Wednesday, November 27, 2019

How to Write a Good Counteroffer Email

How to Write a Good Counteroffer Email Congrats! You got the job and it’s time for negotiations. You know you have to counter the first offer- that’s just good business sense. But perhaps you’re worried about being too aggressive and possibly losing the opportunity. You shouldn’t be. First, do your homework. Some companies are not willing to consider counteroffers. Maybe they have an established salary range that they’ve already maxed out for you. If you’re pressing forward, here are a few tips and strategies to help you get closer to the compensation you want.1. Think before you write.You’re not happy with the compensation package, and they seem open to negotiation. Do some research- find out what the average salary is for your equivalent position in that area. See what other commensurate companies are offering in the way of benefits and salary. Consider the whole package, including any relocation costs, sick days, vacation, family leave, telecommuting, etc.2. Know your va lue.Do some market research to determine what you should be making, given your skills and experience. Craft your best argument for a higher final offer. You’ll want to sell yourself with clear intel and reasons behind you for why you deserve a bump before signing. Look at local salary surveys, calculators, recruiters, colleagues, mentors, even LinkedIn groups and online research.3. Get time on your side.Buy yourself a couple of days â€Å"to think about the offer.† Don’t forget to emphasize your enthusiasm about the position so they don’t think you’ve lost interest. Show yourself to be thoughtful, not impulsive or anxious.4. Don’t be greedy.Don’t ask for more than is reasonable. If you ask for something within normal range, and you’re prepared to defend your ask, then don’t stand down and cave immediately. Let the process work as it should. And if you’re given what you ask, take it. Don’t try to then ask fo r even more.5. Go for it!Type your counter letter up in a standard business letter format. Put the employer’s information and your contact information in the header. Address the letter to your employer. Write an intro that emphasizes your interest and provides reasons why you’re excited and you think you’d be a good fit. Kill them with kindness. Then, in the body, include a short paragraph for every point of the original offer you wish to counter. Make sure to have done your homework and include appropriate reasons for why this is deserved. Then write a polite conclusion reemphasizing your keenness on the position and your respect for the company and their process. Offer, if you like, to meet in person to discuss. Sign it: â€Å"Respectfully yours.† And wait!6. Be ready to walk away.Don’t bluff. The last thing you want to do is put a number on the table and have them refuse to negotiate at all. If you say â€Å"I can’t work here for any les s than x,† and they don’t offer you x, then you have to be prepared to turn down the opportunity. If they are being completely unreasonable (i.e. they don’t have an established salary policy and are just playing hardball for no reason), then you might want to do this anyway.7. Be professional.Keep it classy and keep your tone measured and professional. Back up all of your asks with good solid reasons. Say ‘no’ nicely and learn to hear ‘no’ without going ballistic. Be as assertive as you need to be without becoming aggressive. Don’t be threatening, and don’t take things personally. It’s business, and a perfectly normal process.8. Listen more than you talk.If your process advances to face-to-face negotiations, pay attention to their body language and yours. Be commanding, but not pugnacious. Keep your mouth shut and be strong. The person who talks first often is the one who walks away from negotiations with the lesser end of the stick. And keep personal sob stories about finances to yourself.9. Get it in writing.If you succeed at getting a higher offer, make sure to get it in writing before you sign anything!

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Needle in the Hay Song Analysis Essays

Needle in the Hay Song Analysis Essays Needle in the Hay Song Analysis Paper Needle in the Hay Song Analysis Paper â€Å"Needle in the Hay† by Elliott Smith Your hand on his arm The haystack charm Around your neck Strung out and thin Calling some friend Trying to cash some check Hes acting dumb Thats what youve come To expect (Chorus) Needle in the hay Needle in the hay Needle in the hay Needle in the hay Hes wearing your clothes Head down to toes A reaction to you You say you know what he did But you idiot kid You dont have a clue Sometimes they just Get caught in the eye Youre pulling him through *Chorus* Now on the bus Nearly touching This dirty retreat Falling out 6th and Powell A dead sweat in my teeth Going to walk, walk, walk Four more blocks Plus the one in my brain Down downstairs To the man Hes going to make it all ok I cant beat myself I cant beat myself And I dont want to talk Im taking the cure So I can be quiet Whenever I want So leave me alone You ought to be proud That Im getting good marks *Chorus 2x* In health class, we just finished a unit on drugs and addictions. We learned about the different classifications of drugs, their effects, and symptoms of addiction. Our current assignment is to analyze a song that describes the negative effects of drugs, and share our personal reaction to it. The song I chose is â€Å"Needle in the Hay† by Elliott Smith. This song can be interpreted in many different ways, but it’s almost always recognized as being about drugs, specifically heroin. Though Smith only became addicted to heroin in his later life, he writes about drugs, alcohol, and addiction in many of his songs, from his first album on. â€Å"Needle in the Hay† seems to be about a girl who is addicted to heroin, and is in a relationship with a guy who is beginning to use heroin himself. I chose this song because it’s beautifully written, and uses many interesting metaphors to help tell the story. The first line in the song is â€Å"Your hand on his arm, the haystack charm around your neck. † I think this is saying that she is beginning to become a bigger part of his life, but she is bringing her addiction into it also. â€Å"Strung out and thin, calling some friend, trying to cash some check. † The girl is thin from heroin use, as the drug causes loss of appetite, which leads to weight loss. She is stressed from not having the drug, so she calls a friend, hoping she can buy more. â€Å"He’s acting dumb, that’s what you’ve come to expect. † Her boyfriend knows what is going on with her, but he plays dumb and doesn’t acknowledge it. She knows that he knows, but doesn’t say anything. The song then goes to the chorus, which just repeats â€Å"Needle in the hay†, referring to the hidden, unspoken addiction(s) in the relationship. The next verse begins with â€Å"He’s wearing your clothes, head down to toes, a reaction to you. † I don’t think that he is literally wearing her clothes; I think it is a metaphor meaning that ever since he’s been with her, he’s becoming just like her, especially after acquiring the addiction. â€Å"You say you know what he did, but you idiot kid, you don’t have a clue. The girl thinks that she knows the guy so well, but she does not realize the severity of the situation, or the fact that she has brought this on him. â€Å"Sometimes they just get caught in the eye, you’re pulling him through. † Sometimes people just get caught up in bad things, and she’s only worsening his problem. In the third verse, the point of view seems to shift from third person into the girl’s eyes. â€Å"Now on the bus, nearly touching this dirty retreat. † The girl is going to get drugs, and she’s almost there. She knows what she’s doing is wrong, but by now it almost feels like a comfort, or an old friend. Falling out, 6th and Powell, a dead sweat in my teeth. † She’s now walking to the place where she’s going to get her drugs. The â€Å"dead sweat in my teeth† part is a bit hard to understand but I have a few ideas. It may just be symbolizing her craving, her need for the drug. It may be referring to the actual condition of her teeth, as heroin can cause teeth rotting and gum disease. Or, it could be a combination of both. â€Å"Going to walk walk walk, four more blocks, plus the one in my brain. Down, downstairs, to the man, he’s going to make it all okay. † Her addiction is so serious that she is willing to walk blocks and blocks to get to th e drug. She feels that once she gets it from the dealer, she will feel better and everything will be okay. She is dependant on the drug. â€Å"I can’t beat myself, I can’t beat myself, and I don’t want to talk. I’m taking the cure, so I can be quiet whenever I want. † She has gotten to the point where she no longer has faith in herself, and she needs the drug to feel okay. She’s so focused on the drug and feeling better that she’s becoming withdrawn and shutting the rest of the world out. She’s using heroin to ease her pain; she thinks that it will make things easier. â€Å"So leave me alone, you ought to be proud that I’m getting good marks. She wants everyone to leave her alone. She wants to keep her problem a secret, so she tries to hide it by doing well in other aspects of life, perhaps school or work. I think that this song’s view of addiction and the problems that come with it is simply brilliant. It shows the depen dency on the drug, the user’s personal feelings and hopes for what the drug will do, and the way drug addiction can affect relationships. What I learned in health class helped greatly with this project. I have loved this song for a long time, and getting this in-depth look at it by doing the analysis has only made me love and appreciate it more.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How Individual Firms Can Prevent A Leeson Incident From Happening To Research Paper

How Individual Firms Can Prevent A Leeson Incident From Happening To Them - Research Paper Example This research paper tells that the collapse of Baring Bank was primarily due to one rogue trader, named Nick Leeson, who was making fraudulent transactions. Leeson occupied a great deal of power in Barings Limited, as he was both the Chief Trader and Head of Settlements, which means that he could make any trades he wanted without any oversight – the fox was in charge of the chicken coop, so to speak. What this essentially meant was that Leeson was able to cover up losses and report them as gains, because, as Head of Settlements, which was in charge of reporting trading losses and errors, he was able to be dishonest in this way. This was brought to the attention of the auditors, which stated that this set-up provided great risk, but Barings did nothing to rectify it. In the end, it was this lack of governance that proved to be the undoing of the firm, as Leeson single-handedly brought the bank down. The Leeson affair was caused by a number of different factors. First, according to Hoch & Kunreuther, bad decisions played a large part in fomenting the conditions under which the scandal occurred. One of the bad decisions was on the part of the managers, who looked the other way regarding Leeson because their emotions got in the way. The managers liked Leeson, as he initially was successful in trading, and the emotion of greed got in the way of closely scrutinizing him. Moreover, Leeson had very little experience in trading, and he had some personal bad debt that was not disclosed in his application for a trading license. All of these should have been red flags, however, they were overlooked by the individuals in the hiring process and by the managers who could have prevented Leeson’s reckless trading, simply because Leeson was liked (Hoch & Kunreuther, 2001, p. 6) Hoch & Kunreuther (2001) also state that there were other reasons why there were so many bad decisions that were made in the Leeson case. One of these is that the company relied too much on intuition. Another is that they were in too much of a rush – they felt that they must capitalize on the Far East market as quickly as possible, without implementing the