The best coffee shops are the ones where the staff knows your name and the barista knows your order the moment you walk into the store. They treasure your business and are happy (or pretend to be) when I shuffle in like a zombie every morning.

It takes the Starbucks barista at my local Starbucks 5 seconds to draw the smiley face on my coffee cup. This little bit of extra effort has far-reaching implications. Personally I am a coffee snob, there are ‘better’, cheaper and physically closer alternatives for me to choose, however over time with their effort unconsciously I will tend to choose their product over other choices. Their personalised touch will enhance my loyalty to them and I’m more likely to keep buying my coffee there.

There are examples of companies that put in extra effort in many service industries: restaurants that automatically know your details when you call for a return meal, or credit card companies that offer you special deals on your birthday. There are three laundromats within a 50m radius of my house, Raymond is not the cheapest (or the cleanest) but I always drop off my laundry at his shop as he will always says ‘Hello!’ and wave to me whenever I walk past his shop.

In our industry, people that put in that extra 2% of effort throughout the interview process will give themselves an edge over others, which is ever so important in this environment. Writing a thank you note after an interview or bringing up a recent company milestone in an interview should help you to stand out. The world IS small; if you aren’t successful in winning the job this time, there is a high chance you may work with that individual some time in the future or in another company if you’ve created a positive impression.

No matter what you do for work, when you boil it down those who are most successful are those that excel at building personal relationships. A little bit of effort goes a long way, those who put more effort into developing genuine and personalised relationships will differentiate themselves against their competitors.

Until next time!

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Before touching on the subject of salary in an interview, below are five pointers for you to think about before being asked that question:

1) If you encounter this salary question during the first interview just be honest and tell the interviewer your current package. As for expected salary, you can simply ask for the market rate and a reasonable increment if you are not sure about your new employer’s budget.

2) Never lie about your current salary. It is common that you will need to provide your previous pay slip as proof during the reference check process. If you are unable to supply this with the figure you mentioned, an employer can simply pull out of the offer.

3) It is not encouraged to resign without another offer on hand as your negotiating power may vary depending on your current employment situation. If you are unemployed, it is likely you will only be able to earn similar to your previous salary or less.

However, if you are being hired away from an existing position, you will be in a better position as most employers will anticipate job seekers will be looking for an improved compensation package as well as better career prospects.

4) Don’t be too quick to let an offer that is below what you asked for close the door to a job opportunity. In these tough times, it is important that you weigh out the positives and negatives and make sure that the reason you turn down the job offer is reasonable. After all, you never know when a similar opportunity will come around again.

5) Handling offers and salary negotiations is always the sensitive part of the entire recruitment process. It is best left with your recruiter to handle on your behalf instead of dealing with it yourself directly, simply because there is no second chance for you to revisit.

Have any questions you would like to ask regarding how to handle salary negotiation? Feel free to ask away!

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