Stop Saying Stupid Stuff 7: When Asking for a Raise

This continues our series to help you stop saying stupid stuff that can stall your career

Rhonda worked for a small company of 12 employees. Her boss was the owner. The owner did not outline a prescribed process or schedule for salary raises. After working at the company for two years, Rhonda asked for a raise. She worked with her husband for two weeks perfecting all the reasons she needed the raise. She outlined that expenses had increased over the last two years. She described how they could not pay their bills and how they needed more money to keep their family in financial order.

Describing Why You Need a Raise is Stupid

You may work for a company that has a regulated policy for awarding salary raises. You may be part of the increasing majority of people who work for small companies that do not have policies for raises. Whether your company has a policy for raises or not. You will need to make a case for receiving a raise. What you say will determine the size of the raise you receive.

Some people say stupid stuff by describing why they need the raise instead of why they deserve the raise. They list several reasons they need it:

• “Our family has grown since my last raise. It costs more to provide for our family.”
• “The price of gasoline has increased my commuting costs. I need a raise to cover the difference.”
• “My spouse lost their job. We need extra money to cover the loss of income.”

Describing Why You Deserve a Raise is Smart

Describe why you deserve a raise. For example:

• Give your supervisor a home run statement each month outlining how you
  • Increased productivity, sales, revenues, or profits
  • Decreased overhead, expenses, or costs
• Review your home run statements at the beginning of your raise meeting
  • Share the total of how much you made or saved the company
  • Ask how much of a raise that would be worth
• Negotiate based on your return on investment

Wednesday we highlight how to avoid saying stupid stuff on performance appraisals forms

Stop Saying Stupid Stuff 6: Report Progress About Work

This continues our series to help you stop saying stupid stuff that can stall your career

Randy worked for a branch of a national dry cleaning company. He wanted a promotion to manager. He thought he impressed both his manager and his district manager how qualified he was for the job. Instead, he kept saying stupid stuff that did not impress them. He attended one of our workshops and learned how to give his manager home run statements about his work. He received a promotion to manage another branch within 10 months.

Stupid Things People Say to Their Supervisors

You may say stupid things about your work to  your boss. They may include:

• Failing to tell them anything about your work and progress (saying nothing is the most stupid)
• Understating your progress or productivity “Work is fine. I’m doing all aright.”
• Taking credit for someone else’s work “I have this idea to improve our work”
• Bragging without basis in fact “I work harder than any of your other workers”
• Using hyperbole or implied threats “I’m the best worker you have. You owe me!”
• Leveling a real threat “I will find another job if you don’t promote me”
• Arguing with their directions or defending your own “I don’t think you thought this through enough. You’re making a big mistake”

Impress Them with Your Work and Progress

Instead of saying stupid stuff, report what you have done in simple clear facts:

• “You asked me to reduce errors on the production line. I identified three workstations that seem to produce more flaws. I trained the staff how to recognize problems before finishing the work and monitored those three workstations. This reduced flawed product from 23 out of 100 to 8 out of 100. Is that what you wanted?”
• “You wanted me to increase my sales. I practiced overcoming client objections. I also met with our best sales rep, who helped me improve my closing techniques. Consequently, I increased sales by 11% generating an additional $750,000 in revenues.”

Monday we discuss how to avoid stupid stuff you may say when asking for a raise

Stop Saying Stupid Stuff 5: Follow-up After Job Interviews

This continues our series to help you stop saying stupid stuff that can stall your career

Frieda interviewed several times a week. She interviewed well and impressed potential employers. She always asked when they would decide, so that she could follow-up. She faithfully called on the day indicated and asked if they had made a decision. If not, she would call them everyday until she found out the decided. They never chose her. She could not understand how the interviews always went well, yet she never got the job. She didn’t realize she was irritating them with her stupid statements.

Stupid Stuff that Irritates Hiring Authorities

Job seekers say stupid stuff when following-up on interviews. They irritate people without realizing it by reminding interviewers of unfinished business:

• “Have you made a decision yet?”
• “When will you make a decision?”
• “Why is it taking so long?”
• “When should I call again?”
• “How did I do in my interview?”
• “Do you have any suggestions for me?”

Reconnect Instead of Follow-Up

I encourage you to reconnect with people who interview you instead of following-up. Reconnecting allows you to give additional reasons to hire you. You reconnect with hiring authorities to continue to provide the proof that you will

• Do the work they want done
• Fit into their team or organization
• Provide a good return-on-investment

You reconnect in the following steps:

• Deliver a handwritten thank you card—that emphasizes what went well in the interview—the same day to everyone you interviewed
• Call each person—fixing anything you wish you hadn’t said—3-4 days later
• Call each person again—giving the great answer that comes to you after the interview—3-4 days after the first call
• Call each person a third time—to explain what you have done to compensate for any requirements you don’t meet—3-4 days later

End each phone call by saying “Thank you. I really want to work with you. Is now a good time to schedule another interview?” Don’t push for the interview, just ask. Then, let it rest. Don’t irritate them.

Friday we outline how to avoid saying stupid stuff when reporting progress to your boss

Stop Saying Stupid Stuff 4: Sabotaging Job Interviews

This continues our series to help you stop saying stupid stuff that can stall your career

Mel felt frustrated in his job search. He had moved from the East to a metropolitan area in the Rocky Mountains two years before for family reasons. He had worked for Fortune 500 companies previously and felt he had a lot to offer  potential employers. His phone calls generated interviews with the right people who either owned the business or ran it. They frequently reported that he was overqualified. We met with him and helped him stop saying stupid stuff. He accepted a very good paying and satisfying job within 3 weeks.

Stupid Stuff People Say in Interviews

You may say stupid stuff at a time you want to impress hiring authorities the most. For example, you may say:

• “What medical benefits do you offer? We’re having a baby soon. How soon can we start benefits?”
• “I increased sales to $400 million in 2 years” to a company doing $5 million
• “What does this job do anyway?”

Reasons People Say Stupid Stuff in Interviews

When you understand why you say stupid stuff in interviews, you can stop it. I will present reasons you may say stupid stuff and present solutions to prevent saying stupid stuff.

• Reason: You focus on what you want as a job seeker
• Solution: Recognize that you are looking for someone whose goals or challenges will be achieved with the help of someone with your skills
• Reason: You want to overcome your sense of rejection and low self-esteem by impressing them with your greatest achievements. Instead you raise the red flag that you are overqualified.
• Solution: Share only the information that will convince them you
• Can do the job they want done
• Will fit into their team
• Will provide a good (not exorbitant) return on investment
• Reason: You failed to prepare adequately for the interview by gaining information
• Solution: Always prepare for interviews by gathering information about what they really want before you go to the meeting

Wednesday we review how to stop saying stupid stuff when reconnecting after job interviews

Stop Saying Stupid Stuff 3: Make Them Want to Meet You

This continues our series to help you stop saying stupid stuff that can stall your career

Pacheco had been looking for a job for three months. He focused his 17-year career on retail management. He followed our advice to visit or talk to at least 10 people a day. He struggled to schedule 10 meetings. He spent 3 months faithfully contacting 10 a day with no success. We role played what he said in his contacts. He said “I see you have a help wanted sign in your window. I would like to apply.” When we helped develop a new approach, he found a job in 1 week.

Samples of Stupid Stuff

Today, we will review some of the stupid stuff people say when trying to schedule meetings or interviews. You may say stupid stuff and not realize it. We want to help you recognize what not to say and what to say. For example:

• “I’m looking for work and would like to schedule a meeting with you”
• “I completed your online application. Could I schedule an interview?”
• “I saw a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in your window. Can I talk to you?”
• “So-and-so referred me to you about finding a job. When could we meet?”

Discover The Job They Want Done & Prove You Can Do It

People will welcome you into their office if they feel it will be worth their while. Therefore, your phone call must include facts that make them want to see you.

• Ask questions to discover what they want done
  • Read the web site, press releases, and news articles
  • Talk to friends, suppliers, clients, or competition of the company
  • Question secretaries, clerks, and people doing the job you want to do
• Prepare home run statements that share similar results to what they want
  • “I worked with the tax commission. As a result, they reduced our company’s property tax by $500,000.”
  • “I reduced the average time it took to deliver our pizzas by 10 minutes.”
  • “I increased sales by $254,000 a year.”

Monday we discuss how to stop saying stupid stuff in a job interview

Stop Saying Stupid Stuff 2: Call People to Network a Job

This continues our series helping you to improve your career by stop saying stupid stuff

We introduced Dave in Monday’s post. He tried to get appointments by saying “I’m looking for a job. I filled out your online application.” He could have said “At the Acme Department Store I increased sales by 20% month over month for 9 months. I also increased turns (inventory turnover) from 6 to 8 a year.” That impressed the men’s clothing manager enough to interview Dave and hire him over Black Friday weekend. After several months of looking for a job, Dave found one in four days when he stopped saying stupid stuff and told them things that made them want to hire him.

Stupid Stuff People Say

A lot of people call me because someone referred them to me to find a job. One would expect them to say things that will impress me enough to do what they want. Instead, I hear things like this:

• “I’m looking for a job and so-and-so said you could help.” pause, pause, pause waiting for me to something. What do they expect me to say?
• “I’m looking something in sales (or human resource, or accounting, or IT). Do you know anyone who is hiring?”
• “I’m a hard worker, dependable, and get along with people” They may as well say I’m trustworthy. loyal, helpful, friendly,..(and the rest of the Scout law)

None of these statements make me want to refer them to my contacts. If they waste my time, they will waste their time. They will blame me.

Prepare to Say Smart Stuff

Instead prepare either smart questions or smart home run statements that convince people you won’t waste their time, or the time of their friends.

For example, ask questions they can answer easily without working too hard:

• “I heard that you know the Acme Corporation. What can you tell me about them?
• How is the release of their new product going?
• Do you know anyone who could give me more information?

Friday we explore stupid stuff people say to hiring authorities to schedule meetings

Stop Saying Stupid Stuff 1: Overview

This begins a new series helping you to improve your career by stop saying stupid stuff

Dave had pounded the pavement for 8 weeks looking for a job in retail men’s clothing sales. He talked to 10 people a day or more each day. Yet, nobody would give him an interview. They referred him to human resources. He couldn’t understand why. He met with our team who conducted a mock phone call. He said “Hi, I’m Dave. I’m looking for a job. I’ve filled out your online application and would like to meet with you.” We recognized why nobody would interview him in 10 seconds. Join us Wednesday to discover what happened to Dave.

Definition of Stupid Stuff

We define stupid stuff as those things that prevent you from getting the biggest raises or the better jobs. Sometimes you try to convince people to do things for you, but describe it in terms that won’t impress the person at all. Usually, you may say stupid stuff because because you focus on your needs, your ideas, or your desires.

We suggest that you will have greater success by appealing to what interests the person. Rather than describe what you want, find what they want. Learn about their challenges and offer to help them resolve those challenges. Say things that make them want to hire you, promote you, and pay you more.

Situations in Which You May Say Stupid Stuff

We will describe specific stupid stuff and the smart stuff to say in the posts in this series:

• Calling family, friends, or others to network for a new job
• Calling a hiring authority to schedule an appointment
• Answering questions in a job interview
• Reconnecting with hiring authorities after job interviews
• Reporting progress on projects or work to your supervisor
• Asking your boss for a raise
• Completing performance appraisal forms for annual raises
• Impressing potential supervisors to transfer to a better position
• Collaborating with co-workers or team members
• Talking to people in other departments who service your group

Wednesday we discuss stupid stuff people say in phone calls when looking for a job

Exit a Dead-End Job 12: What Will You Decide to Do?

This concludes our series to help all of you who feel trapped in a dead-end job to find an exit

Janine considered all of her options to escape from a dead-end job. She wanted more challenge without sacrificing her strong pension. A transfer within the company would require moving across the country. She compared what she wanted with the consequences of each alternative.

Factors to Consider Before Making Your Decision

We presented various options to exit or surrender to a dead-end job. Now, it is up to you to decide how you want proceed. This decision will impact your life a lot. Therefore, you should consider several factors before you make your decision. Here are just a few of the factors you should consider, how much:

• You are willing to accept the risk of leaving the dead-end job
• Each option will bring you the greatest satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness
• You will win or lose financially from each option (salary, pension, or medical benefits)
• Each option will improve or disrupt your personal and family life
• Will minimal salary increases due to a capped salary affect your cost of living
• Time do you have left in your work-life before you retire—if you retire
• Time and energy will it take to implement the options presented

Use the PROACT Model to Evaluate Alternatives

The PROACT decision making model helps you evaluate options. PROACT adds a significant element to decision making that other models neglect—what are the objectives you wish to achieve with your decision. The word PROACT stands for:

• PRoblem: What options will help you find the greatest fulfillment and satisfaction
• Objectives: 1 Financial security, 2 Fulfillment on the job, 3 Challenge, 4 Family time
• Alternatives: A Transfer, B New company, C Find satisfaction outside, D Training
• Consequences: Assign a 1-5 of how that alternative will achieve the objective
• Trade-offs: How much is financial security important compared to family time

Add the totals of the consequences for each option and multiply the total by the trade-off for each objective.

Monday we begin a new series encouraging you to “stop saying stupid stuff” about work

Exit a Dead-End Job 11: Learn New Skills or Programs

This continues our series to help all of you who feel trapped in a dead-end job to find an exit

Chad advanced within the organization very quickly. He was three steps from the top of the corporate ladder by the age 32. Luckily, the company was opening a lot of operations throughout the world. The travel, the training, the negotiating provided excitement and adventure. He stayed engaged and busy. Eventually, the growth slowed, the travel stopped, and he found himself growing bored. He rekindled his enthusiasm by enrolling in certification courses on project management, leadership, and supply-chain management. He took the new ideas to his VP. She gave him permission to implement some of what he learned in the operation.

Formal Education and Training

You may choose to pursue formal education and training. Too many people assume formal education means getting another degree. Many people will assume they have the wrong degree and sign up for a second bachelor’s degree. You don’t necessarily have to earn a second bachelors.

Formal education may include:

• Continuing education classes through your public school district
• Degreed programs (Associate, Bachelor, or Master) from a local junior college, state college, or university
• Certificate programs through applied technology colleges
• Certificate programs through IT vendors like Microsoft, SQL, PeopleSoft, Novell, or others
• Certificate programs offered by professional or trade associations
• Courses to update your skills on computer programs and more
• Licensure courses to prepare you for exams that award licenses

Informal Learning Methods

Technology provides a myriad of learning opportunities for you to enhance your skills and stimulate your thinking processes. In addition, the old fashioned methods still work. Between the two you may choose to:

• Read blogs and technical articles online
• Watch TED talks, YouTube videos, and other MP4 downloads
• Search topics that interest you (You may add also use Google Scholar for academic research or more scholarly articles)
• Subscribe to newsletters from famous authors, speakers, or others
• Read books recommended by your professional association or other sources
• Take random online learning programs

Friday we summarize and conclude our series to help you exit a dead-end job

Exit a Dead-End Job 10: Combine Approaches

This continues our series to help all of you who feel trapped in a dead-end job to find an exit

Sharon worked for an organization she loved. She felt it’s purpose made a difference in the world and provided a product that people needed. She relished the environment that outlined a mission and empowered each employee to do their part to fulfill that mission. She worked with some of the finest people she knew. She found great satisfaction on her job and wanted to give it her best. Unfortunately, the organization was fairly flat. Only two people stood between her and the global head of the organization. She worried that after 12 years in the same position and in the same office she was failing to achieve her potential. She did not want to leave, but did not want to stagnate the organization she loved.

Combine Different Options to Stimulate Your Potential

We outlined various options in previous posts. You may choose to follow any one of those options. You may also choose to combine two or three of the options to boost your energy and motivation. For example, you choose to

• Improve your competence in one of your motivated skills and negotiate a change to trade some tasks with another co-worker
• Reduce how much you work overtime to spend more time with your family and pursuing hobbies that refresh you
• Transfer to another position within the company that would eliminate a conflict of interest or intellectual property conflict and begin writing books, podcasts, or a blog about your industry or work expertise
• Let your current job pay for you to look for a new job in a completely different company
• Reduce your hours at this company and find a part-time or contract job with a non-competing company that uses a completely different set of skills (make sure the different skills align with your motivated skills)
• Take courses and read books to find better ways to do the work and negotiate with management to implement them

Wednesday we will explore how developing new skills can make the job more enticing

Exit a Dead-End Job 9: Work with Management for Change

This continues our series to help all of you who feel trapped in a dead-end job to find an exit

Diana worked as a secretary for a global nonprofit organization. She enjoyed her job for the first seven years, but soon tired of the routine of the job. She continued on the job to provide medical benefits for her young and growing family. Opportunities for advancement and growth eluded her. Then, they merged her division with another division. He work team moved next to the other division. That division had an outstanding secretary who could be negative in her continual comments. After three years, Dianna could not tolerate the negativity with the monotony of her job. She negotiated with management a change in her job duties. As a result, she moved to a location in the same department but far away from the irritating secretary. She found renewed satisfaction, relief, and dedication to her work.

Determine What You Want First

You must determine what you want before you enter any negotiation. Consider if you want to:

• Perform different tasks than you currently perform
• Reduce the time spent on tasks you do not enjoy performing
• Increase the time spent on tasks that you thoroughly enjoy performing
• Enjoy greater flexibility in your hours to focus on priorities more effectively
• Accept more responsibility as team members leave
• Learn additional skills to perform your current job better and more efficiently
• Represent the organization in charity work, community or civic organizations
• Obtain permission to publish ideas in blogs, books, podcasts, or other venues
• Change your work schedule to involve longer, but fewer, days

Negotiate Benefits to the Organization

Once you understand what you want from the negotiation, you determine how what you want benefits the organization. This represents one example of showing benefits:

• You can increase your productivity and the productivity of another employee by
• Taking some of the responsibilities that person doesn’t like, but you do
• Giving them some of the tasks you don’t like, but they do

Monday we review how to combine options to improve your job to make it more fulfillment

Exit a Dead-End Job 8: Surrender to the Monotony

This continues our series to help all of you who feel trapped in a dead-end job to find an exit

Darren occupied a dead-end job. It brought no joy, satisfaction, or fulfillment. He stayed in the job for the pension. Management failed to promote him four times. He did not receive assignments to key project teams. He found it difficult to stay engaged in his job. He spent 16 years in the same job, with little change, and no promotion in sight. Within 10 years, he lost his motivation and began just putting in his time. Performance and morale dropped within the operation he managed. Finally, management eased him into early retirement.

Reasons to Surrender to the Monotony

In previous posts we discussed several alternatives if you feel trapped in a dead-end job. You may attempt one or all of the options, and still find yourself stuck. Frequently, multiple unsuccessful attempts to exit a dead-end job engender feelings of despair, hopelessness, and futility.

These feelings can lead you to surrender to the monotony and lack of job fulfillment because

• Management passes you over for multiple promotions
• All the positions above you remain filled by people who will not leave for years
• Constant rejection for promotions makes you feel unproductive, unwanted, and useless so you cannot imagine anyone else wanting to offer you a good job
• Your job leaves you too fatigued and exhausted to do anything after hours
• You receive an excellent salary, benefit package, and retirement pension; but your salary exceeds the maximum allowed by the salary range
• The benefits and pension give more long-term income than the raises you will receive
• Surrendering requires less effort than trying to artificially motivate yourself

Consequences of Surrendering

Surrendering also generates consequences of its own:

• Monotony drains your energy, enthusiasm, and motivation to go to work
• Not only do you drag yourself to work, but life loses excitement at home
• Lack of motivation decreases productivity and team morale so you are less attractive for promotion
• Self-worth, self-esteem, and hope plummet

Friday we explore how to negotiate more challenge and fulfillment with management

Exit a Dead-End Job 7: Let Your Current Job Pay for Joy

This continues our series to help all of you who feel trapped in a dead-en job to find an exit

Barbara worked in a dead-end job for sixteen years. Her salary bumped up against the maximum in her salary grade. Her tenure qualified her for a benefit-defined pension worth several times more than her annual income. She performed her work excellently and received outstanding performance appraisals. Yet, she recognized that she performed significantly below her potential. Yet, she found joy in the freedom her job allowed. She traveled extensively, attended the symphony and opera, and donated time with a service to help single mothers. Her dead-end job paid to find fulfillment and joy in other pursuits.

Outside Interests that May Provide Fulfillment

You may choose to stay in a dead-end job, perform it very well, and seek fulfillment elsewhere. You may find your motivation and satisfaction in a number of sources:

• Family provides opportunities for happiness whether your family consists of you, spouse, children, nieces, nephews, grandparents, grandchildren, cousins, and more
• Hobbies such as woodworking, gardening, painting, reading, traveling, and more also may offer fulfillment and satisfaction
• Service to the homeless, shut-ins, the elderly, youth at risk, poor, battered and abused women or children brings rewards to the soul
• Recreation in all forms improves your outlook: walking, rock climbing,  sailing, skiing, running 5Ks, running marathons, surfing, and other sporting endeavors
• Learning new skills, concepts, and practices can also stimulate the mind and bring you closer to your potential and, therefore, your satisfaction

Augment Your Income if Needed

You may use the income from your dead-end job to pay for these outside activities. However, you may need additional income to pursue more expensive pursuits. You may discover several methods to earn additional  income:

• Start a home-based business of your own
• Work at home for another company
• Work as a mystery shopper in your local community
• Make and sell the things you create as part of your hobbies
• Monetize a blog, articles, web site, or other sales

Wednesday we explore surrendering to the monotony and lack of fulfillment on your job