TL;DR 15.

How to Negotiate Your Salary (197 words)

There is always money for the right person, no matter what HR says or what hiring freeze exists. Your job is to show that you are that person and that you will deliver a return on the investment you are seeking.

Do your homework. Know the market rate for the role, from recruiters, job adverts and people doing similar work. You cannot argue for more if you do not know what more looks like.

Try not to name a number first. If pressed, give a range, with your real target at the bottom.

I soon learnt that the best time to negotiate is when you change positions. Once they have decided you are the one, they have far more flexibility than they admit. In my third position I asked for a salary above the top of the range offered in the advert. The director later admitted it was zero effort to find that money for the right person.

Talk about the specific value you can offer. Your mortgage isn’t their concern; what you will deliver is.

Look beyond the base salary: bonus, holiday, pension contributions, flexible working, a review after six months. Get the final offer in writing before you resign from anything.

First action: prepare your case.

Yesterday I made

Croque Monsieur aux Truffes. May I say it was delicious…

TL; DR 14. How to Build Your Network(143 words)

Networking is not LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a directory, and we all know what it has become. Networking is staying in touch with people, properly, over years.

Start with the people you already know: former colleagues, clients, people you studied with.

Keep a simple list of the people who matter in your working life and contact a few each month. Give before you ask. Send an article they will find useful, make an introduction, recommend them. Help with no expectation of return. It comes back, though often not from the person you helped.

When you meet someone new, be curious. Ask questions. Remember details and ask about them next time.

My own network is small, but it’s lively, fun and beneficial.

The best time to build your network is when you do not need it.

First action: List ten people who matter in your working life and contact one of them this week.