The old adage first impressions are not always the best impression is not always correct.  In society today people are always judging you on everything from your hair to your shoes.  Yes, this even applies to the male members of our population.  I work at Clark Personnel Service which is a company that assists people in their search for a job.  While we are a personnel service people assume that we do not impose impressions on them, when they seek our assistance in finding a job.  However, we are your first stop in getting to that company that needs employees and let me tell you impressions DO COUNT, so if you are going to apply for a job dress like your grandma would want you to dress for church on Sunday.  When you come into any establishment wanting a job dress like you want a job, put your best foot forward.  Wear your best; wear nice, clean, hole free slacks/ skirt (as long as it is not so short your grandma would faint) or jeans if you must, wear a clean nice collared shirt or a nice blouse that covers the girls “ladies”.  Come in with your hair combed, no hat, look neat, act and present yourself like you want a job and that you are the best candidate for any job that they have! Trust me when I tell you that the ones that come dressed for success we know will make  us look good so we try our hardest to place them!

Being offered a new job is a tremendously rewarding experience, after you’ve suffered through the application and interview process. But before you get to sit back and enjoy your triumph, you may have to struggle through the dreaded process of salary negotiations.

The idea of addressing the potentially sensitive issue of compensation can cause tension and anxiety, or you may have focused so much on general interview groundwork and practice that you haven’t given it much thought. Don’t be caught off guard if the hiring manager asks you salary questions.

Most interview advice cautions jobseekers to let the hiring manager make the first move when it comes to talking about money, which is correct, but you still need to go into an interview fully prepared to discuss the issue of salary. If you don’t, you run the risk of undervaluing yourself and accepting the first lowball figure that you are offered. Use these simple salary negotiation tips to ensure you get paid what you’re worth.

• Conduct pre-interview research. Gather factual details about typical salaries in your industry and your region. Sources to check include industry websites, government labor data, and help-wanted ads from competitor companies. Online salary calculators and anecdotal evidence from colleagues, friends, and coworkers can also help, although you should take such findings with a grain of salt.
• Settle on a realistic range. After you’ve developed a clear understanding of the salary ranges in your industry, develop a general range that you feel comfortable with. Consider your salary history and current rate of compensation, and make sure that the upper end of the range you’ll request is slightly higher than what you actually expect to receive. That way, you’ll leave a bit of wiggle room for the negotiation process.
•  Build a persuasive case for yourself. Assemble the kind of evidence you’ll need to prove that you’re well worth the salary you’re requesting. Compile proof of your salary history, a list of your major qualifications and accomplishments, and evidence of the ways in which you’ve helped your past employers save money, increase earnings, or improve efficiency.
• Practice your pitch and your potential responses. Try to anticipate the counterarguments the interviewer is likely to present after you’ve named your desired salary range. Create and get comfortable delivering a one-minute “elevator pitch” that sums up your qualifications, experience, salary history, and potential value.
• Consider alternative concessions. Many companies are operating under strict budget constraints that may limit their negotiating power when it comes to setting starting salaries. Make a list of a few other bonuses, benefits, and non-salary perks that you might accept in lieu of compensation. Possibilities include schedule flexibility, personal leave, profit sharing, reduced-cost benefits, and professional development opportunities. Just make sure to get these items in writing as part of the official offer package.

With a little advance planning and preparation, you can take some of the stress and guesswork out of the salary negotiations process. The availability of online compensation information like Salary.com’s Salary Wizard^® makes it possible for employees and employers to start on a level playing field. It’s up to you to prove that you are worth every penny.

As a manager, an important part of your job is addressing the problems and concerns of your staff. How do you respond when an employee comes to you with a complaint? If you’re not sure how to handle such situations effectively, here are some basic guidelines:

1. Whether they are delivered in person or in writing, all complaints should be acknowledged promptly. As soon as possible after the complaint is made, arrange a private meeting with the employee to discuss the matter. Keep in mind that dealing with employee complaints is not an interruption to your work. As a manager, it is your work.
2. Begin the meeting by letting the employee explain the issue fully. Listen to their explanation without interrupting as best you can. If the employee is rambling, try saying, “Let me stop you for a minute to be sure that I understand”. Then summarize what you’ve heard so far. If it’s not clear what the problem is, ask “how can I help?” Sometimes people just don’t explain things well. If you really have no clue what the issue is, finding out what they expect from you may make it clearer.
3. Make sure the employee knows that you take the complaint seriously. Even if it seems unimportant to you, it is important to the employee. Show understanding, but not agreement. You want to be empathetic and convey that you understand the problem, but you can’t agree with the complaint without hearing all sides of the situation. Try saying something comforting but neutral like, “I can understand why you would be upset about that.” And remember, at this point, you don’t need to make any decisions or offer any solutions.
4. Be calm and courteous, even if the employee is angry and upset. Remember, this is business, not personal. Maintain a neutral expression and body language regardless of what the employee says or what you think of the issue.
5. During the meeting, take notes. It’s important to have documentation in case there’s a question later about what was said, and it shows the employee that you’re paying attention and taking the complaint seriously. You may want to ask the employee to sign a copy of a report or summary based on your notes. You can also use the notes to help you reach a decision about how to proceed with the complaint.
6. When you end the meeting, restate the complaint in your own words. Make sure that you and the employee share an understanding about the exact nature of the complaint. Concluding the meeting effectively is important. You want to send the employee away knowing that his or her complaint has been fully heard and that you or someone else in management will investigate and take appropriate action as soon as possible.
7. Take legal issues to the appropriate people immediately! If the employee mentions sexual harassment, discrimination, threats of personal harm, financial mismanagement, or other legal issues, you must take the matter to your legal or HR department right away. Delays could create serious problems. Do not try to investigate these issues yourself.
8. Set a time for the employee to follow up with you. At that time, be prepared to present a solution to the issue, or clearly explain why you can’t. If it’s a situation that will take time to improve (like an interpersonal problem with a co-worker), determine when you will touch base with the employee to see how things are progressing.

The biggest mistake people make when they’re laid off is to take it personally. It’s hard not to! When you’ve been laid off (not fired), you’ll feel anger, sadness or pain, or all three, but this is a time in your life when it is crucial to be professional.

First, remind yourself that a layoff is not personal. Don’t make the termination meeting hostile by threatening or getting angry. If you get defensive or angry or indignant, you run the risk of burning your bridges with your former employer, and that can cause problems in your job search if you need a reference or other networking assistance in the field. And remember, you’re not going to change anyone’s mind by debating the reasons behind this decision, so just accept what’s happening and make the best of it.

Second, keep your wits about you. You may be offered a severance package, and you may be asked to sign a release to get it. Don’t sign anything on the spot. Instead, tell them you want to take the document home to make sure you understand it all. Then review it carefully with your spouse or attorney, in case there may be things you can negotiate, such as an extra month or two of health insurance. Also ask for letters of reference, any outplacement service, extra insurance coverage, or moving costs that may be available to you.

Third, don’t take company property with you when you leave. Back during the dotcom bust in the 90s, there was a legendary company layoff where the employees were owed past pay, so they stole pretty much everything of value in the office. Don’t take anything the company doesn’t give you. If you cooperate and leave calmly, you may later be able to negotiate

Fourth, keep your cool in the hours and days ahead as you start to grasp the reality of your situation. Once you’ve left the office for good, you may want to vent or let off steam. That’s fine, if you’re talking to a friend or relative, not a former colleague. Venting about an ex-boss to the wrong people is a big mistake, whether in person or on Twitter or Facebook.  And you may want to grab a drink with former co-workers — it can be a good way to avoid isolation — but don’t drown your sorrows. If you’re the one that ends up with the lampshade on your head, that’s the image people will remember: of someone out of control.

Fifth, don’t sit at home in your sweatpants, applying to jobs on the Internet. If you want to find a new job, you need to get out of the house and connect with people. Meet others for coffee or lunch, volunteer your time, or even just take a regular walk in the park. In short, get out of the house and try to make meaningful connections. Sending an email does not cut it when you are trying to set yourself apart and get hired.

Finally, don’t spend your days focusing on doom and gloom. There are too many articles in the newspaper and online about job losses and unemployment. Instead of reading them, find the stories about companies that are growing, adding new products and optimistic about the future. Read the articles about job seekers who found new opportunities or began their own businesses. Hang out with people who look at the bright side of things, the people who always have new ideas and are willing to support you in a positive way

After you’ve been laid off, your emotional state tends to range from uncomfortable to devastated — but the way you handle yourself can either help you rebound or drive your career deeper into the ground.

The youngest generation in today’s workforce – Generation Y, Gen Next, The Millennials – has been getting a bum rap. People tend to dismiss twenty-somethings as slackers; lazy, entitled kids who know nothing about job loyalty, commitment, hard work or respect. Wrong.

If you change your attitude and change that perception in your organization, you’ll earn the loyalty of your younger workforce. If you don’t, you’ll run the risk of high turnover rates and the loss of the newest generation of creativity and brainpower in your organization.

If you are not a member of Generation Y, you need to understand that the Millennials are not like you. They operate in the professional world with a completely different perspective. The key to your organization’s future success is understanding that perspective, and using that knowledge to motivate them. How?

• Ask for their opinions.  Research has shown that one way to reduce turnover in younger employees is to show them that you value their opinions. When surveyed, younger employees always indicate that the top quality they look for in a boss is “someone who listens.”
• Give them some space. Younger employees don’t work well with bosses who hover and micromanage. They like to work at their own pace, in their own style. Help them set their goals, then step back and give them the freedom to reach those goals.
• Give them face time. While most young employees are comfortable with technology, they also place importance on face-to-face performance feedback. The more face time you give them, the happier they’ll be.
• Focus on short-term incentives. Younger employees want incentives such as flexible hours, performance-based monetary incentives, and other programs where they can reap the benefits immediately. Long-term, big picture incentives, such as a 401K plan, aren’t as meaningful to them.
• Understand their work ethic. Gen Nexters have a self-centered work ethic, which is not entirely negative. They are dedicated to completing their tasks efficiently but probably haven’t been raised to look around and see what should be done next. They go about figuring the best, fastest way to complete their task, then consider themselves done.
• Give them concrete incentives. For most younger employees, early employment is not about a career path. It’s a way to earn money to have fun in their free time. If you understand this, you can help motivate them by telling them clearly what they must do to earn that weekly paycheck, bonuses or other incentives. Don’t try to motivate by promising promotions and titles down the road.
• Keep their goals short-term. Generation Y was born into a world where nothing is guaranteed. Considering the recessions, wars and soaring divorce rates they’ve seen, their attitude is that there’s not a lot you can count on. As a result, they’re not interested in years-long promotion plans. Reward small successes along the way, string these milestones together and you will soon realize longer tenures among your staff.

Loyalty from younger employees, once earned, is long-lasting. The adjustments you make to accommodate them will reward you with decreased turnover, improved morale, and measurable business results.