Mailbag: Handling At-Work Relationships

Dear Ella,

I have just finished my degree and am considering an offer from a company for an entry-level position, but the salary is lower than the national average for my skill set. I really like this company and feel that I can gain some terrific experience there that will make me more marketable over time. How important is salary when one is just starting their career?

Dear Just Starting,

There are several considerations when negotiating a beginning salary. There are certainly salary averages for your particular skill set. This information can be obtained through your career center at school -- speak to them. Remember that if you take a job for less money than your peers are making, you will be struggling to make up that difference throughout your early and mid career.

Strategically speaking -- if your salary is too low, any new company with whom you interview may suspect that you know less than you do -- as salary is usually commensurate with title, skill set and proven ability.

Dear Ella,

I am really attracted to one of my peers at work. We work long hours together and have become good friends. I really want to ask her out on a date, but am not sure how my company would feel about this. What do you think?

Dear What Do I Think?

In this day and age, most companies have firm policies in place regarding dating in the work place. While it is not objectionable to many companies, consider the difficulties you would face if this relationship did not ultimately work out.

You've stated that you both work closely with each other and are dependant on the other to complete work projects. You should first ask yourself how important this job is to you and how easy it would be for you to find employment in the event you had to move quickly. I would take a pass on this one (no pun intended).

Dear Ella,

How much money does an operations analyst in the energy field make?

Dear How Much,

There are many online resources that can attempt to answer this question for you; however, feedback from my human resource contacts suggest that these online salary indicators deliver salary averages that are too high and tend to set unrealistic candidate expectations.

I suggest you speak to a recruiter or career counselor specializing in your market focus. He/she will review your work and academic history and provide you with a more accurate compensation average for your area of specialty and geographical location. Good luck.

Dear Ella,

I work with my best friend and found out through the "grapevine" that she is going to be fired. Should I tell her what I've heard?

Dear Should I Tell Her,

No. If you tell her, you may help to undermine her self-esteem and make her less likely to concentrate on her tasks at work. Stay out of this one. Business is business, and if you get involved, you may lose not only your friend, but your job, too. Don't get bogged down in the minutia of office-room gossip.

Dear Ella,

I had an interview last week with a company for which I really want to work. At the end of the interview, I was told that they had just started the interview process and, in fact, I was the first candidate on their list to be seen. They liked me very much but needed to complete the process of first rounds before making a decision. Was this just a nice way of telling me: "Don't call us -- we'll call you"?

Dear Don't Call Us,

Whenever possible, find out if the company with which you are planning on interviewing has seen any other candidates and, if so, where they are in the process. Strategically, you don't want to be the first through the door because, over the course of time (even if you blew their socks off), your meeting becomes less sharp in their memory.

Ask your recruiter or HR representative or whoever is setting the schedule how long the position has been open and if they have already started the interview process. If they tell you that you are the first person to be scheduled, set the date and then call or e-mail them back and say that you have a major project you need to compete at work and you need to reschedule. Pick a date five to 10 days later -- by that time, they should have seen other candidates.

Dear Ella,

I am leaving my employment the end of June. How do I resign?

Dear How Do I Resign?

The first person you want to let know that you are leaving is your immediate supervisor or the person that hired you. Then you need to write a formal letter (hard copy) to your human resources representative with a cc: to your boss.

Begin the letter by stating how much you have enjoyed working for this fine company and thank them for their investment in you professionally. Let them know that you have accepted a new position with another company (you do not need to tell them who or where you are going), and the date you will be leaving their employ.

Human resources may request an exit interview with you to understand why you are leaving and how or if there is any way they might entice you to stay. This is not the time to talk negatively about anyone, but rather let him or her know that you are moving out to move up. It's a small world out there -- you may find yourself working with some of these same people again in the future, so keep your comments in check. Don't forget to request letters of recommendation.

Next week: Mailbag

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Written by Ella Kallish.
For more information on Ella Kallish, go to www.ellakallish.com.
Ella Kallish is also available for corporate and group seminars.

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