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