How Do You Choose the Right Career Path for You?

Franklin D Roosevelt once said “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” Thankfully, we live in trial-and-error times where growth and change are expected and employers have learned to tolerate if not wholeheartedly appreciate and welcome the diversity in background and skills that come from career changers.

In lieu of life-long job and career stability, many of today’s professionals espouse a career trajectory that is open to responding to new challenges and opportunities as they arise. These may be motivated by entirely extraneous factors such as economic restructuring, downsizing, upsizing, the emergence of lucrative new industry sectors or motivated by changes in personal situation which could include age, changes to marital or family status, geographical preferences, new life demands, desire for better work/life balance etc.

Whatever the motivation, career change is no longer the frowned-upon sole recourse of the unemployed but a common turn of events and one that is expected to become more so as economies restructure at an ever more accelerated pace, information about alternate career paths flows ever more freely, work/life balance becomes an increasingly hot topic, and a booming global economy means opportunities abound.

A recent on-line poll run by the Middle East’s #1 job site Bayt.com covering over 1,420 professionals that enquired how often candidates have changed career paths in their life saw the majority of respondents have changed careers at least once and many had changed careers two times or more. Only 40% of respondents have never changed careers whereas 27% had changed careers once and 32% of respondents had changed careers twice or more.

So how in such times of flux and opportunity and in light of the vast amount of choice out there do you determine the right career for you? Below the Career Experts from Bayt.com offer some pointers as you approach this important topic:

DREAM

(Examine your passions and interests)

1. Read the current literature on career change – the whys, how-tos and whens. Books such as What Colour is Your Parachute are a great way to start the self-exploration process.

2. Ask yourself what you would do in an ideal world if money were no imperative. What would you do if you had a year away from work or if you could emulate someone who in your opinion has a dream job? Would you write poetry, run a global corporation, compete in athletics, design world-class architectural projects, publish literature, start your own little business, work with children, with the elderly, teach, heal, perform?

3. Ask yourself what tasks you ideally like to immerse yourself in. Do you prefer the analytical aspects of your current (or past) job, the administrative aspects, the leadership aspects, the coaching aspects, problem-solving aspects, decision-making in teams, writing, designing, co-ordinating, managing, creating, trouble-shooting etc. Where do you find yourself happiest and most comfortable?

4. Make a list of those aspects of your job or other jobs that you don’t like and wish to avoid.

5. Be honest with yourself, be creative and dare to dream as you think of what you would really like to do. The dreaming stage is not the time to focus – allow yourself to really explore all avenues of interest and be curious about new paths and possibilities.

DETERMINE

(Examine your values, priorities and skills)

6. Determine what your priorities really are. How important is work-life balance to you versus career growth or financial stability? How important is leisure versus work versus learning for you? Are you willing to put one or two on hold while you pursue a third or is your ideal life plan a blended one that includes the three? Are you content with financial stability or are you interested in huge financial gain? Are you interested in a job or a career? Is prestige and social status critical to you and how much of these does your career, past and potential, afford you?

7. Determine your real values and ask what career satisfies and is consistent with those. Albert Einstein’s advice on this front was: “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.”

8. Make an inventory of your skills and strengths.

9. Take self-assessment tests to even more deeply understand what it is that motivates, drives and inspires you.

DIG DEEP/ DISSECT

(Examine alternate career paths)

10. Research alternate career paths – look at growth potential, job profiles, pay, benefits, mobility, work/life balance and all other issues that will determine your longevity in the career.

11. As you hone in on potential career paths obtain the maximum amount of information about these careers. Read industry blogs and websites, talk to people in the field, subscribe to industry journals and newsletters and leave no stone unturned as you familiarize yourself with the potential new territory.

12. Map your personal inventory of skills, interests, values against the requirements of alternative career paths.

13. Realistically analyse and make contingencies for those factors that impede your career mobility. These may be geographical mobility issues, financial limitations, family considerations, or education/ training issues. Look at occupational and non-occupational barriers to career entry and determine realistically how you can/will overcome those.

14. Seek counseling and advice. As you seek to reinvent yourself you may want to talk to a professional counselor formally, or informally to someone in your new area, an old colleague or a peer. Formal counseling is useful when trying to overcome mental blocks to career growth and advancement. Often, the biggest detriment to career development is low self-esteem, anxiety fear, inertia and the inability to deal with change meaningfully and constructively.

DECIDE

(Select the ultimate career path)

15. Let your natural instincts, your introspection and the fruits of your intense research guide the way. Many of us in today’s number-crunching world have learned to quell those very essential natural instincts that propel us towards leadership, happiness and success.

16. Don’t be swayed by external pressures. Often family, friends and society place undue pressure on a person to conform to or follow a certain career path. Pablo Picasso once said “My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general; if you become a monk, you’ll end up as the Pope.” Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”” .

17. Don’t let financial considerations alone guide you unless of course you have determined that financial gain in itself (with all its glories and trappings) is your overriding value, interest and goal in life. Oftentimes, short-term financial losses can be compensated for by the fact that you will eventually prosper most and acquire the most depth and skill in the field that most interests you.

DARE

(Confidently stride into your new career)

18. Believe in yourself. Have faith and be bold and brave as you follow your aspirations. Don’t let negative self-perceptions and external diatribes detract you from your true calling. After the homework, the reading, the research, the introspection, soul-searching, networking and analysis, close your eyes and find the person you always wanted to be.

Robert Kennedy famously once said “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” Arm yourself with your dreams, your invaluable newly acquired self-knowledge and your rigorous research into the plethora of opportunities out there and don’t hesitate in pursuing the career of your dreams. Your success will thank you!

Source:http://www.bayt.com/job/career-article-1461

Head of Program – Accounting

Responsibilities:

* Manage and ensure excellence process in Business School for graduate program in respective school
* Ensure and improve student intake
* Manage and Growth Partnership with academic institutions and Industries
* Manage and improve stakeholder Satisfaction
* Manage and ensure Academic Excellence
* Manage and ensure Operation Excellence
* Manage and ensure Research & Publication programs
* Manage and ensure Quality Resources
* Preferably Educated from well known universities in USA, UK, Canada, Australia or European Countries.

Requirements:

* Candidate must possess at least a Master’s Degree / Post Graduate Degree in Finance/Accountancy/Banking or equivalent.
* Required language(s): English.
* Preferred language(s): Bahasa Indonesia.
* At least 3 year(s) of working experience in the related field is required for this position.
* Preferably Senior Staffs specializing in Education or equivalent.
* Preferably Expatriate Candidates.
send your cv to khoirul@jac-recruitment.co.id

The Informational Interview: A Key Networking Event

The “informational interview” is an invaluable resource and a welcome addition to any job seeker’s toolkit.

Any resourceful jobseeker will have relatively little trouble unearthing key information about target industries as well as specific companies and job descriptions. Industry publications and journals abound and in addition to company annual reports, advertising materials and websites, there are a plethora of industry and market websites on-line that lend current and relevant information for the diligent jobseeker. There is no substitute however for meeting people within the industry and getting the key facts firsthand and for this reason, the “informational interview” is an invaluable resource and a welcome addition to any jobseeker’s toolkit.

What is an “informational interview”?

The “informational interview” is a formal meeting between a jobseeker and a professional in the industry used by the jobseeker to gather key data about the market, the industry, the specific company and the position targeted. It is a forum for jobseekers to learn about the industry and company from an “insider” and to ask questions that are best answered by some-one already in the field. Beside being a vital forum for gathering key information firsthand, the information interview can also propel the job search forward by providing a springboard for networking within the industry. Moreover, if the chemistry is right, the professional may well end up providing ongoing mentorship for the candidate going forward as well as a source of information in the future about any vacancies that arise either within his company, at affiliates or at competing firms.

How do you arrange an Informational Interview?

The first step in arranging an informational interview is to identify the professionals you would like to meet. Research the industry and companies you are looking to enter and identify a professional who is in your preferred role and in a senior enough capacity to be able to give appropriate information about the industry and company in general as well as about specific job prospects in the field.

Once you have identified the target professional, send him/her a letter requesting no more than 30 minutes of their time for an informational interview to learn more about the industry and the position you are targeting. Introduce yourself with a brief summary of your experience and career objectives and make it clear that you are not approaching them for a job but merely to lean more about the industry from a seasoned, successful professional.

To facilitate matters, try to get a referral from someone you know – ex-employers, friends, family, neighbours or someone already at that company, so that you are not calling entirely cold. Alumni associations are very helpful in this instance; contact your alma mater’s alumni association for names of professionals who work in your target company/field and approach them making it clear that you went to the same university and got their name form the alumni association. Fellow alumni are usually more than happy to meet with you, offer needed advice and point you in the right direction.

How do you conduct an informational interview?

Make sure you arrive at the informational interview prepared with a list of questions pertinent to your jobhunt and research activities and that you respect the professional’s time. Take a CV with you and give it to the interviewee then spend a few minutes introducing yourself, your experience and your present career objective ending with what you hope to achieve by way of information-gathering from this meeting.

Sample questions you may want answered during the interview include:

* “How did you get started in this industry?”
* “What are the prospects for the industry/ company in your opinion in the next 5 years?”
* “What does it take to enter this field of work?”
* “How should I approach my job hunt? Are there any specific companies you know of that are hiring?”
* “What does a typical day on the job look like?”
* “What skills are key to success in this role?”
* “What do you like most about your role? What do you like least?”
* “What is the most challenging aspect of your job?”
* “Do you have any advice for me as a jobseeker wishing to enter this field given my past experience?”
* “Are there any courses you recommend I take to supplement my CV?”
* “What industry associations or journals would you recommend for me to learn more about this field?”

Treat the information interview as you would a formal interview, dressing in conservative business attire, arriving early, behaving professionally, having the company and industry well researched before-hand and to the extent possible, also researching the career and successes of the professional you are interviewing. Listen attentively, take notes and make sure you do not rudely interrupt or act overly controlling in the interview – the interviewee may well have relevant advice and factoids for you that do not fall specifically within your line of questioning. Thank the interviewee sincerely for his time after the interview and do not hesitate to ask him if he can refer you to anyone else in the industry that may be hiring or may serve as an additional springboard for your networking activities. Beside the information gathered on your target company and occupation, getting further referrals is a key objective of an informational interview.

What to expect from an informational interview

There are four key benefits of an informational interview:

* Firstly, by preparing with adequate questions and building a good rapport with the professional being interviewed, you will gain invaluable insight from an insider on your target industry and company as well as the skills required to enter and excel in your target occupation. The information you gather will be up-to-date and directly relevant as you are getting it first-hand from an industry practitioner.
* Secondly, you will gain important visibility, widen your professional network and gain invaluable referrals in the industry if the interviewee is accommodating and gives you the names of peers in the industry who may be of further help. These referrals may well end up revealing a position in the pipeline that you were not previously aware of.
* Thirdly, informational interviews are an excellent forum to build confidence, reduce anxiety and prepare for real job interviews when a position does arise. Many jobseekers gain significant composure and self-esteem from conducting these interviews, particularly if they have been interviewing for jobs for a while and meeting with negative responses. These interviews are a great method to practice talking with a seasoned professional in your target field and asking and answering questions without experiencing rejection.
* Fourthly, the informational interview will aid you in clarifying your career goals as you explore different career paths and learn more about the different roles, skills required and responsibilities entailed from an experienced insider.

What happens after the information interview?

Your information interview is a key networking event and you should aim to leverage the contact you made to build a professional long-term relationship. Follow up with a thank-you note after the meeting and then periodically keep the interviewee informed of milestones in your job hunt and in your career in general. The interviewee may well end up at a later stage either hiring himself or referring you to a peer in the industry who is hiring or is a more effective springboard for networking and information gathering activities. Beside the importance of the information you gather in propelling your job search forward, there is no substitute in the long-run for having a close personal rapport with peers in the industry to advance your personal and professional network

Source:http://www.bayt.com/job/career-article-842

Tough Interview Questions:- How to Survive the Last Mile

Tips to survive some tough interview tactics in style

You read the books, did your research, knew what to expect and impressed the HR recruiters and line managers equally. So much so in fact that they have now been elevated to a different level of questioning altogether; you have made it the final round, the lion’s ring, the platinum enclave, and the employer is now trying to determine if you really are as perfect, as unquestionably suited for the job as you seem to be. In the most professional behavioral based interviews you will often not even be aware of the exact behavior or history of behaviors the interviewer is probing for or trying to ascertain.

Below are some of the questions/tactics you might expect during a really tough interview as the employer struggles with the decision of are you really the right candidate for the job are have you simply memorized the latest Interview Skills Almanac and rehearsed at length with the Interview Brigade.

1. Silence

The silence left by an interviewer is not an invitation to babble or a license to ramble. In fact, it is a calculated tactic used by many a sophisticated employer to make you do precisely that. Avoid breaking the silence and above all don’t lose your cool. Stay casual and relaxed, maintain your friendly demeanor and wait for the employer to break the silence. Remember in an interview the nonverbal cues you give are being observed as closely as your words, tone and diction.

2. Tell Me A Little About Yourself

Stick to business and to those aspects of yourself that specifically related to the job at hand. This is not the time to pretend to enjoy soccer if you don’t know how many people play in a team, who won the last World Cup and what the rules of the game are. Nor is it the time to reveal personal information that has no bearing to the professional setting and might impede your chances of success. This is your chance to really sell yourself and expound on all those character traits, accomplishments and success stories that have a direct bearing on the job. Reassert why you are there and your interest in the position and reaffirm why you are uniquely qualified and suitable for the role at hand. Substantiate your claims with concrete and positive examples from your past experience that reflect on your abilities, aptitudes and values. Show that you understand the requirements of the role and portray yourself in the best light possible to occupy that role by virtue of your goals, interests, strengths, skills and past successes.

3. Tell Me a Story

Trust us, the interviewer is not interested at this specific moment in pop culture, nursery rhymes or the sequel to the latest blockbuster. He is interested in his bottom line and in finding a candidate who can augment that while being a pleasant and welcome member of the team. Stay focused on why you are there and what the interviewer is looking for. Asking a question to get the conversation back on the most relevant professional track is your best course of action. “What would you like to hear about?” may narrow the parameters but then again the interviewer may not be forthcoming. You can then volunteer “Can I tell you about why I am here today and why I truly believe I am uniquely suitable for this specific job” and proceed to reiterate with passion and sincerity why you firmly believe you are unequivocally the best person for the job.

4. Why Should We Hire You?

This question delivered sometimes in a condescending manner may come at a late stage of the interview by which time you thought you’d already expounded on all your virtues or it may be used as a shocker right at the beginning. Either way don’t be discouraged or exasperated. Use it to drive home exactly why you believe you are uniquely and fundamentally and beyond any shade of a doubt qualified for the very specific role being discussed. This is where your homework comes into play and you need to really understand what the employer is looking for in terms of skills, strengths, values, track record and cultural fit. Align your goals and interests with the employer’s and reiterate that you are confident you can not only meet the deliverables and perform the requirements of the role but really excel! Show confidence, enthusiasm and energy without being boastful or arrogant. Above all be sincere. Your sincere and honest interest in the job and faith that you will perform beyond all your expectations will communicate itself to the employer better than any canned superlatives and coined metaphors.

5. What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?

Every workplace has its unique personalities and character profiles, some less ideal to work with than others. This is not the time to point fingers, generalize, compartmentalize or wax lyrical about your ideal team environment. Show you are tolerant, flexible, easygoing and able to get along with practically anyone and resolve conflicts professionally and productively. Say you understand everyone brings to the table their very own skills, strengths and experiences, that you enjoy the challenge of working with new people and can really appreciate the differences. Emphasize that you are a teamplayer who enjoys interacting with and bouncing ideas off of others and thrives on the feedback and reinforcement, the energy and vitality inherent in effective and collaborative teamwork.

6. How do you handle stress?

Stress is an inevitable part of life and the employer needs to hear you realize that and have already mastered the art of recognizing stress and coping with it effectively. Mention that you take time to really think through a situation before reacting and never allow matters to blow out of proportion or lose your calm. Give an example of a particularly stressful project you worked on and how you managed to reduce the stress level through proper planning, organization time management. Show you have an arsenal of real stress-busting habits too which successfully serve you in ameliorating stress whether they be yoga, running once a week, meditation at night, swimming, meeting up with friends, or some other sport, hobby or activity that shows you positively for the well-rounded person you are.

7. What was your biggest failure?

Obviously this is potentially your opportunity to talk yourself out of the job so be very careful and above all don’t bring up a failure that has any impact or ramifications whatsoever on the job at hand. You may bring up something relatively insignificant that happened very early in your career and turn it into a story of remedial action and great success as directly affects and impacts your potential for contribution to the present job. Demonstrate that you have dramatically learned and grew from that experience. You may mention for instance a formal training program you really wanted to get into that you were not permitted to join and how that forced you to pursue your own learning tangent which actually proved much more rich, fruitful and relevant to your chosen career path. Or talk about an account you lost very early on in your career due to sheer inexperience and how you instantly took remedial action, learned from your mistakes, took the counsel and advice of your boss and mentors and won the account back and have since made them into one of your biggest customers.

8. To what do you attribute your success?

The interviewer probably wants to verify that you really are successful professional at this stage by gauging your sincerity when you respond to this question. He/she is also interested in your value system and character. Mention some of the values you hold most dear to you – honesty, integrity, character, discipline, and mention that you are an energetic, ambitious “doer” who has always been very persistent, organized and disciplined in setting and meeting goals. Don’t be arrogant or over-confident when answering this question or ramble on endlessly as this is also a “likability” question. Remember to attribute some of the success to the wonderful people you have been blessed to work/ learn with – whether it is a unique boss, mentor, teacher, peer or group of people.

9. Describe a situation where you were faced with a problem that had no precedent?

This question probes your problem-solving and analytical skills. How well can you think outside the box, wrap your mind around a particular quandary, get the full measure of it and formulate the means and method to resolve it in an exemplary fashion? This question is especially relevant in the case of start-up companies or divisions, consultancy roles and many positions which require braving uncharted territory and designing new systems and procedures and operating apparatus. You need to show creativity, clarity of thought, confidence in your analytical and problem-solving skills and willingness to take a risk and create your own precedent.
10. How do you deal with difficult customers?

Give an example of a difficult client you had to work with and how you maintained the relationship and made it profitable by really listening to him, respecting his needs, issues and constraints, following-up rigorously, maintaining very high professional standards and not allowing ego to get in the way. Chose an example where you were able to really turn the situation around to everyone’s advantage.
11. What has been your greatest accomplishment?

Choose a significant success story and make sure you position it in terms of how it positively impacts your potential for success in the new role. Give facts and figures to elaborate if possible. You may want to talk about winning the most important account in the industry if that is relevant to the job at hand, about your relationships with clients which have won you an unrivalled track record at client retention, or about exceeding ambitions goals through hard work, perseverance, client follow-up, effective communication and cohesive teamwork. Show how you mobilized resources and gained approvals and how you then carried through to successful implementation and follow-up without losing sight of either the big picture or the details and while effectively negotiating several difficulties on the way.
12. What is your ideal work environment?

Emphasize your flexibility and your ability to be productive, happy and efficient in any number of environments. This is not the time to demand the corner office with the park view or uninterrupted close-door policy. Versatility goes a long way in today’s fluid workplaces and you need to show that you are able to focus on the job at hand and “fit in” seamlessly regardless of extraneous factors be they the physical surroundings, team dynamics or general level of noise and activity in the office. Indicate examples of how you have managed to excel in the past in suboptimal work environments and done so quite happily. Convey that you like the challenge of fitting into a new role and know from your history and track record that you can adapt immediately regardless of the environment.

Sources:http://www.bayt.com/job/career-article-1481

Salary Negotiations: the Basics

Negotiate

Yes, do negotiate. Employers actually EXPECT you to negotiate your package even when they pretend they don’t so don’t deprive them, or yourself, of that pleasure.

Negotiate After You Have An Offer

The time to negotiate your salary is after the employer has decided he wants you on board and has made you a concrete offer – not in the elevator on the way up to the Interview or after an interview question you think you’ve particularly aced. An offer indicates that the employer wants you on board and is convinced you have the skillset and potential to be a valuable addition to the team. You now have the upper hand and should use it to secure a compensation package commensurate with your worth. It is far easier to negotiate a satisfactory package at this stage when the employer really wants you and is focused on getting you on board, than after you are on board and firmly entrenched at a given salary level and job description. It is unlikely you will ever be in a better position to negotiate a good package than you are at this stage.

Establish Job Responsibilites

Clarify your job responsibilities before beginning to negotiate the compensation. Make sure you have all the facts pertaining to the new position and are very clear about your role, responsibilities and the job title. This detailed knowledge of the position will come in handy as you negotiate your package.

Determine Your Salary Range Beforehand

Before you can begin negotiating, you need to determine a salary range that you can base your discussions with the employer on.

Firstly, determine the minimum salary you could possibly accept, and make sure this is a salary that you can survive on. This minimum is not to be revealed to the employer in your negotiations.

Next, determine a reasonable mid-point salary based on what the job responsibilities are, what you have to offer the employer and what you are worth in the market. To get a realistic idea of what the position is worth, research the market. Look at published annual salary surveys and job ads for similar positions in newspapers, magazines and on internet job sites and talk to friends in the industry and recruitment agents. If you are applying to a position at the right level, there should not be a large discrepancy between what the position is worth based on your research and what you are worth based on your experience, education, compensation history and what you have to offer the position.

Finally, determine an extremely generous salary level that is not too unrealistic for the position and that you would be extremely ecstatically happy to receive.

Get the Employer to Reveal his Hand First

Always get your employer to reveal his hand first to avoid pricing yourself out of the game or limiting the discussions prematurely. If you are first to put a number on the table, you run the risk of being perceived as ‘overqualified’ if your range is too high or casting doubts on your professional abilities and track record if you shortsell yourself. Revealing your expectations or salary history will limit your negotiating range and remove a lot of the leverage you otherwise have.

Often, the employer will make you a verbal offer and throw the salary ball into your field by asking you what salary you expect, or what salary you made in your previous position. Try to throw the ball right back in the employer’s field by countering with another question, such as “What do you think someone with my track record, experience and skills could make in this position?” or “You now have a good idea of my skills and track record and potential. What do you think is a fair salary given the job’s requirements and responsibilities?”

Do not reveal your previous salary if you can possibly help it. Focus the discussion instead on what your background, responsibilities and potential contributions are worth in this position. Your goal should be to maximize your worth and potential value to this employer through effective negotiation – the value your previous employer placed on you should be irrelevant. Remember, what you are worth to this employer is a function of the value-added you can bring to this particular job and your potential contributions in the new role, not a function of how your skills were utilized (or misutilized) in the last job.

If absolutely pressed for a number and the employer will not give you an idea of his target range despite all your best efforts to gain the upper hand, you can present the employer with the range you have determined beforehand. The ‘expected’ salary range you reveal will have what is really your midpoint as the minimum, with the upper bound representing your ‘dream’ salary. Make sure you always start your negotiations with a range, not a specific salary level.

Let the Games Begin

You are now officially at the starting line, equipped with a verbal offer, your own well-studied salary range and a solid understanding of your job responsibilities in this new role. The negotiations will be fired either with the employer revealing his salary range for the position or, despite all your best efforts to reverse the roles, you revealing your predetermined ‘expected’ salary range first.

Best case scenario: You have played your cards right and the employer extends you an offer that is at the upper bound or significantly above your expectations. Your downside risk has been eliminated and you can now focus your discussions on making a good situation even better. If your predetermined salary range was $75,000-$90,000 and the employer has offered you $90,000 – $95,000, you can counter with something akin to “That is close to the range I had in mind. My expectations given my background and the job responsibilities were closer to $95,000 – $105,000 with $95,000 really having been my very minimum. How much flexibility do you have on the upside?”

Worst case scenario: You have prematurely limited your negotiating range by revealing your hand too soon and the employer counters with a lower range, or the employer starts the negotiations with an offer below your expectations. This is where your negotiating savvy really comes into play.

Before you begin to negotiate, make sure you and the employer are roughly in the same ballpark. If your well researched and well thought out range of $75-90,000 was met with an offer of $50-55,000 from the employer, you have either misconstrued the job responsibilities or the employer is paying significantly below the market. This is where your minimum salary comes in. Does the range meet your minimum threshold? If not and your negotiations don’t bring you upto that minimum requirement, this may well be the wrong position and/or company for you!

Justify Your Counter-Offer

Your $75-90,000 range was met with a $70-75,000 offer from the employer. All is not lost. You will keep the discussion alive by coming back with a sell proposition along the lines of “Well let me see, the job’s responsibilities as I understand them are ABC” at which time you carefully recite in detail all the various aspects of the job. “I really feel that someone with my track record and qualifications could be making a minimum of $75,000 on the job. I was actually looking for a salary much closer to the $80,000 mark.” You then proceed to justify your range. Confirm to the employer that you are very interested in working with the company and that you feel you would really fit into the team and could make a significant contribution there. Recap on your most relevant work experience and mention again the skills you will immediately put to productive use on the job. Mention that you feel your ideal salary is actually very realistic given your experience and the job requirements.

Gain Leverage by Negotiating the Job Responsibilities

If the employer’s range is carved in stone despite all your well-rehearsed negotiation tactics, move to another stone. You do this by altering the role, albeit modestly to justify a higher salary. This is where your detailed knowledge of the position comes in.

You can do this in three ways. Firstly, you can add to the list of job requirements a task or responsibility you have thought of beforehand; one that you have either read about, thought of yourself or heard about from a friend in the industry. Secondly, you can seize on one of the problems the employer mentioned during the Interview and offer a solution that you would personally be responsible for. Thirdly, you can ask the employer outright, what added responsibilities he would ideally like to have the person holding this job ultimately assume if they were brought upto speed quickly enough. Another way to pose the latter question is what added responsibilities or areas does the employer wish your predecessor had taken charge of. Asking the question “What are some of the areas you would like improved on” or “What are some of the problems that my predecessor faced” during the Interview comes in useful at this stage of the negotiations as you try to establish additional value-added ground.

The ‘business solution’ or added responsibility you come up with need not be monumental; in fact you should refrain from making any big promises. It can be something as simple as a Marketing Executive offering to arrange a brief monthly newsletter for the firm’s clients, or a database that would speed client reporting up, or a slightly revised format for the monthly reports that would be more visually appealing. The important thing is that once you have elevated the position to a slightly higher plateau, you can then proceed to justify your ‘ideal’ salary as commensurate with the increased responsibilities. You can go back to the employer with “From what I understand, my role in this position would be XYZ. However, I am also bringing to the job the following function(s) and responsibilities . . . ” at which point you recant the additional responsibilities.

Justifying your desired salary as being commensurate with a higher level of responsibility is an excellent way to jumpstart stalled negotiations.

Negotiate the Package not just the Salary

You should be ready to negotiate the entire package, not just the salary. Remember that you can enhance a less than stellar salary by negotiating the perks. If your most ardent, well-rehearsed salary negotiation tactics were ineffective at boosting the starting salary, you can try to gain the lost ground at this stage of the game. Your discussions can include medical insurance, car and housing allowance, children’s education, plane tickets home for expats, club memberships and further education and professional training for yourself. Try to get any courses, seminars or further education you intend to take included in your package. In many industries you can negotiate a guaranteed bonus at a given date or a sign-up bonus. You can try to secure a commitment to a minimum salary increase and/or title promotion at a prespecified date in the future providing you meet certain performance criteria. At the very minimum, you can ask for a performance (and salary) review a few months after joining

Sources: http://www.bayt.com/job/career-article-68

Job Interview Tips

Interview skills are learnt. Do your pre-interview homework, learn what questions you can anticipate and how best to answer them. Practice and preparation are key for a successful interview.

Your CV has impressed, your research and networking activities have paid off and you have landed an Interview with your company of choice. Now to make sure you turn this Interview into a pot of gold and secure the job of your dreams. Below are some general tips and guidelines that should assist you through the Interview:
1. Research

Most of you will have researched your company of choice thoroughly in order to get to this point. For those who haven’t, it is essential that you do some background research on the company and the job before you walk in that door. The Interviewer will expect you to know a little about the industry and the company and will be very impressed if you are familiar with specific events, news and concerns relating to the business. Newspapers, industry and trade magazines, local libraries and the Internet are all good sources of information. Feel free to pick up the phone and ask the company for their annual reports and any marketing materials – most companies are more than happy to oblige. The very minimum information you will want to know is what lines of business the company is in, what the requirements and responsibilities are for the job you are applying for and the latest news pertaining to the company. Specific information about the company’s new product lines, competitive positioning, plans for the future, vision, mission and values, business objectives and key personnel changes will further impress as will any information that bears directly to the position you are applying for. Treat knowledge as a primary competitive advantage; the more information you have about the company and role, the higher your chances of success.

2. Be prepared

It is highly advisabe that you take with you to the interview a notebook to take notes and extra copies of your CV (in many cases the employer will have misplaced it, have an unclear copy if it was faxed, or simply expect you to provide it). In many types of jobs, you may want to take with you examples of your work eg. past creative work if you are in advertising, design or similar roles, published work if you are a writer etc. You may also want to take with you references and copies of your educational certificates just in case, although these are typically not required at the initial interview stage.

3. Dress for success

Your first Interview is the first impression an employer will have of you and it is essential to make a favorable first impact. You should always plan to dress relatively conservatively for the first Interview even if the job involves casual wear. You can always dress down in later meetings. Generally, the image you want that first meeting is clean, well-groomed and conservative.

4. Be punctual

Make sure you arrive for the Interview a good 15 minutes early. Allow yourself plenty of time for any potential mishaps eg traffic jams, unclear directions, public transportation difficulties etc. Showing up late indicates disrespect for the employer’s time and hints at sloppy planning and poor time-management and judgement.

5. Attitude counts

This is the time to show off your interpersonal skills. Employers are looking for certain key character traits and you need to demonstrate them at the Interview. Keep the following in mind:

* Listening skills. Make sure you listen intently, let the Interviewer complete his sentences and you don’t interrupt. At the same time, show interest in what he is saying and ask pertinent and interesting questions. Good active listening skills are essential in any role.
* Enthusiasm. In many cases, you may not be ideally qualified for the position, or you may have a steep learning curve ahead of you. You need to demonstrate to the Employer that you are extremely interested in the position and have the drive and ambition and keenness it takes to succeed! Enthusiasm is contagious and employers are always keen to add enthusiastic members to their team in the hopes that their positive attitude rubs off on the team and lifts the general spirit of the workplace. Your positive attitude will impress the interviewer as long as it is genuine and not overplayed and he will leave the Interview with a favorable ‘feel’ about you.
* Eye contact. Maintain professional eye contact with the Interviewer. Looking away continuously suggests distractibility and disinterest. Looking down suggests shyness and lack of confidence. By all means though keep it natural and feel free to nod your head and smile and even laugh where appropriate. Try to avoid staring the employer down, nodding superfluously or fixing a fake grin on your face out of nervousness.
* Emotional Intelligence. You need to demonstrate to the Interviewer that you have a high level of emotional intelligence and are willing and able to detect and adapt readily to new environments, demands, people, work styles etc. The Interview is a good place to demonstrate this. Be sensitive to the Interviewer’s personal style by paying attention to his general behavior, his demeanor, his office space and the types of questions he asks, and tailor your answers and tone and pace of delivery accordingly.
* Professionalism. Above all, be professional. Respect the Interviewer-Interviewee boundaries at all times and do not behave in an overly friendly or casual fashion with the Interviewer. Avoid bringing up your personal life unless in a directly relevant manner, do not comment on politics, religion or any other controversial topics dear to your heart, do not stray from the Interview topics and keep your answers factual, honest and professional.

6. Have the answers

There is no telling what style an Interviewer will take and what questions he will come up with. Interviews range from the very structured and professional to ad hoc conversations where the employer may simply ask you to talk about yourself. In most well-established corporations however, certain questions are quite standard and we recommend you take the time to really think about them, develop answers and find evidence to support your answers from past experiences and qualifications. Read up on common and uncommon interview questions before the interview in preparation and know your CV inside and out so that no question about your career takes you unawares. Take time to introspect and reflect on what has enabled you to succeed in the past and how you intend to succeed in the future in the new role. Practice mock interviews with friends or run through possible scenarios in your mind in advance of the interview. Bayt has prepared a list of Common Interview Questions that you can start practicing on. Practice visualisation – if you see yourself already in the new role and succeeding in your new capacity, chances are the interviewer may see you in that capacity too; just make sure you are fully aware of what it is that has enabled you to obtain the role and what it is about your skills, qualifications, character traits and experience that has enabled you to succeed so you can communicate these factors clearly, honestly and and convincingly to the employer.

Sources: http://www.bayt.com/job/career-article-72

Rute Busway

Operation Manager for Education Field

1. 1. Male or Female Max 35 years old.
   2. Education Background S2 it’s a must.
   3. Good command English both spoken and written.
   4. Min 3 years experience in related field.
   5. Has good knowledge in making lecturing schedule, Annual Accademic Schedule, Handling new student and current student enrollment, Managing Library and IT support in Campus efficiently and Effectively.
   6. Liaise with other departments to coordinate and monitor service.
   7. Supervise office staff: assign and monitor clerical and administration functions, evaluate staff performance, coaching and disciplining staff, conduct orientation and Lotus Notes (IT system) training for new staff.
   8. Familiar with Computer literate.

Send your CV to khoirul@jac-recruitment.co.id

Human Resources Generalist

1. • Pria atau Wanita, Max 35 tahun.
   • Min S1
   • Min 3 tahun pengalaman kerja sebagai Human Resources Generalist di bidang Human Resources dan Office Management.
   • Memiliki keahlian dalam Recruitment & Assesstment, Training & Development, Performance Management, Compensation & Benefit, Organization Design, Government Rules & Regulation, HR System, Policies & Procedures, PPh21 dan JAMSOSTEK.
   • Bersedia melakukan dinas keluar kota ataupun luar negeri.
   • Mampu berbahasa Inggris dengan baik secara lisan maupun tulisan.

   Kirim CV anda ke:

Khoirul@jac-recruitment.co.id or khoirul.recruitment@gmail.com

Head of Human Resources Information System (HRIS).

1. • Pria, Max 35 tahun.
   • Min S1 or S2.
   • Min 5 tahun pengalaman kerja sebagai HRIS Manager.
   • Mampu mengembangkan sistem informasi yang mengacu pada platform HR SAP module.
   • Mampu menguasai HR Automation (Web, Lotus Note,SAP)
   • Mempunyai jiwa kepemimpinan yang baik.
   • Bersedia melakukan dinas keluar kota ataupun luar negeri.
   • Mampu berbahasa Inggris dengan baik secara lisan maupun tulisan.

   Kirim CV anda ke:

Khoirul@jac-recruitment.co.id or khoirul.recruitment@gmail.com