Todays Jobs Info

Employees often make the mistake of assuming they must “win” in negotiations with prospective employers. Instead, people should realize that both employee and employer want a happy resolution both when hiring and terminating employees. In this guide to negotiating employment, Goodman (founder of the online career resource MyJobCoach) covers stock options, relocation, salary and termination. According to him, people should first consider what matters most to them such as upfront salary or future opportunities and focus on these issues. To support this thesis, Goodman offers a variety of real-life examples of people angling for new positions. Readers get the lowdown on negotiating from top VPs and CEOs, who, presumably, have experience, but can be intimidating for beginners going through their very first negotiating process. Goodman spends most of the book on “pre-employment” issues, providing things like an appendix that includes a detailed analysis of a sample employment agreement and stock options plan. But his general advice for reaching an agreement points out that negotiating is not a one-time event but an ongoing part of work (think salary reviews or promotion discussions): listen, communicate, practice self-control and focus. This is an accessible guide that readers in many career fields should find helpful.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.