Cynthia,

That’s a great question. The high level answer is that the highest paying jobs will be what are generally called “knowledge jobs” ---specifically, many healthcare related jobs as well as computer and technology jobs. Of course the other perennial high paying jobs are still expected to be strong for at least the medium-term. Those would be finance jobs (e.g., investment professionals) and lawyers. And of course, successful entrepreneurs can fare very well.

As far as the best field to study, I would look toward more technical and/or analytical fields. But be sure you choose one you’re interested in and or good at. Many employers will value your intelligence more than your specific education. I know some very successful consultants and bankers whose college degrees were in fields not normally associated with high pay—e.g., Chinese history and architecture. These people were good at selling their intelligence and their ability to learn.

You might be interested in reading these two articles titled, “Jobs of the Future” and “Industries of the Future”, respectively:

Jobs of the Future
Industries of the Future

Best of luck with your future career.

Candace,

I am not sure what your position, level, or trajectory are so it will be hard to comment specifically. I’m also not sure what positions in the government would have a pay level below industry that would be expected to surpass industry averages after 5 years.  Government is not known for high levels of pay.

If you are under contact, it might be possible to show that you’ve been deceived, but I suspect the odds of winning that argument are pretty small and it might be very expensive to fight it. Apart from that, I’m not aware of any way to recoup that $50k.

If you think you’re a strong performer, you might want to consider going into industry. Industry tends to be better at rewarding strong performance. The private employers are less tied to specific pay levels and tiers (like the GS pay system).

This is a good (but hard) lesson learned—you, and you alone, are responsible for managing your career and your salary. Don’t sit back and wait for other people’s promises to come true; make things happen for yourself. You’ll end up better off and you’ll feel better.

Lisa,

Like most jobs, there’s a wide range of salary opportunities for a job based on the type, size and location of the employer. Certainly, your experience, education and level of performance will also influence your pay. As a starting point, at least for Chemists in general, you might want to look at http://truecareers.salary.com/.

Raven,

Yes, that is a highly competitive field. Are you ready for it? As a first step you might want to look at job postings and descriptions from a number of firms for similar opportunities. Look for common themes among the sections that start with “the ideal candidate will…” Make sure this describes YOU and make sure you can not only say it, but also demonstrate/prove it in both your resume and your interview.

The bottom line with sales jobs is that in some ways good candidates are easy to identify because the interview process is simply a selling process. If you’ve “got it,” you should be able to show it in the interview.

My last piece of advice is for others reading this who aren’t quite so close to graduating. If you know what you want to do after you graduate school, do whatever it takes to get some real experience in your target field at a good name employer. Take a free internship if you can’t get a paying one. The value of showing you have experience will pay you back when it comes time for full time recruiting.

Janet,

You’ve presented a very interesting situation.

First, I will caution you that unless your high school is seeking grants, that aspect of your experience, although valuable and important, may not be of much value to your current employer. I am, however, surprised that you get no credit for college teaching. That just doesn’t make sense.

For negotiating advice, I’ll recommend several things. First, take a trip to your local library and/or bookstore. You’ll find many books on negotiation there. Also, all of your favorite career sites will have some brief articles on negotiation, including http://negotiation.salary.com. A well done Google search will also bring up more hits than you’ll know what to do with.

Good luck

Sarah,

It sounds like you’re not sure what you really want to do. I would recommend doing some research. Talk to friends, family, contacts, etc. about your dilemma to get a better understanding of the tradeoffs and what they’ll mean to you. If you have contacts at an HR consulting firm, you might want to try to set up an informational interview to see if they can talk you through the types of roles you might be interested in in a corporate HR function or in a consulting firm. Consulting firms might be a good opportunity for you because you could get exposed to different organizations an different roles so you can see what type of work works for you. Other options for broad exposure might be large companies with large HR departments that have rotational programs, or smaller companies that use HR generalists as jacks-of-all-trades.

Keep in mind what you’re good at and what you’re not good at and focus on roles that best match those traits.

Thanking you in advance for your time.

Meredith,

Wow, that’s a lot of questions.

Non profits are always in search of good, experienced business people. Thinking in terms of a two-step approach might be easier. You can look for jobs in management or marketing in a non-profit and then use that opportunity to get more involved in program development. In effect, you’re creating your own on-the-job retraining.

It is important to remember that non-profits often pay less than the for-profit organizations. Also, career changers often face a reduction in pay or a pay freeze for several years, so be prepared to take a pay cut. In your case, you are facing both, so you’re likely to have to take a step back on pay. Are you ready for that?  Assuming you are ready, when faced with a question about pay expectations, tell the truth - you’re interested in work and you fully understand that the cash compensation will be less, but the total reward (including the intangible benefit of doing what you love and doing well) is greater.

Jennifer,

This is what we call a high class problem---having to choose between three good job offers. What type of job are you looking for? What’s important to you? If you want job security, I would stay clear of a struggling firm. If, however, you’re a turnaround specialist, a struggling firm is an ideal opportunity. (For the record, I’m not sure that DANKA owns Kodak - I think DANKA owns what was once Kodak Imaging but the rest of Kodak is still publicly traded). The bottom line is that the best decision is the best combination of job, opportunity and employer.

The basic way to assess, compare and evaluate job offers is to identify and rate the importance of various aspects of your ideal job. Once you’ve gone through the exercise of determining exactly what is and is not important to you, you can then measure each of the three jobs on each of those dimensions. Although this is a simple exercise, many people find it difficult to think in these terms. One tool you can use to begin your thinking is Salary.com’s Job Assessor (http://jobassessor.salary.com).

Another difference is the value of long term incentives you’ll receive. Depending on your level and role, this could translate to higher upside potential at US public companies—if you receive stock or stock options. Private companies may have equivalent programs (e.g., phantom stock, long-term cash incentives) but they tend to be less prevalent among the broad employee groups.

Also, depending on where you are in your career, you might want to look at which one best positions you for where you want to be at the next stage of your career—i.e., the answer to the ever-popular interview question, “where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?” Effectively, the best choice might not necessarily be the one that’s best today, rather the one that’s best for your future.

If none of this works, your gut will probably tell you which one is best.

Miranda,

It’s not unusual for Army or ex-patriot spouses to be unemployed or “under-employed” while overseas. Most US employers will understand that your job in Germany was one of convenience while you were stationed there. I would think the tough part for you will be that you’ll be competing against new grads and you’ll effectively be at the same level. Your advantage is your age and your basic work experience. There is something to be said for maturity and experience in a “real” job even if it’s not in your field of choice.

How do you find a job from Germany? You probably want to check jobs boards (e.g., TrueCareers.com) as well as subscribing to the online version of the local newspapers.  If you can schedule trips in summer and fall to Arkansas you can use that as an anchor for scheduling informational interviews or full interviews if you’ve had time to set those up.

If you have any contacts in Little Rock, use them to help you find opportunities or at least get introductions to other people who might be able to help you. You can also take advantage of your location disability and if you talk with HR people at companies in Little Rock, you can ask them for references—you may be surprised how helpful they may be.

Mark,

Are you currently employed? If you are and you’re working at a mid-sized or large employer, your first stop might be the HR department.  Make your desires known and see if there are opportunities in your organization. If your employer sees you as a good employee, they’re likely to be willing to take a chance on moving you to another position. I think this is one of the best ways to get you some good experience in another field, which will position you for a job change in the future.  Depending on the culture at your company, you might even be able to be fully candid about your intentions to move on. You may also ask your employer or friends if they know of any career counselors who specialize in career changes. There are likely some in your area and these people can really help you frame your situation and position yourself for the right move.

There are now some career sites specifically for people in your age group: www.retirementjobs.com and www.eons.com.

One final thought is that small growing businesses (startups) are often in a position to have more needs than people. Oftentimes startups will look for people who are expert in one role but can function in several others. This kind of situation might be good for you because it could allow you to leverage your existing skill set and transition to a new one.

AC,

This is far too specific for me to be able to answer. Also, you must remember that market rates are based on what both the “buyer” (i.e., employer) and “seller” (i.e., employee) agree is a fair value for the person’s contribution to the specified role in the organization. It’s not simply about you, your experience and your education; it’s about how much value an employer would put on them.

The key for you is to find a situation in which an employer can find maximum value in your background. I’m not an expert in these fields, but an organization or department that focuses on multimedia presentations or products might find more value than other situations. Perhaps a mid sized record label, a technology oriented ad agency, or perhaps the marketing department at the NY Symphony.

Be sure to write your resume to show the business responsibilities and results of being a freelancer. This is likely to be an area that you don’t leverage in describing your experience. Managing time, project planning, generating business, managing finances, etc. are all valuable skills that you probably “hide” from your potential employer. Let them see it so they see all the value you bring.

Donna,

Human Resources is always a lagging hiring area---generally follows the economy rather than leading or matching it.  Interestingly, however, we are hearing that there is a lot of interest in compensation positions. This could be a minor career change that could get you in the door and allow you to transient to somewhere in an organization---perhaps even in Oklahoma.

Off the top of my head, I don’t what areas are particularly hot for hiring HR jobs, but you can certainly check TrueCareers and jobs areas of the Society of Human Resources (www.shrm.org) and WorldatWork (www.worldatwork.org) to see what cities have a lot of opportunities. I’d assume large cities (Austin, Chicago, Dallas, St. Louis, as well as large coastal cities) would be a good start if you’re interested.

Beverly,

Start by being confident in your skills, abilities, new education, and your value on the open market. It’s important to realize that many employers ask that question to understand how good your current employer thinks you are at your job and also how much of an offer to make if you are in fact offered this new job.

Generally you can avoid answering the question about your salary history the first time it’s asked, but if an employer is insistent, you’ll eventually have to give it because they have the power to require that information.

There are some other ways to answer the question if you’re pushed. You can: (1) answer with a vague response stating what you just wrote---that you were below market, received no raises and now have a master’s degree, (2) answer by saying that your past pay isn’t relevant because you’re looking for a different position that’s going to leverage your current skills and knowledge, (3) say that you’re looking first for the right job and then you’d hope to be paid fair market compensation for that job, (4) reply that this job you’re interviewing for typically pays in the range of $xx to $yy, and that you’re comfortable with that as a starting point for salary expectations.

I have an issue.  Last year I moved from PA to North Jersey to work in NYC.  Things have not worked out as I wished and now a year later I want to move back to PA.  I am having trouble finding a job back in PA with a comparable salary.  Would it be career suicide if I moved back and quit my current job without getting a new job in PA?  Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

In a word: no.

Many of our parents’ rules about the working world are no longer rules. You can have a two page resume. You can leave a job after a brief stint. You can even have a few jobs in a short period of time (i.e., job hopping). And, you can quit your job without having a new one.

This last statement, which is directly in response to your question, is especially true in a situation where you’re relocating. That being said, I would say it’s certainly better to have a new job before quitting your existing one. It’s easier on the wallet and if your search goes on for too long you don’t look like an unwanted employee. You must push hard to land a job before you become stale.

It’s also clearly easier to find a job in your local city than it is remotely. Yes, you can search remotely using TrueCareers, but you’ll find more luck meeting people and being able to show up for interviews - pounding the pavement, pressing the flesh, networking, etc…

When talking to people, explain that you’re relocating and have decided that it would be easier to look for a job from the local area. You might also want to mention that your current job isn’t what you wanted and you didn’t want to be doing a half-hearted job for that employer, nor did you want to be looking for a new job while on your old employer’s payroll. Be sure to mention that you gave your boss plenty of notice and waited until your replacement was found. Most hiring managers will respect that and will project that behavior onto you as an employee - which is a good thing.

Welcome home.

Arnie,

You really need to talk to your financial advisor about how to best structure your situation. In the strictest sense, the employer can’t simply decide whether to treat you one way or another. You have to meet a number of very specific tests to be treated as a contractor - much of this resulted from lawsuits against Microsoft regarding their choice to treat people as contractors (and keep them off, benefit and stock plans) when they were really working in a full time capacity.

Bearing that in mind, you can probably configure the situation to meet those requirements if you and the employer choose to go that route.

If the role really could justify a full time, permanent employee, it may be less expensive to hire a full time employee than to hire you as a contractor. Also the full time position has a little more security than a contract position.

You may be able to keep your contractor status by working part time for the company and part time for your existing client base.

Really this is a question about tradeoffs and ultimately you’ll need to collect some more facts to determine what’s ultimately the best for you.

Josh,

This is far too specific for me to be able to answer. To determine the appropriate pay for an individual would require many detailed questions about work experience, performance, etc, however, your approach and your thinking is right on target. You’ve done the right things. Typically smaller companies pay slightly less than larger companies, so based on your statements, it sounds like your company targets pay at the middle of the market - the median, which is fair.

The issue then becomes one of level of work and performance (i.e., results). Speaking with your boss is a good idea. Also, you are right to suggest that you need to know what you want before going to your boss. I do recommend, though, rather than demanding more money, you sit down with your boss and ask about how you can earn more money. Tell him/her that you think you should be earning more and you want to understand what you should be doing to exceed expectations for your role… and even how to get to the next level. Focus on performance. Allow your boss to give you insights into whether or not he/she shares your perception that you’re over performing. Also listen carefully to hear what your boss says are your key performance goals. This will help you make your case now and in the future.

You may also want to bring up the topic of bonuses. I don’t know if you get one but maybe you should or perhaps it should be bigger. Stock Options? Keep in mind if you can’t get more based pay, you might still be able to get more pay in another form.

You should also know your performance strengths and weaknesses so you can talk about them.  Finally, you mentioned that you have saved the company money. How much? How? A concise statement about your contributions going to the bottom line can go a long way to proving your value.

Kimber,

Depending on where you get cost of living information, you can find numbers showing Chicago is anywhere between 10% and 35% higher than in Cincinnati---where, of course, the bulk of the difference is in housing. Using multiple sources is one way to assure you have good, defensible data.

It is, however, more important to realize that companies normally don’t pay based on the cost of living, they pay based on local pay practices. The difference is often significant. For example, the average pay in Chicago is roughly 8.5% higher than the average pay in Cincinnati, not 10% to 35%. So depending on where you firm is located, the 5% increase may not be too far off.  This, however, does not make you any happier.

I think the easiest approach is to work through some numbers. Look at local housing costs and figure out what the difference in your annual mortgage payments would be, look at local taxes, and other costs that are significantly different. Add up the differences and see where you stand. Combine this with pay information for your job in both locations and now you’ll have two data points that show this move is not treating you well. Come up with a reasonable counter offer that’s in line with local pay practices and meets you cost of living needs. Bring this information to your manager or whatever most senior operations person you're comfortable with and explain why you’re disappointed with the offer and why you believe your counter offer is appropriate. Management should be more receptive to your request if you explain things in terms like, “I don’t think I can ask my family to take a hit like this” and “I really like the opportunity but I need to feel like I’m not taking a big step backward with this move…”

Tasha,

The best way to approach human resources is to either walk in or give them a call. Show interest and initiative. You may want to approach them to ask for more details about the opportunity or to simply ask what the timeframe is. Make yourself known without being a pest. The role of HR is to help the organization and the employees. If you’re a good fit for the job, they should want to make it happen.

If you know who the hiring manager is or other people in the group you’d be working with, you may want to casually talk with them about the opportunity. You can show interest in the role and try to learn more. This will do two things for you. It will help you understand what’s needed and how to position yourself, and it will also show interest and make sure they’re aware of you.

Jeffrey,

You have an interesting, but not unique problem. Many people will--- or should be--- interested in your challenges because as our economy changes and as we outsource more jobs to other countries, many people will find they need to transfer their skills to new roles. The good news is, you can do it.

I think the best start would be to get some assistance. You might want to talk to a headhunter or a career coach. They are professionals who can help you properly position yourself. Besides experience, they also bring some level of anonymity to the process, which I think you might value.  By this I mean that they’re strangers so, for some strange reason, we feel we can talk more candidly with them about strengths and weaknesses, past and future. It’s like going to a doctor for your career.

Regardless, I also recommend talking to people you do know. You state that you have established long term relationships with many of your previous coworkers and customers. That’s great. Now use them to help you redirect your career. Talk to them honestly about your situation and explain where you are and what you’d like to do (this is the part that’s hard for many of us). Ask them how you can leverage your 30 years of experience to move into a sales role in another industry or even other roles like marketing, sales training, sales management, account management, etc.---ask them if they see other directions for you. This network will be helpful in identifying your strengths and how to position them. They will also be very helpful in giving you other contacts for people to talk with.

The key is to identify your skills and knowledge in a generic sense (not specific to men’s apparel). You should be able to explain everything you do and can do without pigeon-holing yourself. Even your resume should be written to focus on skills, experience and results, with less focus on the specific product.

Remember, interviewing for a job is just another form of selling… yourself.  If you’re a good salesman, you will land on your feet.

Eileen,

This sounds like a good opportunity for you. Being new to an organization does not make you a bad candidate for the role of Supervisor if you’re qualified. Although your description of the organization makes it sound challenging, the constant process-improvement is something you could perhaps leverage to your own advantage. Some of the key tenets of process improvement are to inject fresh ideas and to avoid getting stuck in the not-invented-here trap. As someone coming from outside the organization, but with some---albeit just a few months---experience at a different location, you can present yourself as someone with a fresh view, but understanding of the overall approach.

Approach this as an opportunity for yourself and for the organization. When you talk to the Manager (and you want to do that pretty soon), be sure to be prepared with your talking points. Be very enthusiastic. Talk about your ideas and how you can implement them. You may scare him/her if you come in with a “change the world” attitude, but being energized and having ideas is a great way to sell yourself. Also, I wouldn’t use these words, but you may want to communicate that you’d be taking over a smaller center so it could be a good, low risk, opportunity to prove yourself.

You probably don’t want to “out” your supervisor, but you can certainly make it known to right people that you’re interested in being a supervisor and start having those conversations. Showing interest will put you top of mind (if not to of the list) when it comes time to find a replacement. You may also, if you’re comfortable with it, talk to the current supervisor and ask for advice on how you can move into his/her role. This will get you some very good insights about how to position yourself and what you need to know and do. It may also get the Supervisor to recommend you as his/her replacement when he/she gives notice.

All these things will help prepare you and assure the powers that be will know you’re interested and, ideally, qualified to be the next Supervisor at your Center.

Best of luck

Scotty,

I would think your best situation would be to look for an opportunity that requires skills similar to the ones you’ve proven over the past 6 years. Look at your current role and imagine what your next step would be there---that is, if you were promoted, what would you do in that next job? Now, write down (yes, on paper) a list of the specific skills you have that qualify you for that role. Next to each skill, note a couple of specific examples of situations where you demonstrated that skill 110%. This page is now your basis for interviewing for jobs that will take you one step further.

You can try this out in your current organization. If you really think it’s time to move on, you have nothing to lose. Ask about opportunities and make your case based on your proven performance and dedication. At a minimum, it will be good practice for you and will identify areas you need to work on; or you might find yourself with a new role at your existing company.

I would also recommend talking to neighbors, friends, relatives, and former (or possibly current) coworkers. Talk to them about what you want to do and ask for advice about where you might look and who you might talk to. You’ll be amazed at how many people, when asked a targeted question can actually give you good direction. Basically, it’s networking, but you have to identify what you want to help your network help you.

Lastly, you might want to consider some type of night school or adult education. You’ve noted that you don’t have a college degree. Taking classes could improve your situation. Plus, addressing what you perceive as a “weakness” could give you more confidence and it also communicates that you’re serious about your career and desire for advancement. Just doing that shows strong commitment and character.

Good luck

Faye,

There are a number of possible reasons, but the only one who can answer it conclusively would be the person you spoke with there. A few possibilities are:

(1) the person made a mistake in the first place, (2) something changed between when you first talked about salary and when you interviewed (the expectations for the position, another hire, internal budget, etc.), (3) you might not want to hear this, but they may have decided you weren’t a full match for what they think the $75k role is.  This last point doesn’t imply that you’re not worth $75k OR MORE, it simply states that with your skills, you might not be a perfect match for that particular role in that particular company, however, they do think you’d be a good hire---because they did make you an offer.

Beware, sometimes individuals have skills that are valuable but that doesn’t necessarily mean all those skills are valued by any specific employer for any specific job.

You might want to push back on the salary and ask why the numbers changed.  If you like the job and the organization, you may want to follow up with a question asking HOW you can get a total compensation package of $75k or $80k or whatever you think you’re worth. Maybe there’s a bonus opportunity or a chance to prove yourself and get a significant increase in 3-6 months. Sometimes that’s a good option for people.

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