Salary Negotiations: When and where to start?

Preparing for an interview is not complete without preparing for the dreaded salary negotiations. When to ask? Why bother wasting time with companies that might pay less than what i expect? Let me find out at the start of the interview. Nuts!!!! Shooting in your foot cannot get a bizarre synonymous situation more than this.

 First, don’t think  preparation for Salary negotiation is not that important and put it off till the last round of your interview. Study the market to arrive at a suitable package matching the skillset and experience you carry to the job.This will brace you up for easily negating any sub par offer. At the most avoid speaking out what you expect first. Once you spill it out the interviewer might just pounce on it if you are available cheap, or worse the doors will close if you quote too high cutting off any further negotiations..

The best negotiators willingly compromise on a few to win more. Plan your alternatives well so that your ultimate goals are achieved. Visualize various scenarios and be vigilant enough to lap up a reasonable offer. Don't be adamant on your  goals. For example you can always consider the options of work from home for a lesser salary or an on-site assignment or for Freshers a certification exam paid by the company. 

Always be prepared with the reasons and relevant information that justify your cost. That way you leave a room for negotiation without cutting off — hoping they buy your reasoning. Your reasoning should always showcase the value add you are going to be with them.

Don't talk figures until an emotional connect is made and the interviewer is inclined to go with you. Any mention of a number should only be made after both the parties have reached to a point where they don't want to turn back from.

Most importantly, don’t be adamant on a few points or let ego do the talking. Stay cool and keep the discussions going on until you get a reasonable offer. Pushing incessantly without heeding may drain the whole interview .

Employers definitely have an upper hand.  Fighting for equality might help your ego but your ultimate goals might not be met. Both sides achieving their primary goal to make them feel themselves a winner. 

How to prepare Resume for a fresher job?

To land a job the first step is to get an interview. To get an interview the foremost thing to have is a proper Resume.

For a fresher it is very important you are noticed the first time itself. Your resume is only viewed as less as for five seconds to judge whether it can be screened or not.

Most of the companies allow an individual to apply to the company again only after a waiting period. For a fresher by the end of the waiting period you may no longer be considered one.

So be very careful while you are applying the first time.

This format is for freshers from any stream.

Sample Resume structure for a fresher.

{Part I}
First Name. Last Name                                                                       Email ID
                                                                                                           Contact No:

(Do not write a heading on the top. Resume or Curriculum vitae are a strict no)

{Part II}

Objective/Summary

This section should contain how you are going to match your aspirations in line with the employer’s business needs. Let it be precise and effective. Do not copy paste.

Technical Skills
Software skills:  Programming Languages, Database and Environment in that order and Most Proficient to Working Knowledge in that order.

While you are inking something on the resume be prepared to get questions on that. So mention or write about only which you are confident of.

{Part III}

Intern Experience or Academic Project (if you have)
If you have Intern experience include: Job Title, Role, Duration,
If you have Academic Project Experience include Project Title , Description , Technology/Environment (used in the project)

{Part IV}

Education: Starting with your highest qualification tabulation or expanded details having your qualification, Marks obtained, and the Board/University appeared should be included.

Master Degree (Full Form of your degree) with Percentage, From University Name, College Name,

Repeat this for your Graduation, 12th and 10^th in reverse chronological order.


Section V: Achievements/Certificates/Participation (Related to the profession / stream/ subject you are applying for)
Eg:1) Sun certified Java professional etc
2)Submitted a paper in Tech Symposium2012 held at Roorkee by Yuva India on Optimization of server loads using xyz methodology


{Part VI:}

Extra Curricular Activities (Not related to your position but should highlight the traits you have
Organizer of the College fest, Food Committee or Welcome committee etc)

Participation in team events where your abilities of conflict resolution etc can be highlighted.

Social Service activities etc.


{Part VIII :}

 Your Postal Address (In case of reference, you may include all reference name here otherwise just write your address only)

How much can we question the potential employer?

In an interview for a job for fresher should we ask anything at all? If yes how much should we ask?

What not to ask?

You have to ask!!! But remember to frame your questions such that they reveal only the positive traits of yours and do not reveal too much or too bad about your personality.

When you start asking questions you tend to give out some hints about what type of person you are. Preparation and positive anticipation is welcome

Excessive questioning of a potential employer can be a bit revealing as well. There is indeed a limit to what you should haul into that job interview. Preparation is good but allowing yourself to be swept into all the "maybes" -- What if I get fired unjustly? What if the job requirements change later? What if Casual Fridays are eliminated? -- is akin to counting chickens that aren’t even growing in eggs yet. Seeking clarity on responsibilities, potential career development and basic logistics is "essential." The statistics on corporate lawsuits? Not so much.
Inquiring about dispute resolution during an interview would indicate either a suspicion toward the company -- in which case, why would you want to work for them? Or alternately, some difficulty in your employment history -- in which case, most employers will find it easier to simply move on to the next candidate.

10 Musts in a fresher resume

 Do Keep to the point. Be specific and do not beat around the bush.

·         Do Use Times new Roman or Arial 11 or 12 as the font.

·         Do Proofread Spell Check, Grammar Check and Check again.

·         Do Use keywords using specific skills so as to gain attention of the recruiter.

·         Do Keep your resume uniform: the headers, tense, tone and structure.

·         Do Make sure all your contact details are up-to-date and error free.

·         Do get certified and make sure it is highlighted in your resume

·         Do List your accomplishments/achievements in decreasing relevance.

·         Do Use clear headings that stand out on even a cursory glance

·         Do get your friends to read your resume before you post it.

Seven Networking hiccups Freshers face and how to overcome them.

The stumbling blocks for any fresher who is in search of a job and asked to network to find jobs are 1) He is not confident of how to start a conversation leaving out what to say or the right wording for ice breaker conversations. Prepare for networking. Find a common area of interest, E.g. from the same social background, from the same place, common language you speak, shared hobbies. 2) The lack of confidence leads the person turning uncomfortable and freezes them when conversing with people whom they have just met. When you have knowledge of these blocks you can easily overcome them with little practice. 3) A fear of rejection in the back of the mind always play spoil sport. Remove this. Be with an open mind. You are not committing an offence 4) The time constraints and tight schedules of the person sought for networking may also hinder the networking dialogue as they don't understand the request or intention of the seeker. Understand the schedules of the person whom you seek to connect to. 5) This leads to losing patience of the seeker killing the persistence and motivation to cultivate a relationship. Cultivate the trait of persistence and be motivated enough to improve relationships. 6) Asking too early for favors before a casual relationship evolve a strict no-no 7) Quantity of acquaintances over quality of relationships need be avoided. Nurture your relationships.

10 Do not's in a fresher resume

• Do not add Resume or Curriculum Vitae as the heading.
• Do not include colored fonts, graphics or photograph.
• Do not use abbreviations, slang or informal words.
• Do not have spelling and grammatical errors.
• Do not use non regular fonts.
• Do not include links to external sites or blogs you want to showcase.
• Do not lie on your résumé.
• Do not brag and give lengthy descriptions.
• Do not be vague. Give quantifiable and definite statements.
• Do not list an unprofessional email address.

I am a fresher and I want to make a career in SAP

Freshers in casual conversations started off like this while talking on their job hunting preparations. When I ask why they want to choose SAP the answers usually are It is hot, cousin is working in it drawing a handsome salary. It is trendy. These answers I hear make my heart go out for them thinking about the prospects these people face after they complete their training.

Next if I probe further and ask which area of SAP you are picking I hear SAP MM, SAP HR, SAP FICO, and SAP SD. What is your qualification and when did you pass out?

Eighty percent say I passed out very recently and says I am an MBA HR and hence picking SAP HR, A MBA fin guy opts for SAP FICO and a MBA marketing guy opts for SAP SD.

Are these okay? Perfect. 

But there is a catch. Where is the domain experience corresponding to the functional modules? 

What is it? Why do I need it? Read on to understand.

 Catch!!!??? Does that mean SAP doesn't have any fresher openings? Yes they do have but they are more than accounted for by the campus drives and reference hiring. If I train in SAP is there a chance I will get a job? Having seen the SAP recruitment space closely for more than 9 years I will say there are but very less.

Before you start SAP training understand that going for SAP Functional career without any prior domain experience will be trying to swim with your hands tied in a shark infested sea. Understanding business scenario, organizational processes, inter department communications, approval mechanisms etc is a must to have before you start thinking of making SAP your career. The only shortcut for acquiring this is domain experience for some years. So if you are planning for an SAP or an ERP career plan well ahead. Prepare for a two-year fight on your hands. Get into the domain corresponding to your education.

There are career gurus who differ with this approach but this will be beneficial in the long run of your career and will give a strong foundation for it. Research well. As a fresher if you are choosing SAP you have to take up the technical or systems side.  SAP ABAP and SAP BASIS have scope for fresher hiring. So if someone guides you saying get trained in SAP for a functional module and he can land you in a job rest be assured the person who advises you will suddenly be so busy that he can't take your calls or will be away on some on site assignment.