So I've posted here for the past few months regarding my job hunt. I finally found a job! It's not too far away, and it pays a ton more than my previous job. I'm so excited.
I learned (or re-learned) an important fact about job-hunting- It's purely a numbers game. I applied for so so so many positions that were perfect matches, and never heard back. But the job that I got, was a poor match (on paper). I didn't meet 60% of the qualifications, but they were more concerned about "fit" and my educational background.
Also, negotiating works. Always negotiate. This is the first time I've negotiated salary, and I only did it because of the recent posts about how one should never not negotiate. I asked for a little less than 10% more than what was initially offered. Now I think I could've asked for even more because they agreed to it a little too quickly. Also, early on, I made the mistake of being the first person to name a number by saying I wanted to be paid in a certain range. I should've just bounced the question back and asked the HR person what the allotted range was. Looking on glassdoor.com, I'm kicking myself, because now I see I could've asked for 20-25% more. Eh, live and learn.
All in all, I'm very happy with how things turned out. I found the job posting through simplyhired.com, and applied on their corporate site. It took HR about 3 weeks to contact me.
Re: Finally found a job
Congrats! So nice to get a new job heading into the holidays without that worry!
I don't know that I trust Glassdoor. Negotiating can work, it did for me a job ago, but in my current position my supervisor wouldn't budge for even a couple thousand more or other benefits like working from home. Still, I agree it is always worth asking -- after you get the offer of course!
They may still give you more money; they can still decide to do so after you begin working there.;)
What is on paper can't fit all candidates, same as what's on your resume isn't indicative of who you really are -- there is a great deal more to a candidate than what is on his or her resume.:)
This is why I'm a proponent of a hiring manager calling and doing the initial screening; he may have other questions to ask you regarding your education, your experience or your background that he may think of asking only during the phone call.