Job seekers frequently find themselves in a tight situation when it comes to the salary question. Your resume is out there and sometimes calls come out of the blue. You are invited to apply for a specific position because someone has recommended you. The invitation may include a request that you tell them how much you expect to be paid. It might be a verbal request for information, or a question on the application, or it might be an email request for your salary expectations.

Failure to do this right means you do not know how the game is played. Let me explain. Salary is only one aspect of a job. There are many other factors that will impact your satisfaction with a particular position. You need to have complete information on all that is offered by the job and the organization before you make your salary demands known. You need to be presented with the entire package - salary, benefits, location, growth opportunities, the people you will work with, the perks, and so much more... You are looking at a career, not a job. It may bring with it a whole new life in a whole new place. And they need to understand all that you bring to the table.

Do not tell a potential employer what salary you expect before you have been made an offer! (You do not really know yet). Do not tell them what you want! And never, never, never give your salary history. Your previous salary might be completely unrelated to the position you are seeking - like that food service position that paid for your education. If your experience is related you may have been an underpaid intern. Or the job you previously held might have been in a low cost of living area and the new job is in a high cost of living area. You might scare them away if they think you were overpaid. Why give them info that will ratchet down your salary or scare them off? Tell them you are n-e-g-o-t-i-a-b-l-e... (Learn how to spell it!) and at this point you need more information to make a good decision.

Although this might seem like an adversarial situation, or that I am advising you to be argumentative, this is actually a mutually beneficial approach. You need more information. They need to get the best possible candidate. That can only happen when everyone has all the details and data.

Ask the Headhunter Nick Corcodilos put it quite clearly: "employers who insist are a bad risk ... why work for someone who tries to force you to share private information that has no bearing on your interview, on your value, on whether you get an offer, or on what the new salary offer is? ... when you disclose your salary information, your negotiating leverage is gone. Your salary history is not any employer’s business. Always decline to disclose, politely but firmly. No matter what they say, no matter what they threaten."

There are in fact a number of ways you can obtain information about what your experience and credentials are worth. There are great salary estimators available on the web (see my article about career/salary research).

But when you are applying for a job or responding to an inquiry, it is not the time to tell anyone what you are willing to accept or how much money you require.

There is a time to negotiate salary. It is not when you are submitting your application. You negotiate your salary when the employer is ready to make a commitment to you and when you are willing to make a commitment to them. You don’t discuss your salary requirements until they have expressed an interest in closing the deal.

Never tell a prospective employer anything about your salary requirements. You do not really know enough about the position until you have gone through the entire process and interview process. Be patient. You need to know what the critical skills are that they are looking for, how you meet their needs, and what the total package looks like. It is not just about salary, it is also about benefits, living costs and future potential. When you have all of the information, that is when you will know how to value yourself and how to value the opportunity. Then you can negotiate.

When they ask you how much you want? You tell them: "Right now I am interested in finding out about the position and gaining a full understanding of the responsibilities as well as in sharing my background and qualifications. I think when we both have a fuller understanding of what the position entails and what I bring to the table, we will be able to reach a reasonable agreement."

Making a premature bid is just a really bad idea. Bid too low, it tells them you are not worth much, or that you do not know what you are worth. Either way you are demonstrating that you are not the brightest bulb or the fastest chip. Bid too high, they will know that you are not in contact with reality.

Let the employer make the opening bid, after they know who you are. The employer is the one who has the information necessary to determine what it is worth to them to hire you. You will have plenty of opportunity to let them know what the job is worth to you.

If you have been following this series of articles, you have learned by now that the answer to much in law is: “it depends.” That is true of the question in the title of this article. Many employers require that their employees sign a contract, agreeing that anything invented at the place of employment, and/or related to the scope of employment, belongs to the employer. This means that if you are employed and have invented something at work, during work hours, relating to the subject matter of your employment, your invention will more than likely belong to your employer. On the other hand, if you have had the idea for your invention at home, and created it in your garage, on your own time, in an area completely unrelated to that of your employment, the invention may likely belong to you.

This issue becomes murkier when the invention is conceived of outside of the workplace, but relates to the subject matter of the employment. Then the specific language of your contract becomes very important, as do questions such as “did you conceive of the at home or at work?” And “did you use any employer-resources, even if the invention itself is not related to the employer?” Many employers insist that inventions conceived of at work, or created using the employer’s resources belong to them, or must at the very least be licensed to them, even if the invention is completely unrelated to the scope of employment.

* This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not intended as legal advice and nothing herein should be construed as such. This is not a solicitation or offer to represent you, and nothing herein creates an attorney client relationship between you and Townsend and Townsend and Crew, LLP or Tali L. Alban. For specific questions please consult a licensed attorney.

Tali L. Alban, J.D, Associate at Townsend and Townsend. Ms. Alban is an associate in Townsend’s Litigation Practice Group. Her legal background includes working as a part of multiple trial teams representing large domestic and multi-national corporations before the International Trade Commission. She also has experience litigating cases in state and federal courts on a variety of matters, including fraud, breach of contract and patent infringement. She can be reached at tlalban@townsend.com.

Igor Shoiket, Partner at Townsend and Townsend. Mr. Shoiket, who will be joining Ms. Alban, represents clients in complex patent infringement cases, including cases concerning semiconductor design, fabrication and packaging, computer and software technologies, and preparation and use of biological compounds. He can be reached at ishoiket@townsend.com.

RSVP: http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career/software/attend.htm

There is still space available for the EIT/FE exam seminar this Saturday April 18, 2009, and an online seminar Tuesday and Wednesday 4/21 and 4/22.

Do you need help with passing the EIT /FE or PE exam?

Are you signed up for the EIT or PE exam this fall (or do you know some who is), would you like to know how to pass the exam from professional engineers who have passed the exam?

If you are interested in what the exam is all about and how to pass it, check out the article on How to pass the Professional Licensing Exams at,
http://www.dahlquistpe.com/PE/
http://www.dahlquistpe.com/PE/EIT-PE_EXAM_How_to_Pass.html

For Professional help with passing the EIT (FE) or PE exam consider a seminar and/or a review course available at http://pe.quartzvalley.com/.

The EIT(FE) Seminars are a one day presentation and discussion on the exam (6 hours or so depending on questions).The seminars cover:

• What is the exam, how to approach it, what are the best strategies to pass the exam.
• How is the exam organized; what is the best way to get through the exam to get the most points.
• What are the high probability questions that will be asked on the exam, what are the things to know in each topic area, and how to solve the problems fastest way to get the most points on the exam.

The Review Courses review exam topics with example problems including a discussion of multiple ways to solve exam problems. Review Courses are available for EIT (FE), Civil PE, and Electrical PE exams.

Both the Seminars and Review Courses are available in face to face (traditional classroom) and online formats.

Links:
Article on, How to Pass the Professional Engineering Licensing Exams:
http://www.dahlquistpe.com/PE/EIT-PE_EXAM_How_to_Pass.html
http://www.dahlquistpe.com/PE/EIT-PE_EXAM_How_to_Pass.pdf

To sign up for a seminar or review course:
http://pe.quartzvalley.com/

Elevator Controls is presently seeking a qualified Embedded Software Engineer. The successful candidate will join the company as a member of our Research and Development Team. As an Embedded Software Engineer you will be responsible for all phases of software projects. In addition the position has the responsibility of project architecture, scheduling and technical relationships with other engineering departments, product management, customers and suppliers and must have the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously. Primary responsibilities are maintaining schedules and cost objectives while creating designs to meet technical requirements.

Job Responsibilities:

• Take a key role in affecting the convergence of design approaches
• Program in high level or assembly languages as required
• Design, develop, modify and maintain software code
• Troubleshoot and debug new and existing electronic hardware and software systems
• Perform functionality and performance testing
• Monitor and meet project schedules and cost objectives
• Work closely with industrial designers, mechanical engineers and other department engineers
• Other tasks and duties as required

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Software Engineering
• 5 years experience in software design in a RTOS environment
• 5 years experience using C and assembly programming languages
• Working experience with the application and use of embedded real-time operating systems incorporating CAN communications network applications
• Familiarity with IAR Development tools and Micrium RTOS system for ARM 7 or ARM 9 microprocessor targeted designs is highly desirable
• 5 years direct experience or equivalent combination of education and experience in a manufacturing or production environment
• Microcontroller/microprocessor design knowledge
• Elevator industry experience including understanding of elevator systems and elevator control equipment preferred but not required
• Excellent communication skills and cooperative interpersonal style.

How To Apply:
Qualified applicants should send resume to careers@elevatorcontrols.com.

1 Scheduled Company Information Session Spring 2009
Date	Time	Company	Majors	Location
05-05-2009	11:00 - 12:30 pm	Pacific Coast Building Products	CM	Riverside Hall 2018

For more information please visit: www.ecs.csus.edu/career/iss/students/

Hi Cici,

Can you do me a favor and forward this to students who are interested in QA Engineering. The job details are as specified below.

Grace
Sr Technical Recruiter
www.slide.com

About Slide:
We are the #1 developer of applications on social networks.

• Our applications, like Slideshow, FunSpace, SuperPoke! and Top Friends, are as technically deep and sophisticated as they are popular.
• Our 155+ million users make us one of the top 10 web properties in the world; that’s serious scale.
• Slide was launched by Max Levchin, who co-founded and sold PayPal for $1.5 billion.

Job Duties:
Slide’s Quality Assurance team is looking for a Junior QA who wants to do what it takes to excel in his/her software career. This position demands superior communication skills, a fast-learner of how things work, and the obsession to deliver products quickly while maintaining quality. We are especially interested in recent graduates that have demonstrated an aptitude for learning and excelling in a fast pace environment delivering web applications. Internship experience in the social media space a plus. In this position, you will:

• Design, document, and exercise test cases in a fast pace environment, rapidly changing environment
• Conduct unit, integration, regression, ad-hoc, and edge-case testing as part our release cycle
• Work closely with all parties involved in the development cycle, while maintaining a positive relationship that demands respect for quality

Minimum Requirements:

• are a recent graduate with a BS in Computer Science or related field from a competitive school
• are a fan of social media, an active user of Facebook, MySpace, Hi5, Bebo, Orkut, etc....
• have experience building / testing / debugging web applications
• have strong understanding of HTML/CSS/JavaScript, cross browser compatibility...
• have working knowledge of Unix and SQL, and are comfortable with Python, Java, Ruby, PHP or Perl
• have good understanding of QA methodology and the Software Development Life-cycle
• are detail oriented and passionate about and building high quality consumer software
• are a fast learner and have superior analytical and problem solving skills
• have solid leadership and organization skills to juggle priorities
• have superior interpersonal skills, communication (written and verbal) skills, and excellent work ethics
• have a preference for start-ups with really smart people and execute in a fast pace environment

How To Apply:
In the cover letter portion, please explain why you think you are a good candidate for this position. This is your chance to differentiate yourself.We do view all of the resumes but cannot respond to everyone
Interested students can contact me directly at glaw@slide.com

Unfortunately, we will not consider candidates that require relocation or any type of work visa sponsorship for this position. Thank you for your understanding.

Position Title: Website/Applications Development and Maintenance
Classification: Student Assistant
Agency/Organization: ADP-Dept of Alcohol and Drug Programs
Preferred Major: CS, CpE
How To Apply: Apply online via wesite: www.fccccareerpathway.org
For more information please Contact:
Bob Hall,
Web Administrator,
(916) 323-1814

Position Title: CIWQS Help Center
Classification: Student Assistant
Agency/Organization: SWRCB-Water Resources Control Board
Preferred Major: CS, CpE, EEE, CE, ME
How To Apply: Apply online via wesite: www.fccccareerpathway.org
For more information please Contact:
Kathy Owen
(916) 341-5762

Position Title: Water Quality Certification Unit
Classification: Student Assistant
Agency/Organization: SWRCB-Water Resources Control Board
Preferred Major: CE
How To Apply: Apply online via wesite: www.fccccareerpathway.org
For more information please Contact:
Greg Vaughn, PE
(916) 464-4742

Employers are hiring from the resumes posted at http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career. If you have not already posted your resume on the ECS Career Services Office Web Site, now is the time!!! Just click on the Post Your Resume button!

Managers from local companies, including HP and Intel report contacting candidates through the system. If you are not on the system they cannot find you.

Students are reporting multiple offers from using a combination of the resume posting service, the JETX job listings, and from Job Fairs.

Employers are able to search your resume now with key words!

I also send resumes out to companies so send me a soft copy in MS Word at: cici@csus.edu

The College of Engineering and Computer Science Needs Your Data

Please report any offers that you have received to ECS Career Services Web site:

http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career - click on the "Just Hired" link.

If you got a student position we need your data.  

If you have graduated in the past few years or if you are graduating this semester we need your data.  

The information you share is used for ABET reports and to help me identify trends in employment and salaries.

I keep your info confidential.  I only report the data!  I use your contact data to confirm and to keep in touch with you.