Simple methods for learning and getting what you want.
If you're like most techies, you struggle to reconcile your work and private lives. Half the respondents to a techies.com poll said they worked more than eight hours a day at least half of the time. And nearly 25 percent of respondents work more than eight hours every day.
You can strike a balance between work and home, but first you have to negotiate a better deal with your future employer.
For tips, we turned to Maryanne Wegerbauer, author of Job Offer! A How-to Negotiation Guide (Just Publishing, 2000). Wegerbauer is also a consultant on human resources, benefits, and compensation. Her focus is on negotiating things techies care about: job content, bonuses, benefits, education, social programs, and community involvement.
Know your values, set priorities
Assuming you know there's a market for your skills, it's time to set some requirements for perks, compensation, and work culture. "You have to know yourself first and what it is you value in order to be able to prioritise," Wegerbauer says. Ask yourself:
Time at home with friends and family; more schooling; vacations; exercise; time for reading or play - what gives?
For instance, if a hobby is important, how can you guarantee you'll still have time to pursue it?
Does dedicated time to pursue advanced learning rank higher, for instance, than a company gym or more vacation? Would a flexible work schedule let you spend more time at home when you need to?
In a techies.com member poll, 61 percent said they'd accept a lower salary for a shorter commute. Money isn't everything for everyone.
"Where are you in your own life, your development, the demands of your personal time, your needs for social involvement and community contribution? How permeable is that boundary?" Wegerbauer asks. Values are unique.
Make your list and rank your values, dividing must-have items from the nice-to-have ones. Prioritize the latter and start your quest.
What's typically offered?
Individual values are obviously different from person to person. But commonly, companies offer some, if not all, of the following benefits to their employees. How do these compare to your list of values?
From Wegerbauer's book:
Wegerbauer recalls a Connecticut tech firm that handed over the keys to a new Volkswagen Beetle to anyone who signed on. "But it's a tiny, tiny, small population of highly specialised workers who would see those kinds of unique benefits," Wegerbauer says.
If you're looking for another job, you clearly want to get the best offer however you've defined it. But how can you learn about company perks and things that might help you with your mission for a balanced life without turning off prospects?
Wegerbauer has this advice:
Also listen for clues. "A good recruiter or interviewer is going to talk to you a lot about what it's like to work there," Wegerbauer says. "If they don't, ask in general terms: 'In the past I enjoyed my work and the social nature of my friendships when I worked there. I liked the softball team,'" offers Wegerbauer.
It's also fair to lead the recruiter. Go back to your priorities (free meals for overtime, for instance) and start fishing. "I see in the newspaper that a lot more companies are providing meals for people working long hours - does your company do that?"
Of course, tact and finesse are essential when you're querying.
Negotiating after the offer
Once an offer is made, you can be more specific in your negotiation, says Wegerbauer.
Looking through the handbook can give you more data from which to evaluate the offer. It'll help you tangibly see what is offered among normal benefits and perks.
Keeping the communication positive during all these negotiations is crucial. Wegerbauer advises to frame the request in terms of how it's in your mutual best interest.
"Communication is the word," says the author. "It's really framing the communication in inclusive language. Approaching and exploring the questions from a partnership perspective."
Don't say, "No, that's not going to work" or "no, I can't do that."
Do say, "How could we address my concern about X" or "it would be better if ..." or "would you think about..." or even "have you ever considered..."
This approach, says Wegerbauer, is collaborative.
