When Does it Make Sense to Accept a Lower Salary for the Same Role?

Ideally, your paycheck should keep increasing until you retire. However, truth remains that people end up taking jobs that pay lesser than their last ones for a variety of reasons. Besides, getting raises can be challenging for people who are already at good stages in their careers. So, when does it make sense to accept a lower salary for the same role or a comparable one?

You Get Better Perks

Workplace benefits play an important role in your overall compensation package. If the company you wish to join is offering stock grants in lieu of a decrease in pay, you might have reason to consider. This is because public equity is basically cash, and you can list the same on your mortgage application. What you need to account for is how much the stock will need to drop before it becomes unprofitable for you. A better than existing insurance package might also warrant your attention. Other benefits can come in the form of free on-site childcare and financial assistance for education.

You Need Work

If you are unemployed and need a job in a hurry, accepting a job with the same role at a lower pay might be in your best interest. This is because there is no telling when a desirable job might come your way. Besides, you can still keep looking for better opportunities.

You Need to Retain Your Job

There have been numerous instances of pay cuts because of the COVID-10 pandemic. A study carried out by Hewitt Associates suggests that more than 15% large businesses have decreased base salaries owing to the recession. These include names such as Hewlett Packard, The New York Times, and FedEx. Even the entertainment industry has been affected, with Jay Leno’s 50% pay cut being a prime example in case.

It Seems More Rewarding

Are you at the top salary range in your existing organization and see little to no room for growth? If so, you might think about moving to a company that offers a more fulfilling and engaging role with better long-term prospects, even if you stand to make lesser money for the time being.

You Wish for a Better Work-Life Balance

A survey conducted by Mom Corps shows that around 45% working adults would give some percentage of their salary up for increased flexibility at work. Consider this example – you get to work from home for two out of five days a week if you are willing to take a slight cut in your pay check. If you feel that you crave more personal time, this might be the path to take.

You Enter a New Industry

You might have to deal with a lower salary if you move to a new industry or if you take your expertise to a different department in the same organization. For instance, if you move from programming to sales, you will retain your industry expertise but lose out on your functional expertise. A decrease in salary could also be on the cards if you move to from programming for a leading tech company to programming for a government agency.

You Are Relocating to a Place With a Lower Cost of Living

If you are moving from a place with a high cost of living to one with a lower cost of living, accepting a lower salary makes sense. This is because it is fairly common for employers to pay lesser in areas that have low costs of living. The cost of living in New York and San Francisco, for instance, is higher than that of Salt Lake City, which is why salaries in the first two cities are typically higher.

Tackling the Interview

Your interviewer might want to know why you are willing to accept a lower paycheck. This is because there might be concerns about how long you will stick around with the company. Unless you wish to take the job because you have no other option, prepare to answer this question honestly.

Conclusion

If you plan to take on a role with a lower salary, make sure you are aware of all its financial implications. Remember that you are free to negotiate and make a counter offer, which can be up to 10% more than the original offer. Determine just why you are taking a cut in your paycheck to avoid heartache further down the road.

If you think somebody in your team is always the “idiot” you are the jerk.

Do you think there is someone in your team who is a perpetual idiot? Are you of the opinion that you are way better than the person in question? If so, you might be the one who others in the team look upon as a jerk. Fortunately, identifying the problem (with you) and following a few simple remedial measures should hold you in good stead.

Why You Are the Jerk

Failing to appreciate others’ perspectives, having an air of superiority, treating supposed idiots as tools you can manipulate, or thinking of them as people you need to deal with instead of your peers, makes you, well, quite a jerk. This is because you fail not just at the emotional level but also intellectually. Consequently, it is you who is left wanting in these aspects. 

Signs of You Being a Jerk

The typical workplace jerk thinks of himself or herself as more important than his or her peers, and tries to exercise undue control on subordinates. Such employees tend to lend importance to the opinions and perspectives of those who are higher up the hierarchy ladder. If you feel someone is your team is always being an idiot, here are some other signs that you might want to watch out for and avoid:

• You are pushy and/or intrusive
• You are mean and/or disrespectful
• You refuse to look at his/her accomplishments
• You are not appreciative

If you find yourself whining or complaining about one or more employees, bear in mind that it never helps – and this applies in your personal life as well.

Signs That Your Peers Think You Are a jerk

If you keep looking down on anyone in your team, your coworkers probably already view you in bad light. Here are signs that might indicate it is happening.

• Your team members argue with you frequently
• They avoid you when possible
• The do not help you, and do not ask for your help
• You feel they are sarcastic and/or rude
• Their body language is negative
• They laugh at you, or snicker even when you are not trying to be funny
• Your success comes as a surprise to them

What You Need to Do

For starters, get rid of all the airs you have about yourself. Then, understand that the coworker you think of as an idiot might be inconsistently motivated or may simply not have the same priorities as you. In addition, some employees don’t go that extra mile in the absence of effective communication or recognition. Even if you are not in a position to bestow rewards, you can still highlight how the individual’s work is important to you, the team, and the organization. Just like you want your work to be acknowledged and appreciated, so do all others.

Conclusion

Viewing someone in your team as an idiot comes with no benefit. If anything, you might take on the role of being everyone’s fool yourself. If find yourself thinking you are better than someone at everything, it is time to take a step back and recalibrate your thoughts. Not only will the other person have positives you can look up to, identifying and working on your own flaws will help as well.

If you have any questions about this post, please ask by using the comments section. If you found the content to be helpful, please hit the like button and share it with others. To read more content related to careers in software, follow us now.

How to be a better presenter?

Are you among the many engineers and coders who have lots of data to present but don’t do a good job when it comes to presenting it in front of an audience? Are you wary about not brining enough substance to the table? If so, help might be closer at hand than you’ve imagined.

In this video, I’ll highlight aspects that can put your presentation woes to rest – and no – I’m not going to ask you to visualize your audience naked.

If you’re wondering what’s the worst that can happen in case you make a poor presentation, answers can range from a disappointed audience, to a less-than-favorable appraisal, to even having to look for a new job. Fortunately, how your presentation goes is largely in your control. 

Make it About Content, Not People

Understand that you’re giving a presentation because you’re meant to have the required knowledge to put forth any given idea or data. With the expertise to back you, view all those in your audience as the same, irrespective of their designations. Remember that you need focus on your content, and not the audience.

Objectivity Matters

Making a technical presentation is not the same as conventional public speaking – with objectivity playing a crucial role in the former. If you’re trying to talk through your hat while offering no real substance, there’s a good chance your audience will look through your act. Being a good public speaker is not enough if you don’t have the required technical knowhow.

Cater to Everyone

Having technical knowledge is one thing, and assuming that your audience is on the same page is something else all together. When you’re giving a technical presentation, you need to cater to the least knowledgeable people in the group as well, especially when part of your audience is from other verticals.

When possible, get information about your audience ahead of time, using which you can tweak your presentation’s level of detail and depth. If part of the audience is non-technical, highlight the what, why, and how, and don’t bother talking about coding.

What Else Can You Do

• Explain how your presentation supports a product’s USP.
• Use relevant graphics in the form of photos, diagrams, and charts – but keep them simple.
• Include a Q&A session at the end.
• Use cue cards if you can’t remember the flow of your content.
• Use a transcription app that runs in the background.
• Speak in complete sentences.
• Pause after important points so your audience can absorb your message.
• Carry out a test run with colleagues and get feedback.
• Make videos of your trial runs and view them from the perspective of your audience.
• Start a YouTube channel to get feedback from others.
• Join Toastmasters – most clubs are meeting online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Take professional public speaking classes.
• Practice, practice, and practice some more.

What You Shouldn’t Do

• Don’t include too much textual content in the presentation – you’re there to do the talking.
• Don’t keep reading off the screen – your audience can do this on its own.
• Don’t be too harsh on yourself if you mumble or pause from time to time.
• Don’t worry about making eye contact with people – if anything, it helps draw in your audience.

In some cases, people find giving presentations stressful because they suffer from performance anxiety. In any such scenario, seeking professional assistance would be the obvious way to go.

If you can manage to keep these pointers in mind, giving your next presentation should become considerably simpler, and you’ll also have the pleasure of leaving your audience satisfied.

If you have any questions about this video, please ask by using the comments section. If you’ve found it to be useful, please hit the like button and share it with others. To watch more great content related to careers in software, follow us now.

Giving Better Technical Presentations Simplified

Many engineers and coders who have lots of data to present find it hard to present it in front of an audience. Some are even wary about not brining enough substance to the table. Does this sound familiar?
Once you are done reading this post, you can put your presentation woes to rest – and no – no part of the process involves visualizing your audience naked.
If you are wondering what’s the worst that can happen in case you make a poor presentation, answers can range from a disappointed audience, to a less-than-favorable appraisal, to even having to look for a new job. Fortunately, how your presentation goes is largely in your control.

Make it About Content, Not People

Understand that you have been selected to give a presentation because you are meant to have the required knowledge to put forth any given idea or data. With the expertise to back you, you need to view all those in your audience as the same, irrespective of their designations. Remember that you need focus on your content, and not the audience.

Objectivity Matters

Making a technical presentation is not the same as conventional public speaking. Objectivity plays a crucial role in the former. If you are trying to talk through your hat while offering no real substance, there is a good chance your audience will look through your act. Being a good public speaker is not enough; you also need to have the required technical knowhow.

Cater to Everyone

While you need to have the required technical knowledge, you should not assume that your audience is on the same page. When you are giving a technical presentation, you need to cater to the least knowledgeable people in the group as well, especially when part of your audience is from other verticals.

When possible, get information about your audience ahead of time, using which you can tweak your presentation’s level of detail and depth. If part of the audience is non-technical, highlight the what, why, and how, and don’t bother talking about coding.

What Else Can You Do

Here are more pointers that can help you change the course of your technical presentations for the better.
Explain how your presentation supports a product’s USP.

• Use relevant graphics in the form of photos, diagrams, and charts – but keep them simple.
• Include a Q&A session at the end.
• Use cue cards if you cannot remember the flow of your content.
• Use a transcription app that runs in the background.
• Speak in complete sentences.
• Pause after important points, giving your audience time to absorb your message.
• Carry out a test run with colleagues and get feedback.
• Make videos of your trial runs and view them from the perspective of your audience.
• Start a YouTube channel to get feedback from others.
• Join Toastmasters – most clubs are meeting online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Take professional public speaking classes.
• Practice, practice, and practice some more.

What You Should Not Do

Don’t be too harsh on yourself if you mumble or pause from time to time. Even the best are not perfect. In addition:
Don’t include too much textual content in the presentation because you are there to do the talking.
Don’t keep reading off the screen because your audience can do this on its own.
Don’t worry about making eye contact with people – if anything, it helps draw in your audience.
In some cases, people find giving presentations stressful because they suffer from performance anxiety. In any such scenario, seeking professional assistance would be the obvious way to go.

If you can manage to keep these pointers in mind, giving your next presentation should become considerably simpler, and you’ll also have the pleasure of leaving your audience satisfied.
If you have any questions about this post, please use the comments section to ask. If you have found it to be helpful, please share it with others and hit the like button. To read more great content related to careers in software, follow us now.