Scuttling Some Job-Hunt Myths

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But in an organization that pays attention to candidate interactions, you don't want to be viewed as the person who tosses a résumé over the transom for any old opportunity that comes along.

It's far better to locate (by means of networking and on- and off-line research) the proper manager's name, and contact that person directly, than to send in résumé after résumé for wildly unrelated jobs.

Leaving voice mail messages is the best way to stay on a hiring manager's radar screen

Voice-mail messages are a pox because they don't lend themselves to quick scanning the way email messages do -- you can only listen to them one at a time, and you have to listen to the whole thing to get the sense of the message. Make sure to get the e-mail address (i.e. the business card) of every person you interview with, and send a chipper and intelligent e-mail thank you after every interview.

Do use the phone, but keep trying until you get the person live -- just after 5 p.m. is a good time, because people stick around to get some work done and may not fear picking up the phone at that hour. If you do leave phone messages, leave no more than one per week, or risk being branded a stalker.

Job-seekers can't bring up the salary question -- they have to wait until the interviewer does

This is false. If you're on your second trip to a company (regardless of how many people you met the first time) and the subject hasn't come up, you are free to broach it. Say to the most relevant person in your second-visit interview lineup (relevant meaning the hiring manager or the departmental HR liaison), "would this be a good time to talk about compensation?"

It is perfectly appropriate to tackle this topic before you leave the employer's facility for a second time, so that your time, and the time of the people interviewing you, is not wasted.

Be ready, if you're the one raising the issue (or even if you're not) to discuss your salary requirements. Notice that I said requirements, not salary history -- if the company asks you for your compensation history, you can say "Here's the compensation level I'm looking for now."

Always take time to consider an offer before accepting

You must mull and understand the offer before accepting, that's for sure. But if you've already been through the details with an HR person or hiring manager, and you receive an offer that sounds identical to what you were expecting, it's perfectly wonderful to say "Great! I accept."

However, you must get your offer in writing. Don't ever accept a job offer and agree to a start date (especially if you're quitting a job in the process) without seeing it spelled out on paper.

You cannot negotiate an offer unless you're a senior level muckety-muck

You can negotiate an offer if you're a part-time file-stacker. The company needs help, and your skills will provide it. I have negotiated terms with high school students -- and kudos to them for having the backbone to try. You have to stay professional and friendly, but you can and should continue the offer conversation if the terms aren't your cup of tea.

You should have introduced any unusual elements -- like a flexible schedule or extra vacation -- before the offer is extended, but if you've done that, or if you're giving up valuable stuff at your current gig, don't hesitate to introduce some back and forth into the conversation. After all, you also have something valuable to offer: You.

Liz Ryan is an expert on the new-millennium workplace and a former Fortune 500 HR executive. She can be reached at liz@asklizryan.com.