We’ve all been there, whether you are a registered nurse or a medical assistant. You’ve worked a job for a number of years (or even months!) and you are doing far more than your original job description required. You know it’s time for a promotion, but does your boss agree? In an industry where most people stay at the same level for a majority if their careers, you may think it’s all but impossible to advance your career if you aren’t interested in pursing a different job. Have no fear. There are many avenues your job can take if you aren’t planning on returning to school to earn another degree, such as going from a Licensed Practical Nurse to a Registered Nurse. Here are our best tips and tricks to negotiating that promotion you know you deserve. Get Noticed in Your Healthcare Job Are you a healthcare professional with high career aspirations? Before you take over the hospital (or, heck, the whole healthcare system), you’ll first need your bosses to recognize you as a rising star. Experts offer six tips on how you can stand out from your peers and get noticed. 1. Focus on Your Individual Talents Rather than attempting to improve in every aspect of your job, rising stars often excel in specific areas. Contrary to popular belief, “you don’t necessarily need to look at what you don’t do well and try to improve in that area,” says R.M. Carpenter, manager of the medical intensive-care unit at the University of Virginia Medical Center. “Instead, you should identify your strengths and play on those strengths.” 2. Propose Solutions Healthcare’s rising stars are “solution people,” says Quint Studer, a former hospital CEO who is now a healthcare management consultant and author. “It’s easy for employees to come up with a problem, but if you really want to stand out, bring a solution,” he says. “Instead of saying, ‘We ran out of linen this weekend,’ say, ‘We ran out of linen the last four weekends, because the census is up. Maybe we should readjust the inventory.’” According to Studer, “high performers bring solutions, middle performers bring problems and low performers blame people for the problem.” Adds Diana Halfer, administrator for clinical and organizational development at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago: “Notice what problems your boss is working on and try to come up with solutions. Think about what you or your team can do to solve that problem.” 4. Communicate Effectively Besides the ability to broach tough topics, rising stars also need to communicate effectively and diplomatically with a wide range of constituencies, such as physicians, patients’ families and transportation aides. “You need to be able to speak different languages” depending on your audience, Carpenter notes. 5. Volunteer It sounds obvious, but another way you can be seen as a go-getter is by participating in opportunities for process improvement, such as helping out with staff continuing ed or helping your team implement new regulatory standards. “It always makes someone look very proactive and demonstrates leadership when they get involved,” Halfer says. “If you produce good results, you’ll get noticed and called upon for other projects and opportunities to advance,” she says. Healthcare professionals who are very active contributors on their units can step up to take on projects that involve other departments; such projects will offer greater organizational exposure, she says. The bottom line: “If your boss asks for volunteers, volunteer,” Halfer says. 6. Be Proactive about Your Professional Development Healthcare professionals with lofty professional aspirations need to take control of their own career development. “Most leaders in healthcare administration admire someone who wants to be developed and who can accept feedback,” Studer says. Studer recommends sending an email or note to your boss requesting a meeting to discuss four questions: • Can you tell me what I’m doing well? • What are some things you feel I could do better? • Are my priorities in place? • What training or education would you recommend? Discussing these four points periodically can help an up-and-comer skyrocket to the top quickly. “Healthcare leaders always feel that employees who take control of their professional development are very mature,” Studer says. “They’re shocked that the employee is open to development.” Prep for Your Performance Appraisal in Healthcare Here it comes — your annual performance review. Don’t let anxiety set in. The right attitude and preparation can make the process go smoothly. “Most people dread the performance appraisal,” says Julie Fuimano, MBA, BSN, a personal and career coach with Nurturing Your Success, a career coaching firm. “It shouldn’t be like that. Before you go in, say a few words to yourself about remaining open and hearing what your boss has to say.” To bolster your chances for a good review and lay the foundation for a potential raise or advancement, solid preparation is critical. Here are some tips. Prepare Year-Round Keep your eyes open all year for activities you can list as accomplishments on your review. Taking courses, keeping current with emerging technology and reading healthcare journals are all ways to impress your boss come review time. In addition, if opportunities come up during the year to broaden your knowledge or skills, don’t wait for your supervisor’s invitation to take advantage of them. “You have to move purposefully through your career,” says Fuimano, who specializes in advising healthcare professionals. “You need to be out there looking for what courses interest you, showing a sense of lifelong learning, especially in healthcare, because there’s constant change.” Speak Up About Your Accomplishments Before the appraisal meeting, compile that list of accomplishments to discuss with your supervisor, Fuimano recommends. Most performance reviews have a self-appraisal section where you should detail your yearlong successes. Committees you’ve served on, classes you’ve taken or seminars you’ve attended are all achievements that belong in this section. Also be sure to highlight specific areas within your specialty. Nurses, for instance, should detail their expertise with clinical-care matters such as changing dressings, inserting IVs or teaching patients how to care for themselves. Fuimano says healthcare workers often hesitate to outline their achievements, but reminding your boss that you spearheaded a team project or helped institute a policy change is just fact. “People have a really hard time talking about themselves in a positive way,” Fuimano says. “I tell people to put that aside. This is a business exchange. These are things you’ve done, and you want to bring them to the table.” Take the Positive and Negative Even with all your preparation, your performance review is unlikely to be entirely positive. Kalagher says you should be ready with a plan to address any weaknesses your supervisor might bring up. “It’s obvious that whomever is giving the review will look for strengths and weaknesses,” Kalagher says. “The employee should be prepared for that and should say how they’re going to improve.” Remaining businesslike throughout the review is also important. Going into the performance appraisal prepared to hear both positive and negative feedback is best. Fuimano says healthcare workers need to remember that their performance appraisals are an opportunity to improve their careers. Too often, they lose sight of their own goals, she says. “This is the caregiver’s mantra,” Fuimano explains. “We learn to put everyone before ourselves, and that’s not a good thing.” What to Do When You’ve Outgrown Your Job You’ve been in your job for several months now and are doing tasks far above your job description. Yet you feel your boss is oblivious to the fact that you’ve moved way beyond the duties you were originally hired to do. How can you get not only recognition, but also a raise and a new title? This situation requires a bit of patience — and planning. The worst thing you can do is march into your boss’s office and make demands. The best thing you can do is a bit of homework to lay the foundation for what you want. Follow these tips and learn how to get from here to there. Make a List Compile a list of the new responsibilities you’ve taken on, and estimate the amount of time you spend in each area. For example, let’s say your job has expanded, and now you train new hires. Write out how many hours per day, week or month you spend on that task. Also write out how many hours you spend on the duties you were originally hired to do. You may find that you are doing the work of 1.5 full-time employees. When you do meet with your boss, present this information and focus on the fact that you’re actually saving the company money, because your boss would have to hire another person to do these jobs if you weren’t. Check It Twice Now review your list and search for consistencies among the new responsibilities you’ve taken on. Look at this list with a fresh perspective to see if there is a new title that logically evolves. If such a title does not jump out at you, look around the company to see if there are others who have jobs that include similar tasks. What titles do those employees use? Can you estimate their salaries? Create a New Title If You Need To If you don’t see anyone in a job with responsibilities similar to yours, feel free to play with a few titles you think your boss may accept. Make sure the titles you present fit the company. Show Me the Money A new title should have a new salary structure. Visit the human resources department and ask to see the grading system used for salaries. Larger companies will have such a system in place. If you are in a smaller company, you may have to project what you think the new title or position is worth. Scour the want ads for similar jobs that list salaries, and use the resources in Monster’s Salary & Benefits Advice. Talk with the Boss Finally, make an appointment with your boss to discuss your job and your findings. Make sure you outline what you want to discuss ahead of time, so your boss can devote a solid chunk of time to you. In other words, you don’t want your boss to “fit you in” between meetings or phone calls. This is serious business. The bottom line is that it’s up to you to look out for yourself in a company. Your boss is busy and often does not realize the extent of your duties or how much they may have expanded since you were hired. It’s your job to keep her informed. Step-by-Step Guide to Negotiating a Great Salary Here’s a secret: Employers rarely make their best offer first, and job candidates who negotiate generally earn much more than those who don’t. And a well-thought-out negotiation makes you look like a stronger candidate — and employee. “We found that those people who attempted to negotiate their salary in a constructive way are perceived as more favorable than those who didn’t negotiate at all, because they were demonstrating the skills the company wanted to hire them for,” says Robin Pinkley, coauthor of Get Paid What You’re Worth and an associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. You can start laying the groundwork for your salary negotiation even before the first interview. Here’s a step-by-step guide: During the Interview Process • Do Your Research: Before the interview, learn about the company’s salary ranges and benefits as well as industry salary ranges. Also learn about the company, its competition and the industry. Then think about what you want from the job, both in terms of salary and benefits, as well as opportunity and upward mobility, Pinkley says. This information will become valuable during the interview and salary negotiation. • Don’t Talk Turkey Too Early: “You never win by talking about money early on,” says Lee Miller, author of UP: Influence, Power and the U Perspective — The Art of Getting What You Want. “The time to talk about money is when they’ve fallen in love with you.” Before that, you’re just one of many easily dismissed candidates. But once the employer has decided you’re right for the job, “it becomes an issue of, ‘how are we going to make this happen?’” Miller says. • Avoid the Salary Requirements Trap: Pinkley tells people to say: “I completely understand why this is an important issue — you’re trying to determine who you want to continue in this process, and it doesn’t make much sense to pursue candidates you aren’t going to get. Secondly, I know that the tendency is for people to lowball their salary range, because they don’t want to get out of the pool. My preference is to figure out, independent of these issues, the degree to which there is a good fit here and the extent to which I can bring value to this organization and the extent to which I’m going to be fulfilled and involved and committed to this position. I suggest we wait to have the salary conversation until you’re prepared to make an offer.” If they still want a number, leverage your research to talk industry-standard ranges, not specific numbers. At Time of Offer • Strike First: Try to mention a specific salary before the employer does. This will start the negotiations in your ballpark. “The whole negotiation is based on that first offer,” Pinkley says. • Don’t Commit Too Quickly: The employer often offers the job and salary simultaneously. Never say yes right away — even if you like the offer. “I would always come back and try to get more,” Pinkley says. Tell them you’ll give them an answer within a certain time frame. • Make Them Jealous: If you’ve been interviewing for other jobs, call those prospective employers, tell them about your offer, and see if they can speed up the interview process — or make you an offer. Knowing you have another offer will make you more attractive to them. When it’s time to answer the first employer, mention the other employers’ interest to help boost your value. But don’t make up offers. It’s easy to check, and the interest alone will help you look good. • Articulate Your Expectations: Tell the employer what you want from the job, in terms of salary, benefits and opportunity. “It may be time off, flexibility about where you work, autonomy or ownership over a particular area, it may be your title — whatever has a perceived value to you,” says Joyce Gioia, president of the Herman Group, a think tank of management consultants and futurists. • Negotiate Extras: If the employer can’t offer you the salary you want, think about other valuable options that might not cost as much. Miller always recommends asking for education, which can make a big difference in your long-term marketability. • Quantify Your Value and Performance: Mention your value in quantifiable terms, such as how much money you saved your company and how your projects increased revenues by X thousands of dollars, Gioia says. Then tell them specifically how valuable you expect to be in your new job. You also can add a few contingencies showing your confidence in your performance. You could ask the employer to give you a salary review after six months rather than a year or for a year-end bonus if you make a certain amount of money. “It shows that you believe in yourself and are committed to bringing what you say you can do,” Pinkley says. "You believe you are going to bring significant value to the organization. Are You Underpaid? Are you making as much money as you should be? If you’ve been pondering this question, you’re not alone. A 2006 survey by staffing services company Randstad USA and Harris Interactive found that 39 percent of employees surveyed believe their salary is lower than market rates, up from 28 percent surveyed in 2005. Meanwhile, 50 percent of employers think the salaries they offer are on par with the marketplace, up from 42 percent in 2005. So how do you figure out if you’re really underpaid? Here are six steps to help you determine whether you’re getting what you’re worth. Are you making as much money as you should be? If you’ve been pondering this question, you’re not alone. A 2006 survey by staffing services company Randstad USA and Harris Interactive found that 39 percent of employees surveyed believe their salary is lower than market rates, up from 28 percent surveyed in 2005. Meanwhile, 50 percent of employers think the salaries they offer are on par with the marketplace, up from 42 percent in 2005. So how do you figure out if you’re really underpaid? Here are six steps to help you determine whether you’re getting what you’re worth. Keep One Foot in the Job Market “The best way to know your value is to be on the market” — even if you aren’t looking for another job, says Lee E. Miller, author of Get More Money on Your Next Job. You’ll get an idea of which skills are valued, what other employers are offering and where your company stands as well as make valuable contacts. And if the offer’s good, you might want to change jobs after all — or use the offer to negotiate a raise where you are. Get Friendly with Recruiters Recruiters are some of the best sources of information about the job market, especially if they specialize in your industry. Since they’re working with employers, they know exactly what price range companies can offer as well as the skills they’re looking for. But you generally need to build a relationship with the recruiter first, which means helping them out even if you aren’t looking for a new job yourself. “If you give them the name of someone who might be interested, then recruiters will call you, because you’ve become a good source of information for them, and they’ll be more likely to share more information with you,” Miller says. Talk with Your Predecessor It may be awkward, but try to talk with the person you’re replacing. Even if he isn’t willing to reveal his salary, you may still get some good insight into how fairly he thought he was being paid, especially if he just completed a job search and switched to another employer. “You always ask to talk with your predecessor, whether or not they are still with the company,” says Emory Mulling, chairman of outplacement and executive coaching firm The Mulling Corp. “If the company doesn’t want to give out the name of the predecessor, that’s a message.” Recall Your Hiring Circumstances Did you accept the first offer? That could be a red flag. “Rarely will recruiters make their best offer as their first offer,” Miller says. “They expect job candidates to negotiate.” And remember: You can negotiate salary, benefits, a signing bonus, equity or a flexible schedule. Network through your professional association, and talk with people who work or worked with the company to find out which strategy likely will be most successful — some companies are known for higher-than-average pay, while others may not have extra cash but will negotiate on flexibility. Miller also recommends asking about training, which tends to be important long-term. “That increases your value in the future,” he says. Is Pay Really the Issue? Finally, step back and examine why you feel you’re underpaid. Sometimes the issue goes beyond money. “One of the reasons some people feel like they’re underpaid is if there’s too much personal cost to what you’re doing,” says Karen Wright, president of Parachute Executive Coaching. “If you’re doing the completely wrong thing, no matter how much you’re being paid, it’s never truly going to be enough.” Wright recommends thinking about what will make you happier. It may be more money, but it may also be a shorter commute, flexible hours, a less-stressful company or a different boss. It helps to know you’re being paid fairly, but you’ll be a lot less worried and resentful if you actually like your job. Source
