Call me greedy, call me selfish, call me an overachiever, call me what you want, BUT realize that I know my value and I KNOW what I want.
In my last post I talked about my job search & job interview. The interview went well on 10/09/09, I met two great people, was exposed to a great opportunity, but now I’m hesitant about accepting the job offer that I received.
Here goes – I work in the software consulting industry as an analyst. I have a great paying job at the age of 26. My current salary is $65K & yes I am thankful that I have a job, I know that there are people out there who would kill to make that kind of money, but I have worked hard as hell to get where I am. My “high paying” job doesn’t come WITHOUT stress nor does it come WITHOUT personal sacrifice! I am a hard worker, a quick learner, I’ll go above and beyond to get my work done, I will help anyone who is willing to help themselves.
Did I mention that my interview with Software Company #1 went well? The job would require me to initially travel to Ireland for a period of about a week or two this year & then travel to Ireland for 4-6 weeks in January. After the training I would be assigned to a project & work with a team to implement the product.
The position is very similar to what I currently do, but I would hope to take on additional responsibilities, to learn more, do more, and advance in my career. I received a call from the HR manager yesterday, she explained that they wanted to extend a job offer to me with a base salary of $75K. Granted I didn’t give her a salary range that I wanted & that’s my mistake, but I was definitely thinking they would make me an offer in the mid to upper $80’s.
Do I think I’m worth that?! Yeah! I have researched my “title,” my experience, my education and all that other good stuff & the median salary is $80K, $5K MORE than their offer & that’s just the median. So I guess it’s now time to negotiate a higher salary. I don’t want to just take their offer, they’ll think I’m a pushover, but I also don’t want to appear greedy.
I’m not getting ready to dish all of my business here on my blog, but $75K isn’t enticing enough to make me leave my current job, a job that I know and do well, a product that I know well, and people that I know well. Monday morning, although I’m traveling, starts salary negotiation! If they are willing to increase the offer to at least $82,500, I am willing to make the move; if not, I’ll stick to what I’m doing & pray that I make it through the next couple of weeks, pray that something better is out there!
In the mean time – anyone got any tips/tricks on negotiating a higher salary?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
10/09/09 - Will My Life Change Forever?
10/09/09 might be the day that changes my life again! Yep, I’m hopeful that 10/09/09 is a GREAT day. I hope that I walk into the office & use my experience, education & charm to “blow them away.”
That’s right – I have a job interview on 10/09/09! Without going into too much detail, I realize that while I love my career, I don’t think my current employer is the long term place for me. I don’t see myself exploring or even realizing my full potential where I am. I haven’t been actively seeking another position, but I’ve placed my resume on several employment recruiting websites. Lucky for me, I received an email about 2 weeks ago with a request for a phone interview. Initially, I was feeling extremely guilty about even doing the phone interview. I felt like I was betraying my current employer by toying with the thoughts of leaving for a better opportunity. I had to overcome that feeling though. After talking to former colleagues of mine who have been in the industry more years than I’ve been alive, they made me realize that companies are no longer loyal to people, just as people are no longer loyal to companies. I need to do what’s best for me & my career. So with tons of words of encouragement, I had my first phone interview in 2 years with an international consulting firm.
Initially I had butterflies in my stomach, but I had to tell myself to stay calm throughout the interview, no need to be nervous because it was just a phone interview. The interview went well, the position offers the same type of benefits that I currently have – 80% travel, great healthcare benefits, a nice 401K program, plus the opportunity to travel internationally! International travel is what gets me giddy LOL! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE to see how the “rest of the world” lives! Anyways, interview went well! Of course, I followed up my interview with a very kind thank you email & within 10 minutes of sending out my thank you email, I received a response from the HR manager requesting a face to face interview! Seriously guys, you have no idea how happy I was.
So here’s the scoop on my interview:
10/09/09 I’m flying to Boston for an interview with an international consulting firm. The interview is scheduled to start at 11:30 AM, I’ll have 2 separate interviews, lunch with my potential employer, and then I’m flying back to Atlanta. I received all of the details of my itinerary last Friday, the company has a great financial rating, the opportunity is absolutely fabulous – now I just gotta ace the interview! I haven’t decided what to wear yet, I’m debating about wearing the Evan Picone dress that I purchased last weekend and if not that a black suit from J. Crew….
Wish me luck!!!
That’s right – I have a job interview on 10/09/09! Without going into too much detail, I realize that while I love my career, I don’t think my current employer is the long term place for me. I don’t see myself exploring or even realizing my full potential where I am. I haven’t been actively seeking another position, but I’ve placed my resume on several employment recruiting websites. Lucky for me, I received an email about 2 weeks ago with a request for a phone interview. Initially, I was feeling extremely guilty about even doing the phone interview. I felt like I was betraying my current employer by toying with the thoughts of leaving for a better opportunity. I had to overcome that feeling though. After talking to former colleagues of mine who have been in the industry more years than I’ve been alive, they made me realize that companies are no longer loyal to people, just as people are no longer loyal to companies. I need to do what’s best for me & my career. So with tons of words of encouragement, I had my first phone interview in 2 years with an international consulting firm.
Initially I had butterflies in my stomach, but I had to tell myself to stay calm throughout the interview, no need to be nervous because it was just a phone interview. The interview went well, the position offers the same type of benefits that I currently have – 80% travel, great healthcare benefits, a nice 401K program, plus the opportunity to travel internationally! International travel is what gets me giddy LOL! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE to see how the “rest of the world” lives! Anyways, interview went well! Of course, I followed up my interview with a very kind thank you email & within 10 minutes of sending out my thank you email, I received a response from the HR manager requesting a face to face interview! Seriously guys, you have no idea how happy I was.
So here’s the scoop on my interview:
10/09/09 I’m flying to Boston for an interview with an international consulting firm. The interview is scheduled to start at 11:30 AM, I’ll have 2 separate interviews, lunch with my potential employer, and then I’m flying back to Atlanta. I received all of the details of my itinerary last Friday, the company has a great financial rating, the opportunity is absolutely fabulous – now I just gotta ace the interview! I haven’t decided what to wear yet, I’m debating about wearing the Evan Picone dress that I purchased last weekend and if not that a black suit from J. Crew….
Wish me luck!!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
You Better Shop Around
So I'm always trying to find cute clothes for work. I have this horrible shopping obsession....or either I'm just so narcissistic that I must buy a whole bunch of clothes and think know that I look great in them!
Most of the time I shop at places like NY&CO, J. Crew, Banana Republic, GAP, and Macy's. Since I've lost 32 pounds, I've been trying to find items that compliment my slimmer figure & found the perfect dress in Macy's. It was a red sweater dress with a black belt around the waist. I wanted it soooooooooooooooooooo freakin bad, but the dress was $89 & I thought that was a bit much for a sweater dress. My mother, lovely lady she is, suggested that we check TJ Maxx and Ross just to see what they have & I'll be damned if her idea wasn't just freakin fantastic!
I ended up purchasing 4 dresses for $100, compared to $89 + tax for 1 dress at Macy's!
So here they are!!
Dress #1 - It's simple, but unfortunately not fitted. So I've decided to find a cute belt to go around the waist & then wear with either knee high boots or heels.
Dress #2 - By Roulette, it looks a bit like a shirt and a skirt, but it's really a dress. The top part is floral silk & has ruffles around the buttons. It's super cute & looks great on!
Most of the time I shop at places like NY&CO, J. Crew, Banana Republic, GAP, and Macy's. Since I've lost 32 pounds, I've been trying to find items that compliment my slimmer figure & found the perfect dress in Macy's. It was a red sweater dress with a black belt around the waist. I wanted it soooooooooooooooooooo freakin bad, but the dress was $89 & I thought that was a bit much for a sweater dress. My mother, lovely lady she is, suggested that we check TJ Maxx and Ross just to see what they have & I'll be damned if her idea wasn't just freakin fantastic!
I ended up purchasing 4 dresses for $100, compared to $89 + tax for 1 dress at Macy's!
So here they are!!
Dress #1 - It's simple, but unfortunately not fitted. So I've decided to find a cute belt to go around the waist & then wear with either knee high boots or heels.
Dress #3 - Not sure who the designer is on this one, but it's so lovely! I bought some knee high boots to go with it; I've decided to bring the dress with me to work this week. I'm wearing it with stack brown heels. The dress is low cute in the front & back - LOVE IT!
Dress #4 - Evan Picone; So this is my classic black dress; it's simple, rouched around the stomach & a bit low cut, but who doesn't like to show a little cleavage? :)
So um - enjoy these pictures & have a wonderful Tuesday!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Traveling Girls Guide – What Makes My Life In The Air Easier!
As many of you know I’m on the road or really in the air a lot! I have flown over 100K miles in 2008 & 2009. Along the way I’ve found some tips, tricks, and items that make my weekly travel almost stress free!
Apple iPhone & Bose earbuds - 2 items I’d be lost without!!
My iPhone holds all of my contacts, emails, travel plans, music, notes, voice memos, pictures, videos; I’d be lost without it. I’ve talked a couple of times about my iPhone, but I wanted to mention some apps that make my travel life much easier as well.
Tripit – tripit is a service that aggregates all of your travel itineraries. Simply make your reservations & forward the email to plans@tripit.com & they organize everything for you in one spot!
Lose it! – Lose it helps me keep track of my diet and exercise while I’m on the road. I find that it’s pretty hard to eat healthy when you’re traveling 3-4 days a week, so I use lose it to track calories & exercise!
TweetDeck – Yep, for iPhone so you can listen to me rant!
Nike+ iPod – Cause I’m a running gal!
Twisty Lite – Because I’m always bored on the plane, Twisty Lite is a great game to play
Moving on!
Bottled Water, Crystal Light, & Benefiber
1 Quart Bag With 3oz Liquids
Cause TSA says I have to & I freakin hate it! So inside of my little baggie I have a couple of things. I don’t wear makeup, so this is a bit easier for me. Inside of my 1 quart bag I have a ton of stuff, stuff that I need for everyday use: deodorant, mini VS body spray, mini VS lotion, mini Vaseline, mini colgate, mini VS perfume, mini dove hairspray, dove face moisturizer, hydrocortisone (because I break out from EVERYTHING) & finally mascara!
Colgate Wisp & Gum
Every business traveler has a laptop bag. Some people have shoulder bags, some have backpacks, and others have rolling laptop bags like I have. I prefer rolling laptop bags, I can latch it to the stop of my carry on bag & keep it moving! I don’t like backpacks cause they wrinkle my clothes. I do have a Coach laptop bag; it’s actually a Coach baby bag that I use as a laptop bag, but it doesn’t hold enough stuff, so I stopped carrying it! My Swiss laptop bag is perfect, it has several compartments for notebooks, my handy dandy planner, 2 magazines, my laptop & all of my PC accessories, PLUS an overnight compartment for a change of clothes.
Let’s quickly address business attire & I swear I’ll be finished! :)
I pack light, extremely light! I pick one color for the week: black or brown & stick with that color. That means one color heels, one color flip flops, one color purse, and always my running shoes. NEVER ANY MORE, never any less! Since my travel days are Monday & Thursday, I wear a comfy, neutral color dress pant on Monday & a cute shirt & wear those same pants on Thursday (with a different shirt of course!). Tuesday is usually a skirt & cute shirt, Wednesday a pair of pants & a cute shirt. I also bring a 2 pairs of shorts & 2 t-shirts. One set for working out in & one set for sleeping in. All of this I shove into a 19” roller board suitcase & carry on the plane! So here are some of my outfits from last week!
Apple iPhone & Bose earbuds - 2 items I’d be lost without!!
Tripit – tripit is a service that aggregates all of your travel itineraries. Simply make your reservations & forward the email to plans@tripit.com & they organize everything for you in one spot!
Lose it! – Lose it helps me keep track of my diet and exercise while I’m on the road. I find that it’s pretty hard to eat healthy when you’re traveling 3-4 days a week, so I use lose it to track calories & exercise!
TweetDeck – Yep, for iPhone so you can listen to me rant!
Nike+ iPod – Cause I’m a running gal!
Twisty Lite – Because I’m always bored on the plane, Twisty Lite is a great game to play
Moving on!
Bottled Water, Crystal Light, & Benefiber
You can never go wrong with Vasa (cause that’s what they sell in the airport besides Fiji) water! Plus water keeps me hydrated while tearing through the airport like a mad woman! When I need a little flavor for my water, I call on Crystal Light; my favorites are raspberry, strawberry, and lemonade! I also use 1 pack of benefiber a day. Terrible topic to discuss & some people hate to discuss it, but I have found that sometimes traveling & being in different hotels can cause irregularity. I don’t have that problem at home, so I think it has something to do with my travel! So I take benefiber with me every time I hit the road!
Cause TSA says I have to & I freakin hate it! So inside of my little baggie I have a couple of things. I don’t wear makeup, so this is a bit easier for me. Inside of my 1 quart bag I have a ton of stuff, stuff that I need for everyday use: deodorant, mini VS body spray, mini VS lotion, mini Vaseline, mini colgate, mini VS perfume, mini dove hairspray, dove face moisturizer, hydrocortisone (because I break out from EVERYTHING) & finally mascara!
Colgate Wisp & Gum
If I’m awake on a flight, I definitely need a piece of gum or two to stop my ears from popping. Of course they still pop, but not as bad when I’m chewing gum. PLUS who doesn’t love fresh breath? And the gum comes in handy when your flight mate (usually a random stranger) wants to talk a bunch & you don’t want to smell their bad breath! Now the Colgate Wisp; after I eat anything I like to brush my teeth & make sure I don’t have any food in my teeth. You’ll find me in the airport bathroom after I eat something making sure my teeth are cleaned! No water needed, just brush away, smile, and discard the remains. Quite simple actually!
Victorinox Swiss Army Laptop Bag
Every business traveler has a laptop bag. Some people have shoulder bags, some have backpacks, and others have rolling laptop bags like I have. I prefer rolling laptop bags, I can latch it to the stop of my carry on bag & keep it moving! I don’t like backpacks cause they wrinkle my clothes. I do have a Coach laptop bag; it’s actually a Coach baby bag that I use as a laptop bag, but it doesn’t hold enough stuff, so I stopped carrying it! My Swiss laptop bag is perfect, it has several compartments for notebooks, my handy dandy planner, 2 magazines, my laptop & all of my PC accessories, PLUS an overnight compartment for a change of clothes.
Planner & Little Black Book
So many of you have already gotten a sneak peak at my Coach planner, it’s a beauty! My girl Becca recommended that I get one & I got one! You don’t have to buy a Coach planner, but everyone needs a planner! This will help me keep my life or whatever organized! Now when someone says “little black book” people automatically think of some little black book with a bunch of phone numbers. That’s not exactly how I use my little black book. My little black book is one that I purchased from Target (aka tar-jay in my world) & it’s used for me to keep up with my tasks that need to be completed. Outside of each task I do the following [ ] task name. If I complete a task, I put a check in the box, if a task is no longer needed I put an x in the box, and if I don’t complete a task, I put BF for bring forward. Laugh all you want at my method of organization; but this little black book has saved my ass on many occasions!
Let’s quickly address business attire & I swear I’ll be finished! :)
I pack light, extremely light! I pick one color for the week: black or brown & stick with that color. That means one color heels, one color flip flops, one color purse, and always my running shoes. NEVER ANY MORE, never any less! Since my travel days are Monday & Thursday, I wear a comfy, neutral color dress pant on Monday & a cute shirt & wear those same pants on Thursday (with a different shirt of course!). Tuesday is usually a skirt & cute shirt, Wednesday a pair of pants & a cute shirt. I also bring a 2 pairs of shorts & 2 t-shirts. One set for working out in & one set for sleeping in. All of this I shove into a 19” roller board suitcase & carry on the plane! So here are some of my outfits from last week!
Monday, September 7, 2009
On My Mind!
Many many things – so I’ll just start at the top of the list:
Work – I’m thinking about my career of choice again! I previously blogged about my career frustrations right. Well it’s on my mind again, but this time in a different sense. I’m happy to be a part of the consulting industry, I’m happy to have the industry knowledge & consulting experience that I do have, but I’m not satisfied. I’ve always been a person that wants to take on more because keeping myself busy & pushing myself to the limit is such an exhilarating challenge for me. I am starting to recognize what I want; now I need to create a plan to achieve it! I want to own something, a product, preferably a software product. I want to be the person responsible for researching the needs of the industry in order to document, design, and market the product. I want to work with a group of both business and technical individuals focused on the development & implementation of the product. I’d like to be responsible for setting up the product roadmap & ensuring that product milestones are reached. In essence, I want to be a product manager. How I get to that position, I don’t know yet. I have a job (that I love BTW), but see no potential for advancement. (A while ago I did, I felt like something good was in the works, however; someone put a stop to that quickly & that someone will forever be a roadblock.)
Apartment Living – For the record, I will be so damn happy when I move out of this apartment & back into my house! #1 – I’ll be saving a shed load of money because my mortgage is much lower than my rent! #2 – I’ll finally be back in a place that was once home & that I can call my own! #3 – I can avoid most nosy neighbor prying questions because my neighbors at my house already know me! #4 – I can do all of the painting, decorating, renovating that I want to & no one can say a thing about it! #5 – Overall my bills will be much less! The apartment & house thing is a long story; I’ll save that for never. Just know that when I move back into my house, I will be a much happier person!
Friends – They come & go right? Some people are in our lives for a reason. They are there to help us through difficult times, provide guidance & support mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically. They may seem like a godsend & most of the time, they are. Others come into our lives for a season. They may only be there for a short period of time based on their premeditated agendas; sometimes they have motives that we wouldn’t necessarily condone. I’m starting to realize that I have some seasonal friends & it’s time to get rid of them because the season is changing for me! I don’t need friends who are around only when they need something, or friends who only want to talk to you when they have a problem, yet your problems are too miniscule for them to be bothered with, or friends who only want to be your friend when they can’t find a man to sleep with! I can honestly say that in my late 20s it’s been really hard for me to connect with other women my age. I find that lots of women my age aren’t women, they’re still girls – trying to “find themselves” in the club every weekend, making poor financial decisions, making poor decisions period. It’s honestly sad because I’d love to meet new people, but I’ve been tainted by some pretty unstable folks! Some of my “old friends” say I’ve become stuck up and snotty. I tend to disagree with them! I think I’ve matured, I’ve moved on past the games that they’re still playing. I have a career, not a job, a career & I’m partially in love with it. I’m no snot, I’m just growing up – isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing? I hope I don’t have it all wrong!
Now that I’ve shared, I’ll ask – what’s on your mind?
Work – I’m thinking about my career of choice again! I previously blogged about my career frustrations right. Well it’s on my mind again, but this time in a different sense. I’m happy to be a part of the consulting industry, I’m happy to have the industry knowledge & consulting experience that I do have, but I’m not satisfied. I’ve always been a person that wants to take on more because keeping myself busy & pushing myself to the limit is such an exhilarating challenge for me. I am starting to recognize what I want; now I need to create a plan to achieve it! I want to own something, a product, preferably a software product. I want to be the person responsible for researching the needs of the industry in order to document, design, and market the product. I want to work with a group of both business and technical individuals focused on the development & implementation of the product. I’d like to be responsible for setting up the product roadmap & ensuring that product milestones are reached. In essence, I want to be a product manager. How I get to that position, I don’t know yet. I have a job (that I love BTW), but see no potential for advancement. (A while ago I did, I felt like something good was in the works, however; someone put a stop to that quickly & that someone will forever be a roadblock.)
Apartment Living – For the record, I will be so damn happy when I move out of this apartment & back into my house! #1 – I’ll be saving a shed load of money because my mortgage is much lower than my rent! #2 – I’ll finally be back in a place that was once home & that I can call my own! #3 – I can avoid most nosy neighbor prying questions because my neighbors at my house already know me! #4 – I can do all of the painting, decorating, renovating that I want to & no one can say a thing about it! #5 – Overall my bills will be much less! The apartment & house thing is a long story; I’ll save that for never. Just know that when I move back into my house, I will be a much happier person!
Friends – They come & go right? Some people are in our lives for a reason. They are there to help us through difficult times, provide guidance & support mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically. They may seem like a godsend & most of the time, they are. Others come into our lives for a season. They may only be there for a short period of time based on their premeditated agendas; sometimes they have motives that we wouldn’t necessarily condone. I’m starting to realize that I have some seasonal friends & it’s time to get rid of them because the season is changing for me! I don’t need friends who are around only when they need something, or friends who only want to talk to you when they have a problem, yet your problems are too miniscule for them to be bothered with, or friends who only want to be your friend when they can’t find a man to sleep with! I can honestly say that in my late 20s it’s been really hard for me to connect with other women my age. I find that lots of women my age aren’t women, they’re still girls – trying to “find themselves” in the club every weekend, making poor financial decisions, making poor decisions period. It’s honestly sad because I’d love to meet new people, but I’ve been tainted by some pretty unstable folks! Some of my “old friends” say I’ve become stuck up and snotty. I tend to disagree with them! I think I’ve matured, I’ve moved on past the games that they’re still playing. I have a career, not a job, a career & I’m partially in love with it. I’m no snot, I’m just growing up – isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing? I hope I don’t have it all wrong!
Now that I’ve shared, I’ll ask – what’s on your mind?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)