Should You Share a Referral Bonus - The Muse

Should You Share a Referral Bonus - The MuseShould You Share a Referral Bonus Referral bonuses seem like a win-win. The referred employee gets a great new job, and you get some extra cash. But wherbeie money is involved, there can also be hard feelings.Heres an example A woman I know helped a friend get a job at the pharmaceutical company where she worked. When the friend started in the new position, the woman who passed along her resume asked her out to dinner to celebrate. The recent hire was thrilled. In fact, she almost felt guilty allowing the woman to pay for her meal- until she found out about the large sum her companion pocketed simply by making the referral. During the new hires orientation, she learned from the human resources department that the finders fee was a generous $2,500. Suddenly that dinner didnt seem like much after all. Was she right to be disappointed?Some would say she should be happy just to have a job. But others argue that an equitable split of the bonus i s only fair. Its a tough call, so I spoke with etiquette expert Lizzie deutsche post ag of the Emily Post Institute to find out Is there proper protocol when it comes to referral bonuses?Post, the great-great-granddaughter of the famed manners maven, says its largely a situational question with no clear-cut answer. So, before you split the check, here are a few things to keep in mind.Consider the Referral RelationshipPost points out that if youre the one seeking out potential employees and doing all the legwork (e.g., connecting with job seekers in your network and inviting them to apply), That money is yours. On the other hand, it might be fair to divide the bonus if two colleagues have the saatkorn mutual friend in mind for the position, she notes.Another case for offering a kickback might be if a third party (say, a friend who doesnt work at your company) knows your company is hiring and suggests a friend of theirs who just happens to be perfect for the job. All of a sudden, you have someone to refer- even though youve never met. Post says at that point, you may want to offer something to the part who brought the new hire to your virtual doorstep. However, since youre the one putting your reputation and your personenname on the line, its still up to you to decide if youre willing to share the love. Size Matters (Maybe)Generally, the value of referral incentives ranges from $250 for entry-level positions to more than $25,000 for top executives, with the most common bonus falling between $1,000 and $2,500, according to a survey by Worldatwork. While most people wouldnt think of asking for a cut of a small award, if you stand to gain a substantial sum and know that your referral will find out once he or she accepts the position, you may feel like its the proverbial elephant in the room, and be more inclined to share. The New Hire Will Have the Same Bonus OpportunityPost says while it would be extremely rude for the new hire to bring up the bonus, if he or she did, it would be fine to explain that thats how the company works and if he or she eventually refers someone, he or she will benefit from the same policy. Post adds that its common in the business world to motivate certain behaviors with financial rewards- so it shouldnt come as a surprise to either party that theres a reward for bringing a valuable asset onboard.Personal Finance is Just That- PersonalAccording to the etiquette guru, the biggest takeaway is that money is something really personal and no one needs to know how much you make or why youre making that amount. If the new employee presses you for details, Post explains, You could say something like, Pat, Im really glad that youre going to be working here and I think youll be a great addition to the team. I would have referred you with or without the bonus, but I dont discuss my compensation with anyone.If you decide to split the prize in some way, its completely at your discretion, notes Post. But dont forget- no matter if you split the cash, you (and you alone) will be taxed on the full amount.Depending on your comfort level and the nature of your relationship, you may feel compelled to share a portion of your referral bonus or express your best wishes in another way, like taking the new hire out for lunch, drink, or a celebratory drink. Whatever you choose to do, remember you went to bat for this person and were awarded for your efforts, and the new hire has the benefit of a brand-new career. So really, its a good situation- for everyone involved. Photo of money courtesy of Shutterstock.

7 Common Email Mistakes (and What to Do Instead)

7 Common Email Mistakes (and What to Do Instead)7 Common Email Mistakes (and What to Do Instead) Just as every email is an opportunity for professional growth, theres also the potential to fall into common bad habits . Here are eight mistakes to avoidGrammarly users know that when it comes to hedging , its better to omit it than leave it in, especially in emails. And if youre worried about coming off as impolite, dont be. Contrary to popular belief, hedging language makes you sound less confident, which can ultimately undermine your writing.What to do instead State your idea or opinion, then explain the why behind your reasoning. That way, youll be better understood and your brilliance can shine through.Would you read an email that was 1,000 words long? Probably bedrngnis - most people skim emails that are on the long side. And if you add hard-to-follow sentences or mixed messages to your draft, youre even less likely to get a satisfactory response. (Or any response .)I get a ton of emails that are just these huge blocks of text. And I understand why they do that - so you have enough detail. But its really hard to read and Im not going to read the whole thing, says Kat Boogaard, a Wisconsin-based freelance writer .What to do instead Keep it concise and focus on the matter at hand. Then end with a call to action, a requested response date and make it clear that youre open to questions and follow-ups (if thats the case).Depending on your circumstances, wavering too much to the casual or formal side of writing can be a misstep. Being overly casual is often binnenseen as a rookie mistake , but stiff, formal language can also be detrimental to your message.What to do instead In striking the perfect balance between formal and casual, the key is thinking about the relationship between yourself and the recipient and take social cues as your communication progresses.You kind of want to see what someone else is doing and participate, play along, sort of acknowledge the way communication develops and the way expectations in a relationship develop, says Dan Post Senning, anetiquette expertat the Emily Post Institute .Heres a tip While GIFs and emojis can be great for creating a sense of comradery between coworkers, these can be seen as overly casual in many contexts.Be careful in new relationships. The intelligent use of emoticons in emails can help you be more understood. At the same time, a lot of people will read it as unprofessional, so until youve established that relationship, you want to be careful with how you use it. Take care and think about it, says Post Senning.notlage all email cliches are cardinal sins. Certain aspects of your emails are bound to be a little formulaic. After all, most emails have the same basic structure, and there are phrases that you may use to ensure clarity or cover your bases. But if youre going to repeat phrases, make sure they have a clear purpose.As Kiera Wright-Ruiz, a social media manager at Googles Local Guides puts it, Even though I always repeat, please let me know if you have any questions, I actually do want to know if they have questions.However, most of the time, youll want to edit out cliches whenever possible since they can make people tune out. Here are the top seven to avoidWhat to do instead Try reading the draft for cliches, tone and voice to more effectively communicate your message while keeping the reader engaged. Ask yourself If your boss (or mom) read this email, would you be happy with it? If the answer is yes, then youre on the right track.People often repeat words within the same paragraph, twice in two sentences or just too close together to go unnoticed. While its not the worst offense, its another thing that can make a reader tune out.Here are a few of the most commonly repeated words to avoidWhat to do instead Try reading your draft out loud, using the text-to-speech function on your phone, or running it by a colleague before sending it off. Grammarly can also help you catch these repeated or overused words.Email may be a descendant of snail mail, but that doesnt mean your messages should sound like an old-timey version of yourself. In fact, emails should sound like the person who is writing it. So using phrases that sound like something out of a Victorian novel isnt the best move if you want to connect with the reader.Lets face it Nobody wants to read a college textbook. You want to read a blog or an article or a real conversation. Theyre a person, theyre not a robot. So use language that sounds like something you would say if youre just sitting in a coffee shop, saysCole Schafer, founder and copy chief of Honey Copy .What to do instead You can get a more natural effect by pretending youre writing to a friendor having a conversation with a friendly acquaintance. For example, you probably wouldnt say something like, Greetings and I hope the weather is fair where you are if you were meeting someone for coffee. Youd say something like, Hi and Thanks again for your time.Enthusiasm is great. But in certain contexts, the overuse of exclamation points can do more harm than good. This is especially true if youre forging a new relationship or contacting someone outside of your company. You are, after all, a representative of your work when you use a company email address. But people love exclamation points, and theyre still something that many people rely on to convey a positive tone.For example, here are some of the most common sentences and words people use with exclamation points in emailsWhat to do instead After youve written your draft, do a quick search for exclamation points and use your judgment to determine which (if any) to keep based on your relationship with the recipient. As a general rule, try to keep it to one or two per email with colleagues.A version of this article was originally published on Grammarly . It is reprinted with permission.

How to Improve Resume Spelling and Grammar

How to Improve Resume Spelling and Grammar How to Improve Resume Spelling and Grammar Your resume is a reflection of you as a professional. A resume riddled with typos, grammatical errors, and other issues will raise an immediate red flag with a hiring manager.Your resume spelling and grammar speak volumes to your attention to detail, professionalism, and desire for the job. Even if writing wont be one of your job duties, your ability to convey yourself well matters.In addition to being off-putting to hiring managers, typos and errors on your resume can trip up an applicant tracking system (ATS). An ATS will scan your resume for keysie sagen ess in the process of ranking applicants.If you spell a resume keyword incorrectly, that keyword will get overlooked- and that could mean your application isnt considered.All you need to do is write a great resume with excellent spelling and grammar that is consistent with what hiring managers are looking for.How do you do it? Here are five usefu l tips.1. Find a friend to proofreadProofreading is best done by someone else. Your brain is in the business of tricking you into believing that what you intended to write is what you actually wrote. When reading your own work, your brain will fill in gaps or typos. Someone reading your work for the first time will have a fresh perspective and be able to spot mistakes.Instead, find a knowledgeable and detail-oriented friend and have them give it a close read. If you can find two such friends, go for it. The more eyes on your resume, the better.2. Dont trust spell checkIts easy to fall into the trap of trusting a word processors spell check to fix your spelling mistakes. Unfortunately, these systems are anything but perfect. They wont do you any good if you happen to misspell a word in a way that matches anotlageher word in the dictionary. If you mean to say counsel, but use council instead, youre out of luck.Grammar check rarely takesthe context of your words into account, and will often suggest changes that actually hurt your sentence rather than help.When it comes to your resume, human proofreading is best.3. Try Grammarly and Hemingway EditorWhile they cant replace a human, there are services out there for those who want to have their document checked before passing it along to a human proofreader.Grammarly is aproofreading tool that does a number of things. It checks your document for spelling and grammar mistakes, and also gives you insight into whether youre using the passive voice or writing sentences that are difficult to read.Thereis also theHemingway Editor, which is free on the Web and available as a purchasable desktop app for Windows or OS X. Hemingway wont correct your spelling mistakes, but it will tell you what grade level youre writing at, how many adverbs and passive voice phrases you use, and which sentences are unnecessarily difficult to read.It will even suggest simpler words to use in place of complicated or arcane ones. This helps you av oids overwriting, which is common among bad resumes.These solutions will not maintain the formatting of your resume. Theyre meant for bulk text proofreading.4. Eliminate first-person pronounsFirst-person pronouns (I, we, my, etc.) shouldnt appear anywhere in your resume. The whole document is about you, and the hiring manager knows this.A resume should be written in the first person, though, so avoid using third-person pronouns (he, she, they).What does that leave you with? Sentences that start with verbs, such as managed and directed. Also called action words, they have immediate impact and establish ownership over the success or process being described in the sentence. (See our list ofresume action words.)Active voice is direct, powerful, and to the point.Do not write a meek or demure resume. Your resume is a sales brochure, and you are the product. Use clear and direct language to highlight your abilities and accomplishments.5. Include the full form of abbreviationsUse both the c omplete and abbreviated versions of keywords within your resume, such as physician assistant and PA.You might know what a TPS report is, but your future employer might not. A hiring manager might search for candidates using the abbreviated form of a resume keyword, or they might use the complete phrase. Your best bet, for clarity and to maximize your resume keyword usage, is to include both the full phrase and the abbreviation for key terms.For example, use both PA and physician assistant.Paying attention to these five tips will help you improve your resume grammar and spelling, and thus its overall quality. In the end, you will have a quality resume that impresses both hiring managers and applicant tracking systems.If youre starting your resume from scratch, take a look at this helpful resume writing guide to make aya youre doing it write right the first time.