Are You a Nervous Presenter

Use These Four Tips to Feel Confident.

It is said that all people fear two things - death and public speaking. Having to present in front of others can be nerve-racking - even for experienced speakers. You are not going to find the answers in your Communications Plan. Here are some tips to help you feel more confident.

1. Prepare

Nothing gives you as much confidence as being prepared. Of course, you need to know the content, but you should also understand the structure of your presentation and how you will move from point to point. You don't need (or want) to memorize the presentation, but you don't want to forget things either.

You should rehearse the presentation multiple times. This could be in front of a safe audience, or even saying the words to yourself. You don't want to read content from a slide, but having the overall session framed by some slides with bullet points can keep you on topic and make the presentation more comfortable.

2. On the day of the presentation.

• Get yourself mentally and physically prepared.
•  Get a good night's sleep
• Eat a healthy meal
• Try to free your schedule, so you're more relaxed
• Before you present, spend 15 minutes going over your presentation one last time. You should have a copy of your presentation that you can review.
• Relax

3. Use confident body language

• Much of your message is relayed through your body language.
• Make eye contact with people
• Appear confident using an open stance. Stand tall.
• Smile and let your personality shine
•   Walk around a little
• Vary your voice and use slow, open hand gestures.
• Speak slowly and carefully, but passionately. If you're enthusiastic about the topic, then your listeners will be as well.

4. Look for opportunities for interaction

Encourage interaction with others during your presentation. When others talk for a few seconds, it takes the focus off you and lets you clear your head and focus on the key points ahead. Interaction also keeps the audience engaged.

Public speaking is one of the hardest things to master. If you prepare carefully, have a great mindset and are enthusiastic, you will deliver a great presentation.

Use Green Practices in All Aspects of Business

Integrate environmental thinking into all project management processes. But green thinking does not have to be reserved just for projects. It can be part of all of our business processes. The point of GreenPM is not that we make every decision in favor of the one that is most environmentally friendly. The point is that we start to take the environment into account during the decision-making process. The same can hold true for other business processes as well.     

 

Green Business Processes

It can be difficult to be green. Most green initiatives today are focused on equipment, supplies and other tangible products. There is not nearly so much emphasis yet on embedding green thinking into core business operating processes. These are the processes you use to run your business. Examples include your hiring process, performance review process, financial closeout process, vendor management processes, sales processes, etc. All companies have many business processes that are used to run the business. Few of these processes have been customized to support green thinking.

For example, let’s look at a simple fictional hiring process, and see where we can add green thinking. The process might look something like this.

v Understand skills and experience level for the position. (New - ask if there are any green requirements for the position).

v Create job description. (New - add a section in the job description for green requirements. This gets the manager thinking about it for all job descriptions.)

v Post position internally. (New - post electronically. Receive all resumes and feedback electronically. Don't print any documents.)

v Post position externally to internet job boards and on corporate website. (New - validate that the external job boards you use have sound environmental policies.)

v Evaluate candidates. (New - see if any candidates have green experience that matches any green requirements on the job description.)

 

v Perform initial interviews with qualified candidates. (New - perform initial interviews by phone, not in person. Save on costs as well as environmental impact.

 

 

v Pass qualified candidates to hiring manager (New - send electronically, not hard copy.)

v Conduct hiring manager interviews. (New - perform initial interviews by phone, not in person.)

v Bring in finalists for in-person interviews. (New - set up interviews for each candidate so they only have to travel one time.)

v Make hiring recommendation

v Make offer

 

There you have it. You have just embedded some simple ideas to make this a greener process. It is not burdensome. It just embeds green thinking into the process you were going to perform anyway. Take this idea and replicate it 100 billion times on simple business processes round the world. It would have a noticeable impact.

Five ways to get lucky

Get more luck in your life

Ever feel as though some people have more luck than you? Inject your life with some much needed good fortune. With the aid of positive thinking you can turn that frown upside down, start living your life to its full potential and achieve your dreams, without feeling the need to reach for that scratch card.

Look for the silver lining

It is inevitable that some people seem to get more luck than others, but should we just wait to see if luck strikes for us or take matters into our own hands? We can help ourselves a lot by looking for the silver lining in a negative situation. If you focus on the negatives you are only going to cloud your judgement on the solution, so adopt a more positive outlook on the situations in your life and you will feel better about how to handle them and begin to assume a lucky mentality. Change your thoughts and luck will follow.

Be on the lookout for new opportunities

Very rarely do opportunities for luck present themselves; when they do it’s fantastic, but the chances are this is not going to occur. Nine out of 10 times things happen because we make them happen, so why not take some calculated risks to increase your opportunities. Take smaller risks at first and if they pay off you can increase them. You should always be on the lookout for new prospects, whether it is in the workplace or in your social life. Keep your eyes and ears open as you never know what’s just around the corner and you don’t want to miss out!

Cut loose your anxieties

Individual hang ups can hold us back from doing everyday tasks in our lives. Adopt the mantra: ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ Don’t let your anxiety get the better of you; your mind is very powerful and anxiety is just a learnt behaviour. Sometimes putting yourself in a stressful situation is OK and to explore new paths in life is essential. Sitting back is all well and good if you’re willing to watch the world go by, but the more open you are to new opportunities the more you’ll increase your chances of luck, so let go of that anxiety and go for it!

Trust your instincts

People who make quick decisions can be led by their intuition. Your gut instinct is more than likely correct; how many times have you been stuck in a situation where you knew things weren’t right from the off, but still carried on and things have turned sour? Listening to yourself can really help you make the right decisions. So how can you become more intuitive? Take some time for yourself, relax in the bath or go for a walk and clear your head. Spending time with yourself will help you understand your thoughts clearly; that way when the next decision has to be made you will know exactly what you think and you can manage the situation with a clear decisive answer.

Learn how to deal with bad luck

The way we deal with bad luck can be detrimental to how we view our lives. A pessimistic person can always see the bad in everything, and to dwell constantly on the bad will inevitably get you down in the dumps. Try to put a positive spin on all the bad situations you find yourself in; focusing what could have made that situation worse will give you that pick up to see you through the rough patch. It isn’t possible to always be happy and positive about everything or everyone in your life, but making a concerted effort to have a happier and brighter outlook on life will make you appreciate the luck you already had in your life that you didn’t notice.

Seven tips to making the right impression

LONDON (Reuters) - (Jo Bryant is an etiquette advisor and editor at Debrett's, the UK authority on etiquette and modern manners (www.debretts.com). Any opinions expressed are her own. Debrett's has a publishing heritage dating back over two centuries with a contemporary range of publications including "A-Z of Modern Manners", "Etiquette for Girls" and "Guide for the Modern Gentleman".)

LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - We all know that making a good impression is fundamental to professional and social success. All too often, however, we unintentionally tarnish our personal polish by forgetting the basics of face-to-face communication.

From personal appearances and body language to handshakes and introductions, here are some top tips on being remembered for all the right reasons...

1. Looking Good 

Your appearance is an instant message to those around you, so the way you look is as important as how you behave. It goes without saying that you and your attire should be shiny and clean from head to toe. Dress appropriately for the situation - tailor your personal sense of style to suit your surroundings.

 2. Positive Posture

The way you stand, walk and sit all make a big impression. Hold your head high, keep your back straight and pull your shoulders back, but keep it all looking natural. Tread lightly (no clumping, thundering footsteps), and don't drag your feet or shuffle. Women should always sit with their knees together; men should avoid sitting with their legs excessively wide apart, and should never repeatedly jiggle their leg up and down.

3. Boost Your Body Language 

Body language is a series of silent signals that play a vitally important part in the impression you give to the world. Create an air of confidence and positivity by avoiding crossed arms, hunched shoulders and awkward fidgeting. Focus on good posture, positive gestures and a natural sense of self-awareness. Never yawn in public and don't forget to smile.

 4. Shake On It

A handshake, lasting just a few seconds, is the common form of greeting for all business situations and most social situations. Always use your right hand and ‘pump' the recipients hand two or three times before you let it go. Make eye contact and ensure that your fingers firmly grasp the other palm. Avoid bone-crushing grips or loose, limp hands.

5. Successful Social Kissing

When faced with a cheek-to-cheek greeting, approach the situation with confidence. Usually it's right cheek first, but prepares to change direction at the last minute. Cheek skin must make brief, light contact; avoid sound effects, air kissing and saliva traces. Pull back decisively (but don't be too abrupt) if you are just giving one. Be cautious with those you are less familiar with - two might seem over the top.

 6. Seeing Eye-to-Eye

There's no doubt that a certain amount of eye contact is a positive form of communication, but remember that there's a split-second's difference between a good impression and unnerving staring. Eye contact is crucial when you are being introduced to someone, shaking hands and engaging in conversation. Just don't unnerve your recipient with an intense gaze.

7. Interesting Introductions

When you are introduced to someone, the traditional response is to say "How do you do". If this is overly formal for the situation, then a friendly "Hello" is an equally acceptable response. If you are making the introductions, remember the hierarchy: men should be introduced to women, juniors to elder people. Offer a little information about each person as you introduce them to help break the ice. Speak clearly and don't mumble; you don't want people to be left embarrassed, forced into "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name" territory.

How to control your anger effectively

Health, MensXP.com
Never make decisions or share opinions when angry.

We are sure you all have heard this or read this many times before. But not all of us can actually put this into practice. We do mess up our friendships, relationships by saying things we shouldn’t have just because we were too angry to watch our words. If you’ve found yourself in a similar soup many times, then it is necessary for you to take steps to control this self-destructive behaviour.

1. Switch off

The moment you find yourself getting too angry and on the verge of blurting out what you know you shouldn’t, we advise you to shut your brain off. Yes, completely switch off from whatever anyone is saying and start ignoring the situation that is the reason behind this uncontrollable anger. The moment you retract into your safety cocoon, and detach yourself from the happenings, you will be able to focus on the larger picture and not impulsively say things you know you shouldn’t.

2. Breathe

Breathe from your gut. Breathe in and breathe out and totally relax your senses. Breathing is an age old, tried and tested technique that will help you to calm down. It may sound silly to you and you may wonder how one can stop being angry and start focusing on one’s breathing. Well, you can combine techniques one and two. Switch off and focus on your breathing. The purpose is to divert your attention and gain control over your anger.

3. Think and react

Once you have taken the time out and relaxed your senses, you can ponder over the situation and get to the crux of what is troubling you. This unbiased evaluation of the situation will help you look at things/issues reasonably. A cool head will help you evaluate what is wrong and what is not and will stop you from messing things up unnecessarily because of anger.

4. Talk calmly, apologise if you must

After you’ve analysed the situation you can continue the argument in a dignified, composed manner. Touch on points of relevance and cut the unnecessary finger-pointing and blame game out. Check your tone and voice levels and apologise if you have gone wrong somewhere.

This is an easy 4 step anger control process. Practise it whenever you get angry, and with time you will find the anger abating and gradually reducing in intensity.

Nine bad work habits - and how to break them

(yahoo.com)

Stressed out? Overworked? It might surprise you to learn that your job isn't solely to blame for your office woes. Chances are, you're engaging in a few-or more!-bad work habits that could be impeding your performance or happiness. Whether you can't seem to kick your Facebook addiction or are sick of burning the midnight oil, read on to learn how to nix nine common detrimental office habits.

You constantly check your email or post updates on Facebook or Twitter
There's a reason (beyond procrastinating) why you can't stay away from your personal email account and social networking sites. "Social interaction is addictive because it activates the rewards center of our brains," says David Rock DProf, director of the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of Your Brain at Work. Connecting to people is similar to eating chocolate, he explains. "The more you do it, the more you want it-that's when it becomes distracting." To keep yourself focused on work, Dr. Rock recommends designating times of day when you'll check these sites. That way, you'll get your fix without being sucked into the trap of constantly wanting more. Or, as Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide advises, treat visiting these sites as a reward. Work for, say, an hour, and then allow yourself to check in quickly as a treat. A word of warning: Think twice before you post about work matters on social networking sites. As Goodman points out, "these sites are frequently changing their privacy settings, so your page may be publicly broadcasted without you knowing it, which could land you in hot water."

You write-and send-work emails too hastily
"Misread emails create unnecessary anxiety," says Dr. Rock. A slapdash message may come across as confusing, or worse, offensive, to the person on the receiving end-and it may cast you in a bad light. There's a huge benefit to pausing after you write an email but before you press send. "If you feel uncertain about your message, save it as a draft and come back to it later," suggests Dr. Rock. Not only will this give you time to work off anger that may have provoked you to write things you didn't mean, but it may also allow you to add helpful information to the email, which can make you come across as capable and thoughtful. And if you struggle with an email about a sensitive topic, keep Dr. Rock's rule in mind: "Anything that's likely to generate strong emotion should be a phone or face-to-face conversation."

You're set in your ways
If it ain't broke, don't fix it-right? Not always. If you're sticking with outdated procedures because "that's the way it's always been done," re-think your attitude. Though knowing the ins and outs of office processes may seem like proof of your expertise, it may actually make you seem obsolete. Especially in a shaky economy, it's integral to be open to new ideas, says Goodman. "Holding on to old systems isn't the way to be irreplaceable," she explains. "Getting along well with everyone, contributing great ideas and doing innovative work is." She adds that resisting change often stems from a fear of being left behind in the workforce. Instead of standing your ground, be flexible about learning from others. "Get comfortable with the fact that there's always going to be someone smarter or younger than you," says Goodman.

You're too involved in office politics
Happen to find yourself gathered around the water cooler frequently? While joining in on office gossip is inevitable, spending too much time dissecting workplace dynamics can harm your reputation. "If you're seen as always schmoozing or stirring the pot, you may also be seen as a troublemaker or unproductive," says Goodman. Instead of worrying about who said what to whom when, devote that energy to work. "Like logging on to Facebook, office gossip is a distraction. If you must indulge, treat it as a reward that you'll give yourself after doing a set amount of work." And as she notes, the more you concentrate on work, the less time you'll have for petty gossip.

You start each day with the wrong plan of attack-or none at all
After a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is prepare for the next one. But by making a beeline for the door at quitting time, you're setting yourself up for trouble the next morning. "Without a plan, it's easy to become distracted by small tasks and coworkers' questions," says Goodman. And that can prevent you from accomplishing the bigger stuff. "If you spend most of your day handling minor assignments, you won't have the mental resources left to give your most important duties the attention they need," says Dr. Rock. Goodman suggests taking a few minutes the night before-or first thing the next morning as a last resort-to write down the two or three meatiest tasks you need to get done that day. "You're not likely to finish more than four, so prioritize your to-do list."

You're always running late
"People are most often behind schedule because they're not thinking about how long it takes to get from point A to point B, or because they leave things until the last minute," says Dr. Rock. "And these people usually haven't noticed the impact that running late has on their performance and that of others." By repeatedly missing deadlines or arriving after meetings start, you seem less reliable and you hinder those who depend on you. If your hour-long meetings frequently run over, Dr. Rock recommends scheduling them for 50 minutes instead of 60. Those ten extra minutes serve as padding if the conversation goes long. And if you're chronically tardy with deadlines or other appointments, Goodman advises setting computer alerts to chime a half hour before you need to be ready to keep you on the ball. If nothing else, set your clocks forward a few minutes to help you be on time.

You can't manage your personal and professional lives
The balance between your work and your personal life varies depending on the office environment you're in. But one thing is constant: Failing to meet coworkers' or friends' and family's expectations will upset them, according to Dr. Rock. If your office culture prides itself on working around the clock, you'll raise eyebrows for taking personal calls all day long. "Set parameters," recommends Dr. Rock. "If personal issues distract you at work, tell friends and family you'll respond to their calls and emails at, say, the beginning or end of each day." However, if you're the only one constantly working late, consider meeting with your boss to discuss your workload, says Goodman. And if everyone is on call 24/7, think about whether or not you're in the right job. On the other hand, if your coworkers regularly get together after work, you'll stand out for turning down invitations or sending stiff emails at all hours. So consider tagging along once in a while. As Goodman puts it, "You'll get the inside scoop and bond with people, which will only help your projects as well as people's image of you. If you're not sure what to share, follow other people's lead." If they seem happy chatting about their family drama, feel free to chime in with your own anecdotes.

You don't take a lunch break
Powering straight through lunch may seem like a noble endeavor, not to mention a great way to get ahead on your to-do list. But by refusing to take a break, you're actually doing yourself more harm than good. Not only is sitting all day linked to a host of health issues, like a greater risk of dying from heart disease, according to a 2010 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, but stepping away from the screen will also revive you, allowing you to view your work with a fresh perspective, says Goodman. Daunting tasks you dreaded earlier can seem more doable after taking a break. Even a short walk around the block will give you a much-needed boost. "Doing so is extremely rewarding to the brain and resets our ability to think straight," says Dr. Rock. Besides, you can't deliver the best results with a sandwich in one hand and your computer mouse in the other. You'll be more productive once you fully devote your attention to work.

You have a negative attitude
Maintaining a chipper outlook day in and day out isn't realistic, of course. But if you find yourself griping about your job more often than not, you're setting yourself up for an endless cycle of negativity. "A negative bias can reduce the quality of your ideas and the work you produce-and can cause you to see everything as negative, even when it's not," says Dr. Rock. In other words, a doom-and-gloom attitude will make all around you seem worse, causing your creativity to suffer. Instead of griping about work things you can't change, focus on what you can improve, and try to see everything in a positive light. That may mean keeping away from coworkers who goad you into talking smack. It may also mean seeking out positive cues, like happy people, uplifting images (try hanging a few vacation snapshots in your cubicle) or taking a break to watch a funny YouTube video, says Dr. Rock. The more cheerful your attitude, the less you'll find to complain about. And remember: The more you grumble, the more likely it is that people, like your superiors and your loudmouth cube-mate, will take notice-and if your boss knows you're unhappy, you could be the first one on the chopping block, says Goodman.

Increase Our IQ

http://www.mensxp.com

Thinks tock many of us assume that IQ-related discussions and more particularly, those related to improving our IQ make sense for kids or young adults competing for a seat in popular colleges.

However, there is no age-defined parameter for improving or increasing our IQ. Further, there are many ways in which a higher IQ can improve the quality of adult life too. Lets discuss some easy ways to improve our IQ:

1. Minimize Watching the Idiot Box, Start Reading
The TV, whether an LCD or plasma, was nicknamed ‘the Idiot Box’ for a very valid reason—this gadget tends to numb our sensibilities. Some people might argue that TV viewing can be rather enriching if the right channels are chosen. However, when watching TV, the human mind is pushed into a state of vegetation. Largely, its effect is entertaining and there might be short instances when it can stimulate our mind but overall, watching TV isn't the recommended way of unwinding if we want to increase our IQ. A much better medium is books, whether read physically or on the Kindle. This is because reading a book makes our mind to create mental images, decipher the plot and tests our vocabulary. This is a far more wholesome exercise for the mind.

2. Exercise Daily
Modern lifestyles result in physical and mental stagnation where our body isn't stimulated holistically. One way of ensuring that the mind is more capable of accumulating and processing thoughts/ideas throughout the day is to Exercise. This might seem a bit strange but exercising daily, particularly aerobic and low-impact workouts help to regulate the blood’s circulation. The intake of fresh oxygen refreshes our senses, making use more attentive to various stimuli.

3. Challenge Yourself, Mentally
Challenge yourself mentally. This includes sporadically watching movies in foreign languages where you are left guessing the plot, reading novels from a higher reading level or solving crossword puzzles. Rather than reading or watching reviews of various gadgets/goods, try to locate such things in the market and evaluate them using your own resources.

Some very palpable advantages of increasing our IQ include:
1. Helps to Raise Performance at Work
Having a higher IQ means that you would be able to process the information/data handled at the office much faster. Chances of committing mistakes would decline significantly. You would constantly be a step ahead of your colleagues in terms of understanding new policies or updating your professional skills. Thus, a better IQ might be your passport to that elusive promotion.

2. Helps Managing Daily Activities
Most stressful situations are precipitated by our inability to divide time between professional responsibilities and personal life’s demands. Having a better IQ translates into the ability to save crucial minutes/hours every day, since you would be able to do things faster, manage them better and even, manipulate situations that reduce your workload!

3. Helps make a good Impression
Smarter, vigilant and more updated people are always able to make a better impression when socializing. This includes talking to a girl at a bar or trying to impress the Board of Directors. A higher IQ invariably means that you would be a more resourceful person—this trait is hard to ignore and instantly engages attention of others.

How to sharpen your memory

London, Feb 19 (ANI): Doing exercise for up to an hour a day can improve memory and learning in children and the elderly, say scientists.

The researchers found that walking or cycling regularly for between six months to a year can improve memory and problem solving skills in the elderly by between 15 and 20 per cent.

They have shown that such exercise can also increase the size of crucial parts of the brain.

The scientists have also discovered that children who are fit also tend to be better at multitasking and performing difficult mental tasks than unfit friends, the Telegraph reported.

Professor Art Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, who led the research, said their findings could have major implications for improving children's performance at school.

He said it could also be used to help the elderly combat memory loss in old age.

"It is a sad fact of ageing that our brain function decreases as we get older. Increasingly people are also living more sedentary lifestyles. While we know that exercise can have positive effects on cardiovascular disease and diabetes, we have found it can bring about improvements in cognition, brain function and brain structure," Kramer said.

"It is aerobic exercise that is important so by starting off doing just 15 minutes a day and working up to 45 minutes to an hour of continuous working we can see some real improvements in cognition after six months to a year.

"We have been able to do a lot of neuroimaging work alongside our studies in the elderly and show that brain networks and structures also change with exercise.

"Children also seem to benefit and we have found that aerobically fit children exhibit superior cognitive control to lower fit children," Kramer stated.

Work published earlier this year by his team showed that the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in memory, of elderly people who exercised regularly for more than six months increased by two per cent, effectively reversing brain ageing by one to two years.

In the latest research, he also found that fitter children are better at crossing the street when distracted by music or holding a conversation on a hands-free mobile phone compared to those who were less fit.

He found that while the fit children could cross a road in a virtual reality simulation with ease when distracted, the less fit children tended walk at the same speed as the fitter children but misjudged the speed and distance of the computer generated vehicles.

"The low fitness kids were just as good at crossing the street when it was the only thing they were doing. If they were listening to music or talking on the headset, they performed badly. They often ended up with the screen going red to show they had been hit," Professor Kramer said.

"One way to look at it is that the high fit kids think more efficiently and so are better at multitasking," the researcher added.

The finding was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Vancouver, and is due to be published later this year.

How to negotiate your salary

Susan Adams | Forbes.com

I mentioned to an advertising honcho friend of mine that I was thinking of writing a story on how to negotiate salary in job interviews. My friend, who is in his 50s—we'll call him Don—was inspired to write me a 10-point memo on how he's done it. Don likes to play hardball.

Don's tips include such advice as "If they've decided on you, you got 'em by the balls," and "Lie about your previous salary." Among other things, he suggests, go to your present boss, tell him you have an offer, and then "lie about how much the new job is offering and see if you can get more. Negotiate back and forth, depending on which company you want to end up with and how many bridges you want to burn."

So successful has Don been at manipulating employers that one year he wangled two different six-month severance packages. "I made 12 months in severance pay and worked only five months," he wrote.

But then at the end of his advice laundry list, he included a coda: "Of course, this was all then." He continued: "Now, I beg. I grovel. I take whatever anyone wants to give me. I suck up in ways that would shock others. I thank them profusely, lie to make myself younger and tell them about my nine sick kids so they don't fire me." One more thing: "If they make a cultural reference you don't get, just say, 'Whatever.' Apparently, that means you know."

What's a job seeker to do in the current, brutal climate? I interviewed three job search experts and found that Don's old tricks are not completely obsolete. Though none of my sources like the idea of lying to an employer, they all agree that some of his advice has merit, like demonstrating to an employer that you are valued by other employers and using severance pay as a bargaining chip.

First, about lying. "It's highly counterproductive," says Orville Pierson, author of The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search and a former senior vice president at the outplacement firm Lee Hecht Harrison. "The person you're talking to is going to be your next boss. Your career depends on your reputation."

Rusty Rueff, author of Talent Force: A New Manifesto for the Human Side of Business and former head of human resources at PepsiCo and Electronic Arts, agrees. Rueff says job seekers should be transparent about why they need to make a particular salary. "It's just like applying for a mortgage or a student loan," he says. "The hiring manager wants to know there's a rational explanation behind what you're asking for." For example, if a company wants you to move from San Jose to New York City and you have two kids in private school, go ahead and tell the hiring manager that you're going to be needing $68,000 to cover tuition.

Nevertheless, Pierson and Rueff add—and Roy Cohen, a veteran career coach, agrees—the salary discussion is most certainly a negotiation, and it pays to establish yourself as a valuable commodity desired by others. "It's all about demonstrating that you are the best person to help the employer address any challenges that may exist," Cohen says, "that you are going to change the course of history at the organization." He advises you to continue to demonstrate your value throughout the negotiation period, by offering solutions and strategies at meetings and in follow-up e-mails.

Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide, also says it's good to have competing offers, or at least competing conversations with prospective employers, and to let hiring managers know about it. "The only way you remain exciting to an employer is by giving the impression that you are dynamic and busy, that you're consulting and you have other conversations going on," Cohen says.

At the same time Rueff and Pierson advise applicants to appear humble. You should be confident, but not cocky, Rueff says. "If you look like an egomaniac, you're going to turn people off," notes Pierson. He suggests that you go to interviews prepared with stories to tell that illustrate your accomplishments and your values.

When you start negotiating, be well-prepared for that, too. First, think hard about what's most important to you, including salary and anything else, from the non-compete clause to the office where you'll sit. What are you willing to give up? What is make or break? For some applicants, the size of the paycheck may not be as important as vacation time. Severance is a good negotiating item, because it costs the employer nothing up front.

Then be sure to research your employer, educating yourself about perks, employee policies and general compensation practices. Websites like glassdoor.com can help. At glassdoor, you can find the compensation levels for specific jobs at thousands of companies. Using LinkedIn can be another efficient way to get background on a company.

How should you handle it when a hiring manager asks how much you currently make? Cohen says it often makes sense to use a delaying tactic, like saying, "I want to figure out if there's an opportunity for me here." Or if you're coming from a low-paying job, for instance at a non-profit, and want to make a lot more, you can say to the hiring manager, "I'm sure you know I'm coming from a lower-paying industry where salaries are not in line with the private sector."

Finally, negotiate in person whenever possible. Once you get to the salary discussion, the employer has decided she wants to hire you. Nevertheless, if you're sitting in front of her, says Cohen, "there's more of a commitment." It's a lot easier to get someone off the phone than to dismiss a prospective employee from your office. Stand your ground.