September 1, 1999

Concerned about your next raise, job security, or the new boss?

America's leading career coaches tell you how to come out on top.

1. It's been more than two years since my last raise and promotion. My boss always tells me that she's pleased with my work, but she also keeps mentioning that the department is undergoing severe budget cuts.

"If you haven't received a raise in more than two years," says Neal Lenarsky, founder and president of Strategic Transitions, a Los Angeles-based career management firm, "something is wrong with the company, with your job, or with how you are perceived." If management truly is clamping down, it could be a sign that your company is in poor financial health or that there's no longer any growth in your position.

Or the problem could be more personal: Your boss may see you as a replaceable cog who isn't integral to the department's success. If you suspect this to be true, you need to make your case. Prepare a list of accomplishments that explains how you helped not only your department, but also your employer. For example, if you are in sales, keep a record of the new business you've brought in. Then, schedule a meeting with your boss to discuss the matter when she will be receptive. "Stick to the facts," says Lenarsky. "Your boss will appreciate a reasoned, nonemotional approach."

2. I feel like my coworkers get more credit for their work than I do for mine. But constantly reminding people of my accomplishments is not my style.

Tooting your own horn may make you uncomfortable, but it's important if you want to get ahead in today's competitive workforce. "Self-confidence plays a large role in how bosses perceive promotability," says Laurence J. Stybel, Ph.D., cofounder of Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire of Boston, an outplacement and search firm.

Trouble is, a recent University of Minnesota survey suggests that women are less likely to have the self-confidence that leads higher-ups to promote them. Women in the study received slightly higher ratings than men for their competence in their present positions. But the men were deemed more likely to be promoted because they were more assertive-and more likely to say they believed they were ready to be promoted.

You must keep higher-ups informed of your accomplishments. Stybel suggests creating a file noting your successes and positive remarks from colleagues and business associates, and then bringing it to your annual performance review. If you feel that comments during your review inadequately express your contributions, discuss this with your boss to set the record straight permanently. Even if you don't have an annual performance review, it's important to have a good record for your raise negotiations and references in the future. Check in with your boss regularly–every month for the first six months at a new job, and every six months after that–to make sure you are in agreement about your performance.

3. Recently I played a significant role in a project at work that my superior wants me to present to a supervisory board. I've done very little public speaking and, frankly, I'm terrified.

Public speaking is an essential skill, says Gloria Schaaf, president of The Schaaf Organization, a New York City-based firm specializing in productivity and organization. Being prepared will make some of your butterflies disappear. The rest, Schaaf says, should vanish while you're making the speech.

When preparing, ask your boss for the three or four key points she wants covered. "Remember, the point of the presentation is the value of the information," says Schaaf. "What will your information help others do, know, or understand better?"

Focus on grabbing your listeners' attention right away. Humor is one effective method. Another is to state a noteworthy result of your project–"we exceeded our sales goal by forty percent this year"–and then explain how you did it. End the speech with a short recap of your message, or a summary of the next steps to be taken.

You'll find public speaking less ominous if you break down your talk into sections and practice each part separately. Use multicolored note cards (a different color for each part) as cues, not as a script. These should guide you if you lose your train of thought or are interrupted and need to refocus. Finally, as you rehearse, slow yourself down. "Listen to your own voice, and breathe!" says Schaaf.

4. All the jobs I've held have been in the same field. I want to make a major change to a different field, but have no idea how to break in.

"You need to become an insider and have something to offer," says Kate Wendleton, president of The Five O'Clock Club, a national career-counseling organization based in New York City. Make contacts in the field by meeting people at industry functions. You may even want to chuck your current job for a transitional position-one that involves some skills from your old line of work but helps you build your base of knowledge and contacts. For example, if your plan is to move out of human resources and into marketing, look for a position as a benefits administrator at a marketing firm. This stepping-stone job can help demonstrate your qualifications when you make the real switch.

When you're ready for serious jobhunting, create a "summary" resume that begins with a paragraph describing your general skills and goes on to position you appropriately. For example, if you've been teaching elementary school for 20 years and want to move into motivational speaking, your resume should emphasize your communication skills and ability to inspire others. Write something like: "Twenty years of instructing all grades and bringing children individually to their potential academic level." Be sure to include accomplishments that prove that statement. After your summary paragraph, you can briefly recount your job history.

5. So many people get laid off these days because their skills are outdated. I'm essential at work now, but I worry that my job won't exist in ten years'

"You could drive yourself crazy trying to determine what careers will be hot in ten years," says Stybel. "Today's work environment demands adaptability more than single-minded planning."

To give yourself an obsolescence checkup, scan the want ads each week, even if you're not actively looking for a job. "Think of want ads as the message Corporate America is sending about what it needs today and in the near future," says Stybel. If you notice a high demand for people with Internet skills in your line of work and you're scared of a mousepad, it's time to take a basic computer course.

Keep in mind that should your company start downsizing, some of your coworkers will begin competing with you for jobs elsewhere. So no matter how safe you think your job is today, it's wise to establish yourself within your trade or profession–just in case the ax falls. The best way to do that, says Stybel, is by joining an association and becoming a dedicated volunteer there. If the group employs committees, try joining one that gets you wider exposure within your professional community, such as membership or programs, to further enhance your visibility.

6. Recently my company was gobbled up in a merger and the management was replaced. I had a great relationship with my previous boss and worry that things could start looking shaky for me with the new regime.

View the management change as an opportunity, not as a setback, says Lenarsky. Sure, you have to build relationships from scratch, but you also have knowledge and experience that the new management needs.

For example, you know the strengths and weaknesses of the people in your department, so act as a consultant to your new boss by suggesting suitable people for projects. Just remember... You are not entitled to the same treatment you received from the old guard. "The reality is, your new boss can fire you; he just hasn't," says Lenarsky.

The key to succeeding at work now is balancing the confidence of an old-timer with the willingness of a new hire. "A lot of employees are so hurt by mergers that they close themselves off from new management," Lenarsky says. One more tip: Avoid talking about the "old way" of doing things. Your new boss doesn't want to hear about it.

7. The last time I worked in an office Jimmy Carter was president. But now I want to reenter the workforce. How can I do it?

Even if you haven't been working for pay lately, you've probably been doing something–volunteer work, helping your spouse with his business, running school fund-raisers. All of these activities involve skills that are marketable, says Wendleton.

One of Wendleton's clients initially told her that she had done little recently other than "sitting in" at her daughter's dress shop. "She wasn't just sitting," Wendleton says. "She was managing the store." They fashioned a resume that adequately reflected the client's retail experience, and she quickly scored a position in that field. Another client, who had worked tirelessly for the local PTA, drafted a resume that read like any professional's. The name of the PTA organization was spelled out, along with the years she participated and power titles she held such as Project Manager and Administrative Head.

For jobs you had years ago, Wendleton advises listing the skills you developed and the number of years you were at the job-but no dates. "You want the issue to be the amount of experience you have, not when you got it," she says.

Don't Make These 5 Mistakes Gloria Schaaf, president of The Schaaf Organization, says avoiding these everyday errors at work can help you get ahead:

1. Wasting morning time. Coming in late, schlepping breakfast, and catching up on office gossip will cut into what could be the most productive part of the day.

2. Trying to be everyone's best friend. Women tend to work hard at making friends on the job, rather than at earning respect, which is a better generator of raises and promotions.

3. Constantly going to the boss for answers. Sure, some problems must be addressed by higher-ups. But overdo it and your boss will consider you a pain who can't take responsibility to fix what's broken.

4. Keeping things open-ended. If you hold a meeting and everyone leaves without knowing who should do what and when (or what the meeting was for in the first place), you're just wasting a lot of colleagues' time.

5. Making every day Casual Friday. True, more workplaces permit dressing down, but if you want to show you mean business, dress for the position you want, not the position you're in.