Tips About Salary Negotiation for the Employer

Tips About Salary Negotiation for the EmployerTips About Salary Negotiation for the EmployerA salary negotiationwindow exists from the timeyou offer a job to a candidateuntil the acceptance of the job by your selected candidate. The results of this salary negotiation can leave a candidate feeling wanted by your organization or devalued. The results of this salary negotiation can leave the employer excited to welcome the candidate or feeling as if he lost. A positive employer and a positive employee are the results of a successful salary negotiation. Here are tips for conducting a successful salary negotiation. Tips About Salary Negotiation for the Employer How much leeway do you have for salary negotiation and other conditions of employment with your candidates? The answer ranges from not much to a lot. One key factor is the discussion of salary,benefits, and working conditionsthat occurred with your prospective employees during the interview process. Your candidates have likely shared their current or most recent salarywith you (although it is becoming increasingly illegal for employers in many jurisdictions to ask for this information from their job candidates.). You may have shared thesalary rangefor the position with your prospective employees. Theposted job listingsmay also have given prospects an idea about the salary range. In fact, employers are advised to provide this salary informationin their job listings whenever possible so that you are not inundated with under orover-qualified candidateswho are willing to settle for any job. You will attract the candidates who might work out for you. Another key factor in salary negotiations is the level of the position you likely have more bargaining room with higher level employees and with employees who are the sole employee performing a particular job in your company. They are also prone to asking foradditional perks and benefitsif they cant get you to offer more money. The third factor in salary negotiati on is how badly your organization needs this employee and how much difficulty you have in finding his or her skill set. Market pay ranges also play a factor in your salary negotiation decisions. Salary Negotiation From the Employers Point of View Consequently, the employers salary negotiation leeway depends on these market factors. behauptung factors include the level of the job within your organization,scarcity of the skills and experience needed for the job in the job market,career progress and experience of the individual selected,fair market value for the job you are fillingsalary range for the job within your organizationsalary range for the job within your geographic area,existing economic conditions within your job market, andexisting economic conditions within your industry. You may also have company-specific factors that might affect the given salary such as comparative jobs, yourculture, your pay philosophy, and yourpromotionpractices. Bottom line? How badly do you wan t and need this candidate? If you are too needy, your salary negotiation strategy will quickly turn into a capitulation. And, capitulation, paying more than you can afford, paying disproportionately to the pay ranges of your current employees, and paying a new employee salary and benefits outside of your comfort zone, is bad for the employer and bad for the candidate. The new employees work is scrutinized under a microscope employer expectations may be way too high. Fellow employees may resent the negotiated salary and think of the new employee as a prima donna. In a win-win salary negotiation, both employer and employee leave the salary negotiation feeling ready to get started on a long-term, successful relationship. If youve ever been involved in an intense salary negotiation, you know that it can consume your mental and physical energy way beyond its importance. This is because, by the time you reach the stage of making an offer, you have spent the time to develop apool of candid ates. You have interviewed various candidates for weeks. Intense Salary Negotiation Your organization has invested significant time and energy in wooing and getting to know your final choice candidate. mora sophisticated candidates, higher level candidates, and candidates with significant career progress will counter your anfangsbuchstabeoffer letter, so expect it. Even your lower level, newest candidates will ask for $1,000-5,000 more than you offered as a normal occurrence. Additionally, the expectations and needs of candidates can sometimes blind-side the employer. If multiple people have conducted interviews- which is recommended- you have little control over the expectations expressed and what the candidate comes to believe about the position as a result of the interviews. You also have no control over the content of offers from other firms that can occur simultaneously. Salary Negotiation Tips While they are not meant to comprehensively detail how to conduct a salary n egotiation, these hints and tips are offered to ensure that you conduct successful salary negotiations. Salary negotiation is not about winning- unless both parties win. If either party feels they have capitulated, not negotiated, both parties lose.Make every effort to identify the most recent salary and benefits your candidate received. Most organizations ask for salary on theirjob applications and in their job postings and ads. Some candidates offer W-2 forms and other proof of salary when employers request proof of compensation. (This is not recommended, by the way. Its more intrusive than employers should be about their candidates backgrounds.)You can also ask former employers during reference checking. You may not be able to match the salary but you will have a good idea of what the candidate will seek during salary negotiations.While these tips are not meant to comprehensively detail how to conduct a salary negotiation, these hints and tips will ensure that you conduct success ful salary negotiations. Know what your salary negotiation limits are. Base your limits on your internal salary ranges, the salary paid employees in similar positions, the economic climate and job searching market, and the profitability of your company.Recognize that, if your salary is not negotiable, and even if it is, superior candidates will negotiate with you in other areas that may be negotiable.These include benefits, eligibility for benefits or paid COBRA, tuition assistance, paid time off, asigning bonus, stock options, variablebonus pay,sale commissions, car allowance, flexible schedules, teleworking, paid smartphone, severance packages, and relocation expenses. In fact, sophisticated candidates will negotiate in all of these areas and more. Even if you are convinced of the candidates potential positive impact within your organization, and a negotiating candidate is likely to keep reminding you, most organizations have limits. You will regret violating your limits even if y ou have to start your recruitment over, you will save yourself years of headaches and prohibitive costs.In one company, a candidate tried to negotiate a severance package that provided six months of hiskusine salary plus an additional one month for each year he worked for the company. Plus, he wanted all of this money in a lump sum upon dismissal.At $5769.00 per pay, the organization would have had to come up with approximately $116,000.00 upon his dismissal after only three years of employment. Not too many small and medium-sized companies can afford a compensation package in this price range or come up with a lump sum such as this. The candidate backed down his demand. If your initial offer is not negotiable, or barely negotiable, try to indicate that to the candidate when you make the job offer. One organization made an acceptable offer to a special candidate whom the organization had been trying to hire for several years into an appropriate role. (They waited to make an offer un til the right position opened up as the candidate had turned down the salary offered for a lesser role in an earlier job search.)They said, We are offering you $60,000 in base salary plus the potential to earn up to $20,000 in bonuses during your first year. Others who have been with this organization for up to nine years are within a couple thousand dollars of that base. So, you can see how much we value you with this offer.Additionally, as you build your accounts, some of our business developers are making well over $100,000.00. The organization was trying to tell her that the base was firm and that the upside potential in bonus was high. She accepted. There is a lot at stake when you negotiate salary with your chosen potential employee. Use all of these salary negotiation tips to ensure that you dont blow the opportunity to hire an excellent, qualified, superior employee.

Advice to a Friend on Starting Her Business

Advice to a Friend on Starting Her Business Advice to a Friend on Starting Her Business I was emailing back and forth with a friend the otherbei night who is starting up a small business. She was struggling with writing copy for her website and wanted to know what I thought. Seeing her agonize over the process reminded me of something a very wise ex-colleague said to me when I was getting to ready to launch my business. I had gone to him for an opinion on our business plan.He saidThere are two things you need to know1) Everything will take longer and cost mora than you originally think.2) You will never get it right the first time, so you might as well just get started and change it as you go along.His advice was spot on. Everything did take longer and cost more, and the things I agonized over 6 years ago have all changed now anyway. We found better ideas, we changed our business model, we learned that our clients were not who we thought they would be everything changed And all the learning weve done for the past 6 years is going into the new website well launch in January (which we have agonized over and which has cost more and taken longer than we originally thought)I told my friend this and I hope it helped. And that got me thinking why not ask you guys. So thats what Im doing. What advice you would give her on this new adventure?

What to Do After Getting Fired from Your Creative Job

What to Do After Getting Fired from Your Creative Job What to Do After Getting Fired from Your Creative Job Getting fired is one of the toughest career challenges to handle, regardless of whether you saw it coming or the news hit you out of nowhere. Even if the writing was on the wall, exiting a job when it’s not on your own terms is super-stressful. As any creative professional who’s been through it knows, navigating the impact of losing your job, while simultaneously striving to find a new one, can be really difficult on multiple levels. If you find yourself in this situation, first take a deep breath. While it can be hard to maintain perspective in the moment, especially when your emotions are running high, you can rebound and you will be OK. Here are 10 tips to help you deal with the loss and get back on track. 1. Think before you act Were you just informed that you’re being let go? Take time to process the bad news and work through your emotions. Until you’ve given yourself ample time to do that, don’t say or do anything you might regret later. (Examples might include immediately firing off an angry note to your now-former boss or another employee at the company.) Venting might feel cathartic in the moment, but burning bridges with your manager or anyone else just isn’t worth it in the long run. 2. Review your paperwork If you’re offered a severance package take your time to review it instead of signing it immediately. If in doubt, seek independent professional advice. And don’t be afraid to clarify any questions you may have about your severance or benefits. SEARCH OUR OPEN JOBS 3. Agree on the departure language You may want to negotiate how your exit will be documented as this can impact your job search. After all, the creative industry is a surprisingly small world; you simply never know who knows whom. Even after getting fired, it’s likely your employer won’t be motivated to obstruct you from working elsewhere. Ask your employer how they plan to handle your departure language, internally and externally. If you feel the need to try to negotiate this, the best time to do so is before you sign a separation or severance agreement. In this instance, work closely with the human resources department to land on a mutually agreeable reason to explain why you are leaving. It may be easier than you think. Most employers will not give out the reason for an employee’s departure. If asked, the company will usually just provide confirmation you worked there, your title, the dates of hire and departure, and, if requested by you, your final salary. Employers generally prefer not to provide too many details. Again, if you have any questions at all, take the time to address this with human resources on the front-end. Read how one creative professional turned a layoff into a career-building opportunity. 4. Don’t isolate yourself Getting fired can set off a rollercoaster of emotions that are likely to spike and dip at any given time. Be patient with yourself and don’t avoid people. Try to connect with a friend or a colleague who’s been through a similar experience and talk it through. Remember that you aren’t the first person to be fired, and you certainly won’t be the last. Don’t feel like you have to handle everything on your own just because your last role ended abruptly. Reach out to those in your professional network if you need support, new connections or ideas in the same way you would as if you were making your next career move on your own terms. 5. Create an action plan Even if you feel like curling into a ball in the corner, get to work. Start updating your resume and online portfolio. Just getting the ball rolling after being fired will help you build momentum for your job search. Don’t be afraid to show on LinkedIn that you are seeking a new role; it could open doors as many recruiters are actively searching for job candidates for open creative jobs. 6. Connect with a creative industry recruiter Schedule time to connect with a staffing expert who specializes in the creative industry as soon as you can. Well-connected recruiters often know of unadvertised or upcoming job opportunities. They can also help you find temporary work while you search for a full-time role. 7. Invest in yourself Without question, getting fired is stressful. Don’t make things worse by neglecting your well-being. Make sure you are eating right and getting adequate sleep and exercise. This will help provide a solid foundation to keep you going as you embark on your job search. You also might pursue some professional development opportunities to keep your mind and skills sharp. 8. Practice your narrative When you start applying for a new job, you will likely be asked to provide a reason for leaving your previous employer. When piecing together your narrative, review the departure language your employer has used, to make sure that you are consistent, but be prepared to supply more context. The best approach is to offer an honest, but neutral response, versus something detailed. Example statements that might work include: “The introduction of a new management team led to my position being terminated.” “The restructuring of the creative department resulted in my responsibilities being reassigned.” “The financial performance of the agency impacted my role and I was let go.” After you’ve explained why you are no longer in the role, work on crafting a couple of sentences that explain your career path, focusing on effectively communicating your expertise and key achievements. Practice saying these statements out loud so you become comfortable explaining your most recent position and why you are looking for a new role. This will make it much easier for you to convey what you do best in a job interview. 9. Be prepared for anything Remember that if you were fired due to a major misstep your prospective employer may learn about it through mutual networks, even if your employer has worked with you to provide suitable departure language. Be prepared to address this succinctly and positively. Briefly explain why you’re no longer in your previous role and the positives you’ve drawn from your experience, emphasizing your career achievements and the skills and expertise you can apply to the role you are applying for. Remember that when it comes down to it, employers will always appreciate honesty. Plus, you wouldn’t have been called to interview in the first place if you weren’t a strong candidate. 10. Commit to making a fresh start Keep looking forward. Yes, getting fired hurts. It’s obviously not the way you want to close out your time with an employer. But try to keep the resentment and ruminating in check. Instead of reflecting too much on what’s now in the past, commit to making a fresh start and channeling your energy into moving on. Fair or not, even extremely smart and talented creative professionals find themselves suddenly out of a job. You’re not alone. How you respond to getting fired, and what you decide to do next is key to your future success. The most important assets you possess are your skills, talents, creativity - and your mindset. Believe in your ability to overcome this setback. Don’t let getting fired define you or keep you from applying for your dream job. If you can push yourself to move on from a painful experience it may end up being one of the best things that ever happened to your career. Octavia Goredema is the founder and editor of Twenty Ten Talent, a career resource for talented young black women. Find her on Twitter at @OctaviaGoredema.

What to Do When Your Boss Has a Difficult Ask - The Muse

What to Do When Your Boss Has a Difficult Ask - The Muse What to Do When Your Boss Has a Difficult Ask You’re not going to be thrilled with every assignment you’re given, with every task you’re asked to carry out, with every project you’re instructed to oversee. That’s the reality of having a job. It’s a lot like life- you take the good with the bad and the annoying or boring. But, navigating tedious responsibilities or work that doesn’t stoke your fire is a far cry from handling a request from your boss that requires you to basically throw a colleague under the bus. If your manager approaches you about taking one for the team, framing it as an item that’s simply part of your job and something that has to be done, you’re probably not going to feel good about it. If you have any kind of moral compass and a reluctance to injure a team member’s reputation or inaccurately blame a co-worker for a project gone wrong, then you’ll likely want to find a way to say no to your supervisor without risking your position at the company. Seven Muse Career Coaches weighed in with excellent advice for handling this tricky situation. Just because the request isn’t illegal or even really unethical doesn’t mean you have no choice but to heed the demand. There’s a big picture here, and if you ignore it just to appease your manager, you could come to regret it later. 1. Repeat the Request Share with your boss what you think the task is so that you are 100% clear about her request. Saying it aloud before acting on it may also help your manager see why and how she’s put you in an uncomfortable position. If, after repeating it, you’re still expected to carry out the request and you’re feeling apprehensive, speak up. Clearly, tell your boss- face-to-face is best- why you’re not cool with it. Avery Blank 2. Investigate with Questions If you find yourself in this awkward situation, one of the most powerful strategies you can deploy is asking probing questions. Skilled conflict mediators know that digging for information about the other person’s agenda, interests, and needs increases the chance of arriving at a favorable solution. Put on your negotiator hat and say to your boss with confidence, ‘I’m not sure I grasp the reasoning behind sharing those details with the entire company. Can you help me understand the approach?’ This expresses interest and curiosity on your part, while also subtly communicating an assertion of boundaries, maturity, and professionalism. You’re demonstrating that you make informed, measured decisions. Using psychologically-disarming questioning ensures neither side becomes defensive and helps you set the stage for a fruitful back-and-forth dialogue with your boss. Melody Wilding 3. Consider the Big Picture Any request from a manager needs to be considered relative to the long-term impact on the company and your standards for personal integrity. If you feel a request would violate either of these, you have an obligation to express your concerns before agreeing to take any action. If you’re pressed to follow through with the request, simply say no and explain your reasoning. Just be prepared to stick to your guns and suffer the consequences. A healthy organization will look at the full context of a situation before taking action. And if it doesn’t or if you’re singled out by a manager, you probably don’t want to work there anyway. Keep good notes and be ready to explain to new employers what happened and why you left. Bruce Eckfeldt 4. Enlighten Your Boss I once had a similar instance with a director at the company (who was not my boss, but still senior to me). We were scoping out a client project, and there was a lot of internal disagreement over a specific component of the project. We were asked to have a back-up solution in place for a highly unlikely scenario. Although it was highly improbable that we’d need this alternate fix, we had to devise it based on the client's marketing plan. Unsure whether we were capable of creating that back-up solution in the timeframe given, I was, nonetheless, instructed by the director to tell the client that the deadline wasn’t a problem. I felt very uncomfortable misleading the client this, and so I decided to be straight up with my supervisor on the project, ‘If I gave the phone to you, would you be able to tell them the same thing in good conscience?’He admitted that no, he wouldn’t be able to do that, and I think at that moment he saw the error in what he was asking me to do. We, ult imately, ended up figuring out a way to build the solution the client was looking for, and we didn't lie to them. Sometimes, it’s going to be up to you to show your boss the problematic nature of his request. Rajiv Nathan 5. Offer an Alternate Solution Be honest in a diplomatic and tactful way. Let your boss know that you’re uncomfortable with the request, but don’t just leave it at that. If you’re going to take issue with something, it’s always best if you can offer a solution. Brainstorm a better, more professional way of handling his request and suggest an alternate approach. If your idea is rejected, continue to stand your ground and explain that you’re hopeful that you can find a way to work together to develop another way of dealing with the issue. Heidi Ravis 6. Be a Team Player Bosses come and go, but your sense of justice and conscience are with you for life. Of course, you still need a paycheck, and, thus, a way to handle moral ambiguity in the office.Navigate a distasteful request from your boss by bringing up the team. Assuming your organization values teamwork, say, ‘We talk a lot in this company about team work- about winning losing as a team. As such, neither I nor the rest of the team feel it’s fair for me or any other single person to shoulder the responsibility for the failure of this project. It also sends the wrong message to the other team members. We’ll recover and rebuild. But let's not just talk about being a team, let’s be one in spite of this obstacle.’By sending the message that it’s not just you who feels this way but the entire team, you’re showing respect for your colleagues and refusing to throw anyone under the bus. It’s unlikely that your boss will fire or censure the entire team. Yuri Kruman 7. Articulate Your Concerns There is no doubt that this scenario presents a tricky situation of power. When a supervisor asks you to do something you don't want to do, it's always challenging to walk the line of honoring your values and being professional. However, in an instance in which the request is so clearly antithetical to common tenets of strong team culture and positive leadership, it’s especially important to hold your ground. Explain what makes you uncomfortable about the approach; lean on the company culture (if possible) of promoting collaboration and team efficacy. You can also note that it’s more important to figure out a strong way forward as opposed to placing blame on the past breakdown or failure. Your boss is more likely to be impressed by your pushback and dedication to your team than frustrated by your unwillingness to abide by the request. At the end of the day, you want to feel comfortable that you can live with your actions, even if you don't love your leader’s. Lauren Laitin Photo courtesy of Yuri_Arcurs/Getty Images

5 reasons success will not make you a happy person

5 reasons success will not make you a happy person 5 reasons success will not make you a happy person As a kid growing up on a remote cattle ranch in Wyoming, it didn’t take much to make me a happy person. I loved to spend time with our animals - horses, cattle, and dogs! I was happy to do my chores and bond with my pets.In high school, it took something different to make me a happy person. Happiness now depended on the number of people I could count as friends. Lots of friends meant I was looked upon as a success and had become popular.Out of college, my definition of success changed again. Success was determined by the size of my paycheck and my status in the organization. Friends took on a new role and were now measured in terms of how much value they added to my network.In my pursuit of a successful career, happiness got watered down to the itemization of things. It was now something external to be bought - like a car. Or, given - like a promotion.As entrepreneurs and business owners, your success is calibrated as return on investment by your investors and clients. Your path etic feelings of happiness are none of their concern.Which is fine, for a while. But if your life fundamentally sucks, it’s going to continue to suck no matter how successful you are.Here are 5 reasons success will not make you a happy person - and how you can change your mindset:1. It takes more than money to motivate you to do good workBusinesses commonly use money as a motivator, and it works - to some extent. Studies show that once an individual receives the money, however, it loses its power to motivate.While money is important, we all want and need more than a good salary. In his book, Payoff, behavioral economist Dan Ariely argues that human motivation is very complex. He states that to motivate ourselves and others successfully, we need to provide a sense of connection and meaning. It’s important to remember, however, that meaning is not always synonymous with personal happiness.Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose -  Viktor E. FranklHow To Make It Work For You: These are some of the things that you, as a leader, can do to harness the power of intrinsic motivation in your people. An intrinsic motive is the desire to do a good job for the sake of doing a good job: Recognize people as contributing members of a winning team. Remind them that the project is succeeding. Pinpoint where their contributions are making a difference. Celebrate successes. Thank people. Often. 2. If you lose sight of your values, your life will suckI recruited foreign spies to work for the U.S. Government. To be successful, I exploited their lack of self-awareness. The most vulnerable person was the one too lazy to go deep and prioritize their values. They lived in a shallow world and preferred to blame others rather than acknowledge how their poor values made their life suck.Our values are defined by what we are willing to struggle to accomplish. If something holds value for us, we will endure the pain and struggle to make it happen.Your values define your struggles. If you want better problems, get better values - LaRae Quy.Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get â€"  Dale CarnegieHow To Make It Work For You: Identify the values you prioritize above everything else; those values are the ones that influence your decision-making process. Pinpoint the good values that tap into your inner core. They are the ones that will engage you with the worl d as it is, not how you wish it would be in the future. Bad values rely on external circumstances. You blame others if things don’t turn out the way you planned.3. Success is where people stop on their way to happinessMost of us fail over and over at something until we finally get it right. But what we forget is that those failures are the most important lessons in life. Most of us do not embrace our future failures, so we stop at where we find success because we’ve been conditioned to avoid suffering, pain, and discomfort.We stop at success, regardless of whether that success has led us to something that provides value and meaning for us. We have it backward: instead of looking for success to make us happy, we will be successful where we find our happiness.When you look for happiness, you need to change how you measure success and failure. Some of the best things that happen to us require effort, pain, and failure. Ask any parent, small business owner, or marathon runner.One da y, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful - Sigmund FreudHow To Make It Work For You: Be smart about how you work harder and longer hours to be successful. Discover what brings you happiness and focus your energy on those pursuits. Then the longer hours and hard work won’t matter because you’ll love what you do.4. The easy path does not create strong peopleAll of this “be happy” sh-t is creating a generation who don’t understand how to overcome problems. They think an easy path is the yellow brick road to happiness.But it is in our choices that we either decide to grow, or not, because it is in those choices that we learn to focus. When we do, we become mentally tough so that we can manage our emotions, thoughts, and behavior in ways that will set us up for happiness. We get to choose what matters to us based on our values.How To Make It Work For You: Embrace what you have learned in hard times. Some people are stuck with worse problems than others and many people have overcome horrible circumstances. This was their mindset: no matter where I am in life, or my struggle, I still have the power to take responsibility and chose my next step.5. Making progress is better than being successfulMost of us have worked hard to achieve a goal, only to find emptiness when we reach it. Psychologists explain this is because true happiness is less about when we reach a goal and more about how we reached it. What is most important is the progress we have made in an area of our life.If we focus on success instead of progress, we become nothing more than a manager of our circumstances. If, however, we focus on making progress in all areas of our life, we empower ourselves to become the person we truly want to be - a person who is fulfilled and happy.Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure - Tony RobbinsHow To Make It Work For You: Never forget that if you’re not happy with the direction your life has taken so far, y ou have complete control over who you can become. Identify an opportunity that you know is worthwhile but that you’ve been afraid to pursue, and go for it anyway. Brainstorm a list of 20 new ideas on ways to improve your life. Describe something that you will make you very happy. Be specific. Write down your definition of success. Make a list of causes you are passionate about and then get involved. Identify something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done yet. This  article  first appeared on  LaRaeQuy.com.

8 books that teach you to be rich

8 books that teach you to be rich 8 books that teach you to be rich What’s your money strategy? Do you even have one?If not, it’s not uncommon. Until two years ago, I didn’t have a financial plan, whatsoever.Even though I’ve been reading about money, finance, and investing ever since I made my first few bucks as a teenager, I never created a financial plan.But now, I think every single working professional needs a financial strategy. How do you spend your money? How much do you save? What are your thoughts about debt? How do you invest your money? How much money do you need to retire?These are questions that every person who makes money must answer.Let’s face it. If you want to retire comfortable (I’m not even talking about living a luxurious lifestyle), you need to get rich.Ladders is now on SmartNews!Download the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.And the 8 books that I recommend in this article will help you to do that. Read them and you’ll never have to worry about per sonal finance again.1. The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. ClasonThis book was published in 1926 and as far as I can tell, it was the first popular book on personal finance.Usually, I’m not into parables. But this is a great book. It’s the only parable that I’ve read that makes the message of the book even more powerful.What it comes down to is this: Rich people are rich because they save their money, don’t get in debt, and don’t spend their money foolishly.Clason recommends to save 10% of your income (I believe you should save 50% - more on that later). He calls saving “paying yourself first.” That’s an important mindset.You only get rich by paying yourself. Don’t foolishly spend all your money on things you don’t need. When you do that, you pay others, not yourself.Everyone should read The Richest Man In Babylon - the earlier the better.2. Your Money Or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe DominguezWhat I enjoyed most about this book is that it teaches you to transform your relationship with money. This will change your life.Money is something you trade your life energy for. Think about it. You work to earn money.But you spend your time to work. That’s why Robin and Dominguez spend the first part of this book to make us aware that more is not better.More money is especially not better if you have to put your own well-being on the line. It’s never worth it. Just ask the family of the bankers who committed suicide during any recession.If you want to live a healthy and wealthy life, you must detach yourself from money. Instead of striving for more, get better at managing your money.Save it. And don’t waste it on stuff you don’t need. Your Money Or Your Life starts out strategically and gets more practical towards the end.One thing I don’t agree with is retiring early. I don’t want to retire and sit on a beach. That’s because my mentors, who are beyond the retirement age, still work and are very happy. I aspire to do the same. But I also want to build enough wealth that I don’t “have” to work if I don’t want to. That’s one thing Robin and Dominguez also believe in.3. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (with commentary by Jason Zweig)I bought my first stocks when I was 20 years old. At the time, the finance sector was doing great, and I thought it would be good to invest in ING, the major Dutch bank.Oh yeah, I should mention that this was in 2007, right before the financial crisis. I invested €1500 in ING and €500 in AEGON, a Dutch asset management firm.It was about half of my savings at the time - a lot of money for a student. And a few months later, when Lehman Brothers collapsed, my stock portfolio was worth only a few hundred euros in total.Man, I was so pissed off. I can’t even tell you how livid I was. But looking back, I understand that losing money is a part of investing.And fortunately, I didn’t sell and waited until the stocks recovered. That took eight years, though.I decided to not invest in individual stocks anymore. And The Intelligent Investor is one of the most important books that helped to realize investing in stocks is not for me.If you already know that you don’t want to invest in individual stocks, you don’t have to read this book. However, if you are interested in finance, I highly recommend it. The commentary by Jason Zweig, a WSJ columnist, is also excellent.P.S. I skipped the chapters about stock analysis because I’m not going to use it.4. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by Jack BogleThe reason I stopped investing in individual stocks is Jack Bogle. This man is a true hero.He founded Vanguard and created index funds. Unlike everyone else in finance, he’s not worth billions. Why? He created financial products for the people.Vanguard is a unique company. Why? It’s the only company in finance that has the same interest as you. When you invest in their funds, they win, and you win.But every firm, banker, broker, or advisor in finance, has different interests. Namely, their own. And sure, this is a black and white view. There are many unbiased financial advisors too.But why should you give them your money if you can invest your money by yourself? Instead of buying individual stocks, Jack Bogle demonstrated that it’s much better to buy all the stocks in a certain index, industry, group, or even country.History has shown us that indexing outperforms the majority of mutual funds. Plus, the fees of index funds are lower because they don’t have managers or expensive offices.5. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. MalkielMalkiel is an economics professor at Princeton. Usually, economics professors are the last people you should take financial advice from because they are disconnected from the real world (read Skin In The Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb for more thoughts on that idea).But Malkiel is different. A Random Walk Down Wall Street digs deep in various investment strategies but remai ns practical at all times.One of my friends who’s a successful investor recommended this book to me. And after doing some research online, I found that it’s one the most recommended books on investing by investors.Again, this book advocates indexing over active trading. But because Malkiel is an economist, he does a much better job of explaining how markets work.It’s actually very comforting. Markets are truly efficient. For every action, there’s a reaction. If that weren’t the case, the Western World would have collapsed when Lehman did.6. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL CollinsIf you want to read only one book on this list - pick this one. The proposed plan in this book comes close to my personal financial strategy.Collins is a practical man. And The Simple Path to Wealth is the most practical book I’ve read on personal finance.He recommends saving 50% of your income. And that’s what I believe in too. The more you save early in your career, the better.His strategy i s super simple. If you’re still building wealth and are working, Collins says you should do two things: Save enough so you have “F-You money.” Have enough money in the bank that gives you the freedom to do anything you want for a longer period (it’s up to you to decide how much you need, depending on your monthly expenses). Put 100% of the money you want to invest (this is money you save on top of your F-You money) in the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX). Risky? Yes. Most upside? Hell yes.If you plan on retiring within 10 years, put 80% in the VTSAX, 15% in the VBTLX (bonds index), and 5% in cash. That’s what Collins recommends. Of course, it’s his opinion. And he’s not a fortune teller.The point of all these books is to educate yourself enough so that you can make the best decision for your own personal situation.7. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim FerrissUntil now, I shared books that tell you WHAT to do with your money. But HOW do you even make money? If you have only one income stream, it’s time to change that.It’s one thing that no book on personal finance addresses. My personal view is that valuable skills result in more income.In general, the better you are at your job, the better your compensation is. It’s also true for entrepreneurship. That’s why I’m an advocate of investing in yourself.Tim Ferriss started a revolution of making passive income online. With the tools and ideas in The 4-Hour Work Week, you can learn how to create your own passive income streams.Because it’s great to invest your money. It’s also great to invest in skills that can make you money.8. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale CarnegieAfter the first time I lost money on the stock market, it took me eight years to make another investment. Why?Fear.One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from reading about investing and talking to investors is that it’s scary. No matter how much you know about investing, the fear will never go away.So if you want to be a good investor, learn how to deal with the fear. And this book by Carnegie is one of the best books to help you do exactly that.Because at some point, you have to decide how you’re going to invest your money. And, if you don’t have a clear strategy, it’s maybe even better to not invest at all. Because that’s also a decision.Remember that there is no perfect time to invest.So after you educate yourself and know enough(you don’t need to know everything), it’s time to act in your own best interest.This  article  originally appeared on  DariusForoux.com.

Credit Analyst CV Example Best Design Tips

Credit Analyst CV Example â€" Best Design Tips Credit Analyst CV Example - Best Design Tips Create this Resume ObjectiveTo be able to share my knowledge and experience in preparing comprehensive credit reports and provide assistance in facilitating credit loans.Personal InformationMichael Wolfe3902 Hill Haven DriveWaco, TX 76701(222)-205-6488m.wolfe@sampleresume.netDate of Birth: May 6, 1979Place of Birth: TXCitizenship: AmericanGender: MaleProfile Summary Excellent Oracle and SQL skills Strong verbal and written communication skill towards the clients Ability to work well both independently and with others EducationMBA, Major in Credit Management, 2006Wichita State University, Wichita, KSB.S. in Banking Finance, 2002Wichita State University, Wichita, KSEmployment HistorySr. Credit Analyst, 2007 PresentFifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, OHResponsibilities: Maintained a list of delinquent accounts in the database. Utilized spreadsheets applications in reviewing active accounts. Strengthened the existing bank loan policies. Ensured that banking and financial procedures conf ormed to the established banking guidelines. Teamed with the IT Architect in conceptualizing efficient balancing software.Jr. Credit Analyst, 2006 2007Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, Jersey City, NJ Developed efficient procedures in reviewing, analyzing and evaluating credit risks. Assessed the risk rating, problem loan reporting and other credit administration requirements. Reviewed the summarized reports of junior accountants on re-structured loans. Developed the financial and credit worthiness of commercial accounts Provided solutions to complex problems encountered by the customers. ResearchN/ATrainingTraining in Account ReconciliationAwardTop Performer of the Year, 2005Professional MembershipThe Banking Industry AssociationSkills Excellent in MS word, Excel, PowerPoint Solid background in banking policies and procedures Demonstrated expertise in credit provisions and packages Knowledgeable in loan restructuring Customize ResumeMore CV Samples:Computer Engineer C V Credit Analyst CV