Talent Tips - Talent Market

Talent Tip #157: Five MORE Tips for Discussing Salary During Your Job Hunt

October 24, 2023

Claire Kittle Dixon, Executive Director, Talent Market

Last month you’ll remember we offered up the first five of 10 tips on discussing salary during your job hunt. This month we’ll finish off the list with the last five.

When asked about salary during an interview, answer…and then stop talking – If you haven’t already provided salary information in an application or cover letter, you might find yourself sitting in front of the hiring manager and being asked, “What is your desired salary?”
It sounds daunting, but of course, you’ve already done your homework and you have a range ready. So, you say it. And then what? Nothing.

The best bit of salary advice I’ve gotten came from a fellow who told me, “After you answer the salary question, stop talking.” Too many people can’t stand the deafening silence that occurs after the number has been uttered; therefore, they keep talking…and talk themselves right down to a lower salary.

I would have thought this was silly advice if I had not received it from the person interviewing me immediately after I had done precisely this!
Don’t play reindeer games – Pretty please with sugar on top: resist the temptation to play games during salary discussions.
Don’t ask for a higher salary than you really want because you are worried about being lowballed.
Don’t attempt to play multiple organizations off of each other in hopes of ratcheting up competing offers.
Don’t provide a salary range that you plan to inflate significantly in the final stages of the interview process without good reason.
Don’t be evasive, dishonest, or manipulative.

I’ve seen so many offers fall apart in the final stages because the employer felt misled. Friends don’t let friends play reindeer games.
Bring up salary if they don’t – Once in a while I’ll hear from a candidate who tells me something like this: “I have had multiple phone interviews with an organization and now they want to fly me across the country for in-person interviews. While that’s great news, they have yet to provide a salary range for the role. Is that a problem?” Well, if you value time and money (yours and theirs), YES!
Why fly across the country for an interview before knowing if you and the hiring organization are on the same page (or at least the same chapter!) in terms of salary? Out of respect for yourself and the organization, bring up the topic before a flight is booked. It doesn’t have to be awkward or painful; simply say, “I would love the opportunity to interview in person. Before we do that, though, I thought it would make sense to briefly discuss salary to make sure we’re roughly on the same page.” Hiring managers will appreciate your thoughtfulness – especially if it turns out you are worlds apart and you save them $1500 in airfare and hotel charges! The situation is less dramatic with local interviews, but the point remains.

I’ll never forget hearing from an executive who told me he interviewed a candidate five times and only asked about salary right before making an offer. The candidate wanted a full 50k more than he could afford to pay. Oops. (And that, my friends, is why you should ask about salary up-front; you should value your time and others’ time too much to do otherwise!)
Factor benefits into your salary considerations – When seriously considering a job/job offer, be sure to educate yourself about the health insurance and retirement benefits the organization provides. Some organizations may offer a higher salary to offset a lack of benefits, but you should do the math about how that works out for you.
Benefits packages can be worth thousands upon thousands (even tens of thousands) of dollars. Will you be on the financial hook to find and pay for your own health insurance or will the nonprofit offer a partially/fully subsidized plan? Does the organization offer a retirement account and, if so, is there an employer match?

Spend a few minutes with your trusty calculator to determine how much these benefits are worth annually and how much they add up over the long haul!
Consider the complete package – In addition to the base salary and benefits, don’t forget to consider bonus potential, cost of living (if you’re moving to a new city), virtual work options, and other perks (gym memberships, parking, tuition reimbursement, etc.).
For instance, maybe you’re getting a 20% bump in pay, but if you’re moving to a city with a cost of living that is 40% higher than where you are now, that’s not good!
Or maybe you have two offers, one that pays a little more but requires a 45-minute commute each way and one that pays less but is virtual. What is 90 minutes a day worth to you?

And don’t be afraid to ask questions about specifics, as the devil is often in the details. For instance, if the organization is touting BIG bonus potential, ask what the average bonus was last year. If they sheepishly reply it was $100 and a membership to the Jelly of the Month Club, good to know that up-front!

Talent Tip #156: Five Tips for Discussing Salary During Your Job Hunt

September 19, 2023

Claire Kittle Dixon

Salary is a hot topic here at Talent Market (right up there with interviewing, dating, the Great Cat Versus Dog Debate, and the proper use of the word “bet”).

And that’s why I couldn’t believe our last comprehensive article about salary was more than 50 Talent Tips ago! I’m ashamed!

Let me make it up to our dear readers by providing 10 tips for discussing salary during your job hunt. You’ll get five this month and five next month.

Here goes!

Be ready to answer the question, “What is your desired salary?” – This might be the most critical piece of information you’ll need at the ready. I usually suggest candidates have a range instead of just one number so that you have built-in flexibility. A range should span roughly 5-10k for mid-level employees and 10-20k+ for senior staff with higher salaries. Note that providing too broad of a salary range (for instance, 50k-500k) looks silly and makes the hiring manager think you’re a smarta$$. And no one wants to hire a smarta$$.
Have a response ready if asked about current salary – As you may know, asking about current and past salary has become less common in recent years. In fact, some jurisdictions around the country have banned employers from asking candidates about current and previous salaries during the hiring process. (We can discuss the merits and demerits of these regulations over cocktails at a later date.)
But just because it’s not as common as it used to be doesn’t mean you won’t get asked (legally!) about your current salary. So, be prepared to respond. You may choose to respond with a straightforward answer (“I currently earn 90k”) or something more vague (“My current salary is in the high 5 figures and I’d like to earn six figures in my next position”). But however you respond, do not be evasive or rude…which brings us to #3.
Don’t give the Heisman – Sometimes candidates try to hedge when asked direct questions about salary. My favorite candidate response is, “I’d prefer to talk about salary later in the process.” Well, I’d prefer to be independently wealthy and have fewer crow’s feet, but as the Stones said, you can’t always get what you want.
Think about why hiring organizations want to know a candidate’s salary expectations upfront: it’s because they have limited resources (time and money), and it simply doesn’t make sense to invest hours of interviews with someone whose requirements are significantly higher than the organization can afford. So, instead of stonewalling, be ready to respond to salary questions with a smile on your face.
Do your homework – Some of you probably read #1 above and thought, “But how do I know what my range should be?” It’s not as complicated as some think; but you will need to take into account a menagerie of factors, including your most recent salary/salary history, your experience, your tenure in each position, the role at hand, the budget of the hiring organization, geography, education, and market conditions. The more homework you do, the more comfortable you will be when it comes time to discuss salary with a potential employer.
Know thy market – As mentioned above, you’ll want to consider market conditions when determining your desired salary range. Make sure to take into account current economic trends, cost of living, demand for your skill set, etc.
One of the quickest ways to be eliminated from the running in a job search is to ask for an outlandish salary that doesn’t reflect the current market (and your market value!). This is especially true when you’re interviewing with a nonprofit organization. Remember that 990s will provide useful information about an organization’s recent budget and pay scale.

Ok, we’ve hit our salary tips quota for the month. But tune in next month when we finish our top ten list! Until then…

Talent Tip #155: What Promposals Can Teach Us About Hiring

July 18, 2023

Picture the scene. It’s prom season at Brookdale High School. Emotions, hormones, Taylor Swift, and the faint scent of benzoyl peroxide permeate the air.

Brandy is a popular and pretty senior who is perceptively aware that she is both popular and pretty. She makes it clear to all of her friends, enemies, frenemies, and the entire social media universe that she is excited about prom…but does not yet have a date.

After sending out her social SOS, she eagerly awaits what will surely be multiple promposals.

The first invitation arrives during a crowded lunch from an underclassman named Randy. It involves a dozen roses and a Chat GPT-generated poem read aloud:

Oh Brandy, Brandy, can I be so bold?
Would you join me at prom, so our stories unfold?
You’re as hot as the sun, shining bright in the hall,
While I’m just a junior, standing so small.

But dreams are like stars, they twinkle in the night,
And I’m here, Randy, with my courage taking flight.
So let’s dance through the prom, like nobody’s there,
With you by my side, Brandy, I won’t have a care.

We’ll make memories, laugh, and have such great fun,
Just say yes, dear Brandy, and let this story be spun.
For a night to remember, with you in my sight,
Randy and Brandy, together, shining so bright!

Brandy giggles and flips her hair in the way only cheer captains can. She is flattered, but she isn’t about to commit. Randy lingers long enough for the awkward silence to set in and then walks away, hoping against hope.

The next invitation arrives two days later during study hall, replete with an oversized teddy bear wearing an “I COULDN’T BEAR PROM WITHOUT YOU” t-shirt and a note signed by a fellow named Andy. Again, Brandy is honored. But now is not a time for choosing. It’s a time to soak up the attention like a Mean Girl and see what else the prom market bears.

The third, fourth, and fifth invitations arrive via singing telegram, a balloon-filled locker, and a suitor dressed in a banana suit, respectively. At this point, Brookdale is abuzz with whispers. Who will Brandy choose?

Brandy doesn’t acknowledge or even respond to any of the promposals formally. When she passes her potential suitors in the hallway, she barely makes eye contact. They are pursuing her, after all, and she’ll make a decision when she’s damn good and ready (and when the promposals have slowed to a trickle and she has milked this prom season like the popularity cow it is).

Randy, Andy, and the entire Take Brandy to Prom Fan Club are left to wonder if they stand a chance.

Days pass. Then weeks. To the angsty admirers, it feels like an eternity or at least as long as the wait for the release of Stranger Things Season 5.

Finally, mere days before prom, Brandy accepts the invitation from the guy in the banana suit. (I guess he a-peeled to her. HA!)

Sadly, Randy, Andy, and the rest of the also-rans never hear back from Brandy. Not a word. Not a text. Not a call. Not a peep. No thank you for the singing telegram, balloons, oversized teddy bear, roses, or painfully cheesy ChatGPT poem.

Sad times at Brookdale High.

This doesn’t make you think very highly of the beloved Brandy, does it?

Well, what would you say if I told you that hiring managers sometimes treat candidates the way Brandy treats her suitors?

I don’t think hiring managers are intentionally being dismissive like Brandy. Rather, they just aren’t thinking about how each job application is very much like a promposal: it’s personal! (Even if it doesn’t involve an oversized stuffed mammal or a fruit suit.)

[Read more…]

Congratulations to Talent Market’s 2023 Award Winners!

June 20, 2023

Talent Market was proud to sponsor the 2023 AF Annual Gala and Awards Showcase and we were thrilled to have presented two new awards during the event in May: The Secret Weapon Award and the Program of the Year Award.

We were incredibly impressed by the quality and quantity of nominees for both awards. Choosing the winners was a difficult task and we were very fortunate to have a panel of judges help us make the final determinations.

Talent Market’s Secret Weapon Award

Talent Market’s Secret Weapon Award celebrates a free-market nonprofit staff member who adds tremendous value to his/her organization and the liberty movement from behind the scenes. We developed this award not only recognize the secret weapons among us, but also to remind everyone how critical these individuals are to our movement.

Our inaugural Secret Weapon award winner is Ryan Lynch, the Senior Director of IT with Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Ryan has been with CEI for nearly 15 years. When the rest of the CEI staff is sleeping, Ryan is updating its network and servers. When everyone else is going home for the day, Ryan is applying updates to programs & tools that CEI can’t function without.

He is a one-man IT band fielding calls all day for help and he gladly does it with a smile and often a sarcastic joke. According to his supervisor, “CEI would be unable to function without Ryan’s behind the scenes work.”

And here’s what Ryan had to say:
“I was proud to receive the first Secret Weapon award, because the contributions of talented and dedicated back-office staff are rarely acknowledged in the same way other more public facing staff. Beyond the recognition itself, It was also nice because support staff—and IT staff in particular—so rarely receive public accolades. Those satisfactions are permanent.”

When Ryan isn’t working, he’s spending time with his brilliant wife, Michelle Minton, and the world’s cutest dog, Coconut.

Please join me in celebrating Talent Market’s 2023 Secret Weapon Award winner, Ryan Lynch.

Talent Market’s Program of the Year Award

Talent Market’s Program of the Year Award celebrates a program that develops free-market talent. We specifically wanted to recognize a program that has a solid curriculum, evidence of short and long-term impact, and impressive alumni who are making a difference by advancing liberty.

Our inaugural Program of the Year award winner is Moving Picture Institute’s Hollywood Career Launch Program.

The Hollywood Career Launch Program helps talented young filmmakers get a foot in the door in the entertainment industry. Since 2006, MPI has awarded over 200 paid internships to college students and recent graduates.

Interns are placed on the sets of MPI Original productions or at partner production companies and are provided with a stipend, mentorship, and training.

MPI only recruits interns who are defenders of freedom with a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career

in film. The program provides a huge return for those who wish to see Hollywood seeded with talent committed to freedom.

More than half of the program’s alumni are now working full-time in the film industry. The program is run by Hannah Earl, Director of Talent and Creative Development for Moving Picture Institute.

Please join me in celebrating Talent Market’s 2023 Program of the Year Award winner, Moving Picture Institute’s Hollywood Career Launch Program!

Talent Tip #154: Advice for Graduates: The Talent Market Team Shares Our Biggest Lessons

May 23, 2023

In the midst of graduation season, the Talent Market team wanted to share some of the most important lessons we learned at the start of our careers.

Embrace networking – Stephanie
When I was a fresh-faced graduate, I thought my network was about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. To me, networking was just a bunch of people handing out business cards and pretending to be interested in each other’s lives. But luckily, I had a wise former internship manager, let’s call her Katy, who showed me the light and even helped me land my dream job.And how did I get that dream job, you ask? Well, after my internship ended, I started working at a new organization and eventually ran into Katy at a conference. I was convinced she wouldn’t remember me but, to my surprise, she greeted me with a hug and pushed me to stay in touch. She became a great mentor and friend over the years, always quick to offer career advice and support. And when a job opened up on her team, I was really excited about the opportunity to work with her directly again.

Thanks to Katy, I learned that networking is not as scary as I thought it was – it’s more like a reunion with people who you actually want to see again. So, the moral of the story is this – don’t let your network be like that old box of baking soda in the back of your fridge that you forgot about. Keep it fresh, keep it fun, and who knows, you might just end up with a new job or a new friend!
No Excuses, Only Solutions – Lydia
I remember the first time I saw the office of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) in 2015. I was just a State Chair at the time and was interning with the Leadership Institute. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I discovered this massive organization supporting so many chapters and students across the US was the result of only a handful of staff working in a tiny office. Kind of like the little alien in Men in Black operating the copier machine. Needless to say, when I ended up joining their national team, the bar was set pretty high.
I asked my supervisor how I could go above and beyond and make the most out of this opportunity as a young professional. I was told, “No excuses, only solutions.” Harsh right? Every time I say it I feel like I’m in the military getting my tail chewed by a drill sergeant.
At first, I thought this was just a ploy to get me to work hard, but throughout my career, I have found myself saying it again and again. After all, it applies to so many situations. If you make a mistake, it’s best to explain the circumstances and come up with a plan to fix it – no excuses, only solutions. If you didn’t meet a goal, understand why and create a new path forward – no excuses, only solutions. It’s a reminder to keep moving forward and stay focused on the goal. At YAL it helped me grow my region, expand my responsibilities, and most importantly, learn that success is earned. Those who are successful in their careers don’t play the blame game or waste time arguing about what went wrong. They accept challenges for what they are, learn from misfortune, and move ahead. No excuses, only solutions.
Learn to say “I don’t know” – Katelynn
“I don’t know; I’ll have to figure that out,” a Senior Attorney I borderline idolized replied when asked a question about one of her cases at a litigation meeting, the monthly meeting that every single attorney in our organization attended. For me, a brand-new baby attorney fresh out of law school, the litigation meeting was a high-pressure situation where I always tried to seem my smartest and most prepared. If someone asked me a question I didn’t know the answer to, I would fumble around saying things that kind of made some sense but not really, all while sweating buckets and wishing I could disappear into the floor. Saying “I don’t know” in that meeting simply didn’t seem like a viable option.So when I heard this brilliant attorney I admired utter the phrase with stolid indifference, you can imagine how thoroughly my jaw muscles lost all tension. That experience changed me. I learned in that moment that only smart, confident people casually make saying “I don’t know” a regular part of their vocabularies. It’s the really clueless people who act like they know everything.

Now, I go around my daily life freely uttering “I don’t know” because I often don’t. Try playing a round of trivia with me and you’ll see. (Just yesterday, I couldn’t think of a single song by Bryan Adams.) Yet I consider myself to have found a good amount of professional success and that’s because when I don’t know something, I admit it immediately and then cheerfully find the answer.

Here’s the secret: that’s what every single professional does. It’s OK not to know everything. It’s never OK to pretend that you do.
Be open to new career paths – Claire
If I had followed the career path I charted in my early 20s, I’d probably be miserable or serving burgers at Chotchkies after being fired repeatedly. Thankfully, I encountered someone far wiser than I who helped alter my path.Following graduate school, I interviewed for a policy job with the late, great John Berthoud at National Taxpayers Union. After a delightful conversation, John looked me straight in the eye and said, “I don’t think this role is right for you.” He encouraged me to explore roles that would leverage my other skills and experience. For anyone who remembers John, you know how artfully and honestly he delivered this news. But the takeaway was clear: stop applying for policy jobs, you cotton-headed ninny muggins.

I had spent the last two years getting an MPP and dreaming of a job in tax policy, and now John was really harshing my vibe. But he was 100% right. And thanks to John, I took a step back and started exploring non-policy roles in the policy world.

I ended up landing a job in talent development, which, to no one’s surprise, was a much better fit for my skills and experience. That sharp turn in my career helped get me to where I am today.

We all want to believe we have a good perspective on our own skills and abilities, but sometimes it’s other people who actually have a more objective point of view of what we bring to the table.
Ask why – Katy
When you’re a student, life is pretty straightforward: read the books to understand the subject, master the equations to get the answer, research the topic to write your paper. Every class and every assignment eventually leads you to a degree.And then, bam! You land your first “real” job and suddenly life isn’t full of assignments anymore. It’s full of random tasks and responsibilities, some of which don’t make a lot of sense.

For instance, in my first big girl job, I was responsible for a lot of database upkeep. It wasn’t the most glamorous job in the world and it felt pretty pointless. Of course, nothing could have been further from the truth. But I never stopped to ask my boss (or myself!), “Why am I doing this?” And unlike in college, it wasn’t at all clear to me why doing this was important.

Many years later, I landed at Talent Market. On my first day, I was told why tracking things in our database was important (for us, our clients, our candidates, and the liberty movement as a whole). Without this data, we couldn’t do what we do. It all made perfect sense.

And then it hit me. Had I been told this or thought to ask “why is this important?” in my first job many years prior, I would have approached things very differently. I would have done a better job putting information into the database back then. And I would have been able to make suggestions to improve our process and advance our mission. (I notice this donor moved to Florida and we’re doing a seminar there next month…maybe we can connect with her there? Should we pull a list every month of students who moved recently and then tell them about new opportunities in their area? I notice one of our key partners just got a job at a new organization we’ve been trying to connect with; let’s use this as an opportunity to build a relationship there!)

By asking “why,” I could have moved from being a data-pushing, mindless assignment finisher to someone who saw the big picture, understood the purpose, and did more to advance the organization’s mission…and probably my own career!

[Read more…]

Talent Tip #153: The Secret to Landing a Job and Lifting 300 Pounds

April 18, 2023

Katelynn Barbosa

When I was 27, I started powerlifting for the first time (too lazy for cardio) and quickly became besotted with the idea of deadlifting 300 pounds. So, I eagerly approached my coach and asked, “What’s the secret to lifting 300 pounds?”

“The secret?”

“Yeah, I have seen women lift 300 pounds and it looks awesome! I would love to be able to do that. What do they do? Is it those gummy bears they eat in the middle of a training session?”

“What?”

“Oh, I know. I bet they visualize themselves successfully completing the lift… I have heard visualization really works!”

After recovering from laughing, my coach replied, “There is no secret to lifting 300 pounds.”

“So they’re just genetically gifted?”

“No. No one just comes in and lifts 300 pounds. Any woman who can do that has lifted consistently day in and day out every single week for years. It’s just about consistency, repetition, failure, and putting the work in. In fact, pretty much all of life works like that. There is no secret to anything.”

Oh man, I had really hoped it was the gummy bears.

So I took my coach’s advice and never missed a training session. And about four years later, I stood up holding 300 pounds in my hands.

It was a proud moment for this decidedly mediocre athlete but the bigger takeaway was my wise coach’s greater message, which I have found transcends well beyond lifting weights: “there is no secret to anything.”

As this is a Talent Market article, what is the getting a job equivalent to my coach’s amazing advice? Here are my four key takeaways.

1. Show up.
I showed up to the gym consistently three times a week for four years, even and especially when I didn’t feel like it, before I was able to reach my 300-pound goal.
For the job search, showing up means crafting a great application and officially applying.

The desire to find a shortcut instead of putting forth the effort to craft a strong application is real. I understand why. (Oh, if only the gummy bears did the trick!) Tailoring your resume and writing a strong cover letter takes time. It’s much easier to just reach out to someone you know at the organization to circumvent the application process and get an interview or submit the same generic application that you submitted to five other jobs in the last month. Resist the pull of those shortcuts and put all of that effort into crafting the best application materials you can.

2. If you know something is off, address it.
About 20% of the time, a lifting session feels terrible for no reason. The moment I pick up the barbell, it’s clear that I just have nothing in the tank. But, more often than not, there is a reason and I know exactly what it is. I slept five hours the night before, I have opted for pizza over healthy protein a little too frequently lately, or I slammed Old Fashioneds last night like I was single-handedly trying to keep the whiskey industry afloat.

I always feel embarrassed when I lift poorly because of my own bad decisions and a big part of me wants to hide it from my coach. But I never do because I know the only way she can help me train appropriately is if I am honest upfront.

This is also true in the job search! If you ever decline to mention something in your cover letter because you worry it will make you look bad or raise questions, that probably means you desperately need to address the elephant in the room head-on!

What are some examples of elephants in the room that need addressing?

· If you are applying for a job that is on the surface unrelated to your current line of work. For instance, if you have never fundraised a day in your life but you are applying for a fundraising job, you better say why! I once had a candidate apply for a fundraising job who didn’t have a lick of development experience. His cover letter didn’t even mention the large, gray pachyderm we all saw. The hiring manager was very confused, and even though she was open to hiring someone without direct experience, the lack of an explanation for such a transition left her uneasy. Well, it turns out the candidate had been extremely thoughtful about the transition, reading every fundraising book under the sun and talking to tons of fundraisers to get their advice and expertise. But for some reason he didn’t put any of this in his cover letter! The same goes for any big career transition. Address it up front!

· If you were only with your previous employer for a short period, the hiring manager is going to wonder why. If you address the reason in your cover letter, you are putting that question to rest immediately. There are tons of perfectly benign reasons why jobs don’t work out. Maybe you liked the work but it wasn’t a good culture fit. Or maybe the employer went through a round of layoffs. If you state the reason upfront, the hiring manager won’t be left to worry that you got canned for insubordination or binge-watching Netflix during working hours.

3. Do exactly what is asked of you.
Sometimes a lifting session feels unnaturally great for no reason. On these days, there is a strong temptation to ignore what my coach told me to do and try to max out. Why lift 250 pounds when I know I can hit 275, baby? Because, odds are, the next day isn’t going to be a superman day and I will feel fatigued and ruin my training for the week.

My coach is an expert and she told me exactly what to lift. So I just stick to that.

With job searching, just do what the employer tells you to do. If they want a resume and cover letter, submit a resume and cover letter. Don’t send writing samples, letters of recommendation, the article you got published in the Wall Street Journal, a headshot, or a screenshot proving that you actually scored Taylor Swift tickets.

An employer knows what they want to see from candidates and they do not hide it. So just give them what they want!

4. Expect to fail.
In lifting and in job searching, failure happens frequently. In fact, if I go months without failing a lift, then it is a fact that I am simply not training hard enough. Failure is a prerequisite for success.

Most of the time, when you apply for a job, you will not get it. Even if you have every single qualification listed in the job description, are close friends with tons of people who work there, and love freedom so much that fireworks spontaneously burst forth from your fingertips every Fourth of July, there are a million reasons why you might not land the job. Don’t let it get you down.

Pick up that barbell…er job application…and keep trying.

(To reiterate, this article was written by Katelynn Barbosa and NOT Claire Dixon. Claire would only consider lifting this much weight if an oak tree fell on her dog.)