Written by Kalpita Mahapatra
Jessica Pierce, the brainchild of Career Connectors, commenced the event by introducing the re-branded logo of the company and sharing her heartwarming story and motivation for starting Career Connectors in 2009. As a matter of fact, she volunteered to help job seekers write their resumes in the local church and the number of people seeking help grew phenomenally from fewer numbers to 250 candidates within three months. Frank Schab, CEO of the branding agency Six Degrees and member of the Board of Directors of Career Connectors, created the new brand.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Jack Milligan, SPHR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP
Jack, a founding partner of Leathers, Milligan & Associates (LMA), a Human Capital Consulting firm, is a seasoned HR expert and honorable recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award and the Professional Excellence Award by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). He has encapsulated a wealth of information about career transitions and his real-time experiences in working with people during employment offers in his book titled “Make More Money” which is available for purchase on Amazon (don’t forget to use Smile.Amazon!).
Through this highly informative and convincing session, Jack encourages us to not settle for what is offered and to practice the art of salary negotiation. He walks us through the salary negotiation process by analyzing the method inside out.
As Jessica puts it wonderfully, Jack is also called “Mr. HR” in Arizona.
According to Jack, most people do not negotiate their salary; of all the people who could negotiate, 75% of them do not negotiate; out of the remaining 25% who do negotiate, only 10% do it the right way because they are gravitated towards a particular behavior called “Requestive Channeled Negotiation” (RCN) behavior.
He underscores the importance of asking and mentions that most people generally do not ask because:
• They are just happy to have an offer
• They do not think they have leverage
• Gender differences
• Generational differences
Jack suggests three legitimate behavioral channels of salary negotiation:
1) Ultimatum: Excessive both in amount and attitude and has over 70% failure rate. Might work for a candidate who is passive, well rewarded, and well situated.
2) Demand: Sincerer in amount and attitude and has about 30% failure rate. States a specific amount, leaves negotiation choice up to employer, and walks away if the demand is not met.
3) Requestive: Most attractive and successful method. Implies flexibility, creates much better negotiable environment, makes positive impression, and requires a response. Of those who try, 91% are successful in getting something tangible and the remaining 9% at least get peace of mind.
RCN does not work for all types of jobs. There are two types of jobs: Rated and Ranged.
Rated: Rated jobs are non-negotiable, have fixed hourly, weekly, or monthly rates.
Ranged: Ranged jobs are absolutely negotiable, are salaried jobs, and typically come with the range.
How to negotiate your salary once you get the offer:
1) Key: Do not accept the offer. Validate your interest in it.
2) Get some time: Employers do not handle ambiguity very well. You do not need a lot of time. You just need some time.
3) Come up with your NISL (Negotiating Items Short List): Base cash compensation is always on the NISL list and usually should be one of the last items on the list.
4) Call them back: Re-validate your interest through Requestive Channeled Negotiation (RCN). When you ask a question, you get an answer or they will say NO. 91% get something tangible after re-validating the offer.
To sum up, following are nuggets of wisdom from Jack that are worth pondering and implementing in our next salary negotiation:
• The reality is “All jobs are temporary jobs”. Realizing this early in the process will put us in the mindset of negotiation.
• Practice patience (for it is all about patience), courage, and planning to get better at negotiation.
• Do not accept that offer on the spot and do not hesitate to ask questions. Always ask appropriately.
• When you ask questions, you will hear either Yes or No. 91% of those who tried RCN got some tangible results.
HIRING COMPANIES
Sarah Dalley, HR Specialist
UPS is the world’s largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of transportation and logistics services. The company is not only committed to more for its employees and customers but also committed to more for the communities and currently aims at reaching 20 million volunteer hours by 2020. UPS is currently hiring for permanent and part-time Package Handlers, and part-time Supervisors. For more information about the open positions, visit their website.
Matt Rocco, Senior Talent Advisor, Sales
Waste Management is a future-minded American waste management and environmental services company with focus on sustainability and community. It is highly ranked for diversity, for being world’s one of the most ethical companies to work for, and as the best workplace for women. The company is currently hiring for positions such as Inside Sales Manager – Phoenix Sales Center, HR Manager, Inbound Account Manager – retention, and Credit and Collections Agent. For more information about the open positions, visit their website.
Victor Carbajal, HR Specialist
Aramark is a huge global corporation headquartered in Philadelphia that provides food services, facilities, and uniform services to hospitals, universities, school districts, and other businesses, and routinely serves high-profile events such as Olympic games and FIFA world cup. Arizona State University (ASU) is the largest account Aramark has. The company is recognized as World’s most admired companies and as one of the Best employers for Healthy Lifestyles. The company is currently hiring for positions such as Finance Manager – Refreshment Services, Cashier – ASU – Board Operations, Facilities Director, and Regional Field Marketing Director. Visit their website to learn more about current job opportunities.
Surrie Atkins, Recruiter
Farmers, one of the largest and most respected insurance brands in the USA, is a leading insurer of small and medium-sized businesses and operates a large Life-insurance company as well as a rapidly growing financial services company (Farmers Financial Solutions). Certified Great Place to work, 2017, the company fosters a casual work environment and community outreach programs. Currently, there are 150 open positions in North Phoenix. Some of the open positions are Claims Adjuster, Customer Service Associate, and Service Operations Supervisor. For more information on current job opportunities, visit their website.
RESOURCES
Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona
Ronald Mack, Business and Community Development Partner
Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona is a non-profit organization whose goal is to eliminate unemployment. Goodwill works with about 600 employers throughout the valley and offers candidates services such as resume writing, mock-interviewing, and career coaching for free. The organization helps candidates find employment ranging from entry-level to mid to high level. Goodwill is shifting gears from providing employment help to offering training through its career centers and sub-locations such as libraries.
Kyle Richardson, University Counselor
In the job market today, 58% of all new jobs are in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics), and computing jobs are the #1 source of new wages in the United States. To help job seekers acquire the necessary skills to compete in this job market, GCU offers an Immersive Java Boot Camp program. In 16 weeks, the program offers more than 600 hours of project-based collaborative instruction on computer programming and skills in a small group setting (8-10 students). The courses completed within the boot camp are part of GCU’s existing and regionally accredited programs. These courses are transferable to a GCU bachelor’s program, or eligible for transfer at the discretion of other regionally accredited U.S. institutions.
CLOSING REMARKS
Jessica graciously thanked the event host GCU, our keynote speaker, representatives of all hiring companies, attendees, and volunteers for their time and participation. She also expressed her thoughtful appreciation for Denise Gredler, her special friend who played a remarkable role in her entrepreneurial journey. Denise is also the Founder and CEO of BestCompaniesAZ, the company dedicated to building and promoting great employer brands in Arizona.
