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The Balance Sheet Decision Technique

Disclaimer: please note that all of the links were active as of the newsletter publication, but some may become inactive over time.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Job Search Minute Video - "MySpace and Your Job Search"
Job Search Tip of the Week - "The Balance Sheet Decision Technique"
Education Center - "Continuing Education Now Easier to Manage"
Help Spread The Word!
Job Search Links
Free Job Search Book

Contents

Job Search Video

"MySpace and Your Job Search"

If you just asked yourself 'What does MySpace have to do with my job search?' then pay attention. Your friends may not be the only ones checking up on your online presence. Do you know what to do with your MySpace? If not, check out our one-minute-video tip:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos/myspace-and-your-job-search.shtml

CollegeGrad.com features more than 60 job tips in one minute video format. Review them all at:

www.CollegeGrad.com/job-search-videos

Contents

Job Search Tip of the Week, by Brian Krueger, author of "College Grad Job Hunter," the #1 book for entry level job search:

"The Balance Sheet Decision Technique"

There is an easy way to determine whether an offer is acceptable. The method was originated by one of the wisest men in the history of our country—Ben Franklin. The name of the technique? The Balance Sheet Decision Technique. He probably never called it that, but good old Ben used it just the same. In weighing a difficult decision, he would take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. Then he would put the heading "Reasons For" on the left side and "Reasons Against" on the right side. He would proceed to list the positive aspects of the decision on the left and the negative aspects of the decision on the right. Once everything was down on paper, the answer usually became obvious to him. Use the Balance Sheet Decision Technique in evaluating the initial offer. Important: do not evaluate the position against what you want. Instead, evaluate it against your next-best alternative. For some, that may be your present job. For others, it may be another job offer. And for others, it may be unemployment and continuing the job search.

Whatever you do, don't get caught in the "hope trap"—comparing your offer against what you hope another company will offer. Until you have it in writing, you are comparing against vapor. Make sure all of your negotiations are on firm, solid foundations. Otherwise, you may find it slipping out from under you. Objective number one is to get the job offer. Then, and only then, can you begin to negotiate that job offer.

If the job offer is still truly "unacceptable" per the Balance Sheet Decision Technique, continue with the Unacceptable Offer Negotiation Technique which follows. Otherwise, what you really have is an acceptable job offer that you were hoping would be better. Read the Acceptable Offer Negotiation Technique for advice on how to potentially improve this type of offer.

Next newsletter: "The Unacceptable Offer Negotiation Technique"

Contents

Education Center

"Continuing Education Now Easier to Manage"

Education may have its benefits, but it's still an investment of time. Fortunately, technological advances make earning your degree easier to manage than ever, even if you're working full-time or supporting a family. Online degree programs are booming, both in number and credibility. Many are accredited, and most allow you to work whenever and wherever you can. Even campus-based programs typically cater to a working adult's schedule, offering night and weekend courses.

Browse Top Online Degree Programs:

www.CollegeGrad.com/education

Contents

- Help Spread The Word!

Do you know of someone who can benefit from the information in this newsletter? Simply forward this e-mail to them and tell them to subscribe at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/newsletter. Thanks for spreading the good word!

Contents

Job Search Links:

Contents

- Job Search Book Online

There are at least two other entry level Web sites that offer books on job searching, proclaming that they will tell you everything you need to know about entry level job search.

However, there is a very important point about these books they don't mention up front: they cost money.

At CollegeGrad.com, we give you two things they don't:

The #1 entry level job search book ("College Grad Job Hunter").
It's free.

It's that simple. So don't buy the hype. Read the real information you need for FREE:

http://www.CollegeGrad.com/book

Don't ever pay for books or reports or resources of lower quality when you can access the very best quality information for free.

P.S. Yes, you can buy "College Grad Job Hunter" in hardcopy format as well at Amazon.com for $15 (actually, 30% off that price), but the online version is better. Why? Because the version at Amazon.com is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.

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