The economy is very hard right now, don’t get me wrong.  But some people have had the opportunity of finding a job also.  Have you found a job recently? Did you negotiate your salary?

Here’s an interesting article on negotiating your first salary. 
Here’s another one.

When searching for a job, you DO have the opportunity and choice to negotiate. If you’re not picky at this moment, then you might take anything due to personal reasons such as just needing a job right away.

However, if you do want to negotiate, here are some tips/hints/suggestions to think about:

• Understand how the economy is influencing the company that you wish to work for.  Not all companies are struggling.  Some actually benefit from downturns.  This can be very helpful in determining how much they are willing to flex in your salary
•  Understand the overall unemployment rate in your local area
•  What’s the demand for the job you are applying to? Some jobs might have literally hundreds and thousands of applicants, but the growth rate for the job might only be around 1% for the next 10 years.  That means that there are probably way more people getting into the field, then are leaving.
• How fast does the company you are applying at want to fill that position?
• What is your expertise? Schooling? Experience?  A person might be over qualified for a job and that might hurt them.  You need to learn how to sell your important attributes.

In the second article, they say “* The counteroffer. Employee: I got a job offer for 10 percent more than I’m making. Employer: Um. Let me see what I can do.”  I wouldn’t recommend telling your job that you received a counter offer for numerous reasons:

•  This might show that you are not loyal and trustworthy to the company
•  It shows that if another job or offer did come around, that you might leave

Of course, sometimes it might work. Do you know when the counteroffer has worked?

I’m a big fan of DailyWorth.  I read an article yesterday titled How Flex Should You Be in Your Job Hunt?  You can find it here.

How far would you go to find a job in this economy?  I was very thankful to find a job just a short few weeks after I graduated from college.  However, some of my friends graduated just this past May, and are not having as much luck.  Most of them have not found jobs, even though that graduated from very good universities.  Some of them are going to get their Masters since they have been unable to find jobs.

Some people are forced to take jobs which do not apply to where they want to be or where there degree was supposed to take them.  Some are forced to take entry level jobs even though they are mid or senior level management. In this economy, taking a job, any job, might be good for you.  You never know where it could take you.

I was always told that if you can’t find a job which fits exactly what you’re looking for, to take one that is somewhat similar. That way, when you do find the job that fits you better, your resume will still reflect that you were improving your skills and not just sitting back letting your skills go to waste.

However, my friend recently applied for a job through a friend and she was told to leave out information on her year long, unpaid, full-time internship because it did not necessarily pertain to the job field for which she was applying to.

What do you think? Would you take any job? Here are some facts from the Rutgers Survey:

• 65% would take a lower salary
• 59% would accept a lower-status job
• 70% would accept a temporary job

Would you take any job? What would you do? 

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