On the Fence? You Should Do These 3 Things

Some things in your job search you do without question, like preparing a resume or setting up a LinkedIn profile. Other things you might be on the fence about because you’re not sure they’re worth their time or you think they’re hard to do. Below are three things you should do because there is only upside:

1. If you’ve been dinged, ask for feedback. I get it, you’re probably unhappy you didn’t get the job you want, and who wants to probe about rejection? But getting feedback for why they rejected you is invaluable. To land the job you want, you need to know how you are presenting yourself and what skills you might be missing. (On how to increase the odds of getting feedback post-rejection, see here.)
2. Parallel process your job search. Do not interview with prospective employers one at a time. Instead, you should be talking to multiple employers at once. Yes, I understand you have limited time to conduct a job search, let alone interview for different jobs. However, in this volatile market, you need to hedge your bets. Plus, if you get one offer you have much more leverage over the other opportunities.
3. Negotiate your pay. This is expected, and I have never seen an offer pulled because of a reasonable request. Some examples of reasonable requests (be sure to start by showing gratitude and interest): you just received an offer elsewhere so is there any way they can move on x (see #2), you are getting a raise at your current company, you just bought an expensive house and/or are sending your kids to expensive schools, or you have strong experience and should be paid at the top of the range given. (See here for tips on salary negotiation.)