that say be careful, you could get fired. Quite frankly, I have never heard of anyone getting fired merely for politely asking for a compensation review.

Ok, so you are sure you are going to do it.

Steps to prepare:

1) Gather up all of the data that you need to present yourself in the most positive light possible.

2) If your company has peer reviews, collect peer reviews.

3) If your company has a development plan then make sure yours is filled out.

4) Gather data about all the things you have accomplished. This is important to have on hand.

5) Decide exactly what you think is a fair raise for your current situation.

6) Research the market for pay rates for your job. Salary.com is a great place to check out what other people withs imilar experience and jobs are being paid in your area.

7) Read your employee handbook. See if there is anything in it about development and pay increases. Its good to know when you actually go in.

8] Try and network with other people at other companies to get a feel for what people are making. Once again, its good to know. On a side note, apparently 8 followed by ) makes a smiley face.

9) Make a list of your current responsibilities in your job. This is something it is good to compare to what you were originally hired on to do. There are cases where people started out doing an administrative or basic type job and have moved into doing jobs that include much more responsibility but are still getting paid based on the original salary curve!

10) Read up on negotiation tips.

Ok, now you have all the things you need. Next up on the agenda is to schedule a meeting with your boss. Its good to have specific time set aside so that you get your fair share of time. You don’t want to get into a situation where you just drop in on your boss and try and squeeze it in.
Meeting with the boss:

1) Be direct. Say something like “I scheduled this meeting today because I want to discuss my performance and compensation with you.” Raise is a harsh word for managers to hear so don’t say it.

2) Review your contributions and responsibilities. Be as specific as possible and show how your contributions have really benefitted the company. They aren’t going to want to give you more money for no reason.

3) Stress your loyalty to the company. They want to know if they give you more money you are going to show them loyalty.

4) If you are pressed on it, show data comparing your salary to that of other people in similar situations. The truth is most employers follow things such as salary.com as well.

5) Remember chances are you will not get an answer right away. Remember to be respectful and thank him for his time. You want your boss to be your ally, not an enemy.

What not to do:

1) Drop in on your boss without scheduling a meeting. You really dont want to get cut off halfway through your pitch

2) Make it personal. You want to stress value to the company but you dont want to try and guilt trip your boss.

3) Being general. “Ive been working hard and doing well and would like a pay increase.” Thats sort of like saying “um so, like, give me money, mmmk?”

4) Stressing NEED instead of value. You do not want to tell your boss “I can’t make house/car/child support/crack dealer/whatever payment unless I get a raise”

5) Threaten to quit (unless you really do have another job lined up). Chances are this will backfire and then instead of rolling in a money pile you will be hanging out at the local commune.

6) Throw a fit for any reason. Remember calm is power.

7) Ask for a raise at an inappropriate time. If the company is cutting back and things aren’t going well, DON’T ASK FOR A RAISE.

Now lets examine the three possibilities and figure out what to do next:

1) You get the raise -Thank your boss. Be happy. Buy a puppy. Then throw a party and have a beer. Buy your friends a beer. Buy me a beer. Take your significant other out to celebrate. Do whatever you want, be happy. OH and keep working hard.

2) You are told straight out no
-Ask your boss why and what you can do in the future to deserve further compensation. Inquire if there are other ways, sometimes you can negotiate a bonus or more time off or something along those lines. If not and you are unhappy, it may be time to start looking for another job.

3) Not right now
-Ask what needs to happen for it to happen. Ask what you can do and if there can be progress tracked. Set tangible goals to figure out further action. Remember that there is a difference between an employee who is doing a job as expected from a good performer and and employee who is really giving superior performance. They will most likely be looking for the second to give raises to.

When it is all said and done, regardless of what happens you will be glad you did because there is nothing worse than working thinking you are not being treated fairly and having no direction. This way you will at least understand where you stand in the companies eyes which will allow you to re-evaluate your situation. I can’t reiterate enough how important it is to take responsibility for your career, no one else will do it for you.

Good luck. And if you get a raise because of this article, my favorite kind of beer is Belgian Ales. Abbey Grand Cru if we are gonna get specific.

This is something I am traditionally not great at. I have always just sort of taken care of things as they come and sorted things when I needed to. As I get older and older this works less and less. If I had a nickel for every time I said “I cant find…” I could buy half the stock in google.

There are a lot of reasons to get organized but lets go over a few:

1) It looks more professional
A clean desk and working environment makes you look (and feel!) more professional. Same thing with car and house. I don’t think I need to go into a lot of reasons why thats important.

2) Its easier to find things
There are few things more frustrating than trying to find some document that you put somewhere but have no idea where. I have a bad habit of misplacing bills and then forgetting about them. Not good.

3) It will save you time, money, and a lot of stress
And in more ways than just *ahem* avoiding late fees. There was a CD that in my college days I think I bought THREE times because I had no idea where it went. Well in relation to your career, lets say you have to leave on a business trip and you need all your business shirts. Now where is that black one? Is it in the pile of laundry? No? Ok maybe under the bed? No? Better go hurry and buy something to wear…

4) Studies have shown organized people earn more and are more likely to be promoted

…and by that I mean either obvious or just plain wrong. I have seen a lot of career advice on the internet and quite frankly a lot of it is BS. Here are some of the gems I found from various blogs, msn articles, and webzines:

“Be innovative” aka “Be creative” aka “Try new things” aka “..introduce new ideas”
-Written a thousand ways, and always I respond: ‘Ya think?’
“Volunteer for boards”
-Im not sure about you but there are no ‘boards’ at my work to volunteer for. Oh and the kind of companies that have boards generally SELECT people for them.

-”Don’t ruin your reputation”
-And here I thought getting super drunk and dancing around on the table at the company Christmas party was a good idea.

-”The best strategy is to just be the best in your area. That makes you indispensable”
-Wrong. In fact, I’ll give you a bunch of reasons why:
1) I worked at Hewlett Packard for six years. During the first threeish years I worked there, I did very little more than I was asked. Sometimes not even that. For the last three years I worked there I worked my ass off. During the last year I was there I was working on a large project and people around me were dropping like flies during the layoffs. I was originally supposed to be support for the project but because of the layoffs I turned out to be the only engineer on the project. Keep in mind I was in college, and so receiving college level pay, I was not a huge liability. Just as we finished the first phase of the project I was laid off. I was the ONLY engineering resource left on the project and the only one who knew fully how it worked. And I was let go before I could finish completely or do any documentation . There is no such thing as being indispensable. It doesn’t matter what you are doing or what you are getting paid or where you are on the ladder.
2) Now, its a good idea to be an expert in one area but you should also understand as much as possible in all aspects. Being rounded is a good thing. What if your area of expertise goes away, what then?
3) Getting pigeonholed into doing one thing all the time sucks. You know Bob in department B thats been doing the same thing for 30 years….do you really wanna be him?

“Do what you were good at in school”
When my dad was in college he was pushed hard by councilors to go into physics because he was REALLY good at it. As it turns out he hated working in a lab and went on to do other things. Just because you are really good at something doesn’t mean you should do it. This problem is particularly big when still in college. I switched majors somewhere in the range of four times before I finally settled on something. Just because a class is fun and you are good at the subject does not mean you should bank your life on it. Being good at something in college does not equate to real life success. Plus, there are very few jobs directly related to drinking beer.

As much as possible I try to keep politics out of this blog because for the most part I try to reach out to every audience.  I think everyone has a right to be informed financial matters, and for the most part politics have nothing to do with it.  However once in a while, something comes up that absolutely frightening.  Something that has the ability to absolutely destroy our financial freedom in this country, to destroy any hope you have of retirement.  Here is a quote from Nancy Pelosi:

When questioned about recent stock market highs she responded “Only the rich benefit from these record highs. Working Americans, welfare recipients, the unemployed and minorities are not sharing in these obscene record highs”.

“There is no question these windfall profits and income created by the Bush administration need to be taxed at 100% rate and those dollars redistributed to the poor and working class”.

And that my friends, is one of the scariest quotes I have ever seen from someone in a position of power in the United States. Social Security WILL run out before most of us retire.  In fact, it will be, by definition, bankrupt by the year 2042.  What does that leave us with?  Our Roth IRAs and 401ks.  For anyone currently under the age of 60, we are at least partially banking on our retirement savings growing in the stock market.  Even if you don’t care at all about politics, at least pay attention to this because this has the potential to ruin your retirement.  It doesn’t matter what party is trying dig into your pockets, this is something to fight back on.

 You and I, as a working americans, DO share in these record highs.   

If I were giving advice to someone, I would tell them not to buy a new car. I would also tell them not to finance a car, but instead to save up and buy a late model used car. I would also advise someone to buy a car with low insurance premiums that gets excellent gas milage. All of that said, this weekend I bought a new car with higher insurance premiums that gets average gas milage (though much better than my previous car). I also financed it through my credit union. However, it wasn’t an impulse buy, it was something I did a lot of thinking about.

There were several reasons I went the route I did:

Professionalism - my previous car was fun (A Dodge sports car) but was more akin to something a high school kid would drive than a college graduate working for a consulting firm.

Need to get rid of my previous car - I was almost up on my warranty and did not wish to pay for an extended warranty. Also private party sales of my car are very slim.

Low interest rate - I was able to secure a very low interest loan through my credit union.

Personality - The car I got is very much a reflection of my personality.

Carpe Diem - I actually deteste this saying, but for me to have a new car, this is the time.

Budget - It fits into my budget

Resale value - It is one of the highest resale value cars on the market…which was actually one of the reasons I decided to get one new instead of used. The used prices were not much lower than the new prices.

Color - As odd as this sounds, the color I wanted was only available on the ‘07 model.

Without further ado:

#1 - Start your job search early
A mistake a lot of people make is that they dont start looking for a job until they are well into their senior year of college. A much easier route to take is to get an internship while you are still in school. Most interships anymore (at least in tech fields) are paid internships. My entire career has been built on starting as an intern and working my way up. It has worked even better than I ever thought it would.

#2 - Apply for a lot of jobs
This one seems like it would be obvious, but I have known people who applied for two or three jobs and then complained when they didn’t land one of them. There is absolutely no reason NOT to apply for a job. Hell, apply for CEO of General Motors if you want, the worst a company can say is no.

#3 - Learn to interview well
If you make it to the interview, make sure you are prepared. I have never interviewed for a job and not received an offer. This is NOT necessarily because I was the most qualified candidate or the best fit for the job. It’s because for every interview I was prepared. This means know what you are talking about, do your research, dress up, and get their early. Another kind of overlooked point is to make the interviewer comfortable and relaxed by being relaxed yourself. I had one interview where they never once ended up asking me a technical question because the interviewer and I BSed about common interests the whole time. Thats an extreme case, but as a general rule, the more the like you personally, the more they are likely to pick you over someone with slightly better qualifications.

#4 - Build a good resume
This is the first thing potential employers see and for most people, the last. Even the most qualified, intelligent individual can destroy their chances at a job with a poor resume. My brother once had a perfect chance for an internship he really wanted but his old spell checking program didn’t check the spelling on his bolded words. That was enough to disqualify him from the job. Make sure its thorough, correct, and clear.

#5 - Be flexible
Just because you got your degree in X doesn’t mean you HAVE to apply only for jobs doing X related things. Lots of jobs look for a degree, any degree. My dad has his degree in physics, but he didn’t want to work in a lab so now he is a marketing specialist. There are a lot of jobs out there in a lot of different fields….don’t let yourself get pigeonholed.

Though this is primary a personal finance blog, the source of your income is as big a factor as anything else.  After all, its much easier to save when you have more disposable income.  So in this series I would like to focus on small tips to help your career along.

I figured I would start out with something that I am historically not that great at.  The truth is, when I worked at HP, I almost never had any sort of interaction that wasn’t over the phone.  Not only did I not dress up at all, but really, I hardly bothered to get dressed at all.  Old scragly tshirts with adidas flip flops and some old shorts.  Now, this was great for being alone sitting in a cubicle all day.  As I have gotten older I have phased in and out of dressing well, but I am starting to settle into being routine about dressing well.  This is thanks in no small part to my girlfriend, who is bothered to the point of wanting to physically harm me when she sees me wear thin old tshirts…which is good because I need a good kick in the pants to go out and buy some nice stuff once in a while.  But I digress….

Lets have a look at the phases of work:

Interview - Dressing up for an interview shows several things.
1) I care about this job
2) I want to distinguish myself from the other candidates
3) I am professional

Beginning work - This is where you are just starting to meet people and get comfortable in your job.  Most people want to make good impressions on people, and dressing up a bit does help tell people “Hey this guy/girl has his/her stuff together.”

Routine work - For most people (myself included) this is where the dress code starts to slip, especially for engineers.  I would say that this is where the lifestyle change happens.  You aren’t in college any more, right?  So STOP dressing like a college kid….or at least only a few times a week.   This will help keep everyone viewing you in a professional manner as well as generally make you feel better about yourself.

I’m not suggesting you have to go out and buy super expensive clothing.  I am saying that a few pairs of nice well-fitting jeans, maybe some slacks, and some decent shirts to supplant the “Girls Gone Wild 2002!” tshirt and the jeans that look like they survived world war 2.

#1 - I am going to come out of school and be a project manager

If I had a dime for every person I’ve known that has come out of a school with a BS in business that thought they were going to be a project manager straight out of school, I would have the money truck parked out in front of my mansion in laguna beach.  The truth is that the vast majority of people will be in any given industry for quite a while before they will move into a project management role.  Just because you have learned some pm techniques in classes doesn’t mean you are ready to come into a business and coordinate projects. 

#2 - I am going to come out of school and be a CEO/Top management/etc

This is less common than #1 but even more ridiculous. 

#3 - I got my degree in <insert major> so I have to get a job doing <insert job related to major>

Many places are much more concerned with your experience and your interests than they are about what your degree is in.  In fact, in my office there was a guy that had his degree in philosophy but was doing computer science type work.  The vase majority of people being disqualified from jobs are disqualified by themselves and not the employer.

#4 - GPA matters a lot

The simple fact is that, straight out of college, GPA might considered, but any further than that no one cares.  If two candidates are applying for a job and one has a 3.2 GPA and the other has a 4.0 GPA, if they both get interviews, if the 3.2 interviews better than the 4.0, 99% of employers will hire the lower GPA graduate.  Experience weighs even MORE heavily into the equation.  Simply put, don’t get too hung up on your GPA.  I had a friend who was a smart guy, but just hated going to class.  He had a GPA of 2.8.  He applied for a job that “required” a 3.5 GPA at Hewlett Packard.  Guess what?  He never put it on his resume and they never asked….and he got the job.

#5 - I need to grow up and buy <insert expensive item>

Just because you have graduated doesn’t mean you need to grow up and buy any expensive items such as a car/house/etc.  There are situations where it makes sense and others where it doesn’t, but everyone seems to think it’s some sort of right of passage into adulthood.  On the contrary, it can just as easily put you on the wrong financial path.  One example of a situation that it was a good idea is that my girlfriend is selling her condo for a good profit, and under contract for a house.  In her case, it is the right fincancial move for her.  On the other hand, I have a friend who bought a house right after graduation that he is now trying to sell, and he is minus 15k in equity on it due to the housing market and a home equity loan he took out.