Q. I am a 24-year-old doing fund-raising for a public radio station at a Boston college. As part of my benefits package, I can take classes toward my master's degree. I have been less than thrilled with the programs the college offers and I'm wondering how important a master's is in the fund-raising field. Is it worth it to attend these classes just to get the degree or would I be better off putting all of my efforts into my position now and using that experience to move up?
A. One of the great advantages of working in an industry related to higher education is the opportunity to take course work or pursue a degree often at a reduced cost. One of the other benefits is that you are surrounded by lots of information about your field and people who can answer all sorts of questions for you.
You seem quite critical of the caliber of the course work that would be included in your master's program. Working right on campus, you have great opportunities to meet with your more senior colleagues and explore the realities of your industry from the inside out. Have you reviewed their biographies? Are they alumni of the college? Ask them what they think was most valuable as they climbed the organizational ladder. Was it the coursework? Perhaps they thought their experience made them more successful on the job, but the master's degree made them more marketable. Are there programs they recommend at other institutions, or is it all about the work? Talk to as many colleagues as possible and look for patterns on the feedback you get.
Meanwhile, ease up on the judgmental comments and take time to explore the world of fund-raising, development, institutional advancement, and all of the other potential titles you may assume if you stay in the field. What does the alumni list look like for people having completed this program? Where are they employed? I encourage you to review this information, see who stayed in the development field, those who left, and get yourself networked in to meet with a few on both sides of the fence. If you haven't already started a LinkedIn connection, I encourage you to start. You will find people who will tell you a master's is a must, and others who will say it is all about the experience on the job. Often the industry you work in makes the real determination.
You may also want to compare this program to others. The course work and academic rigor should be similar. Is the quality of the faculty similar? Having a master's can be very valuable as you pursue a career, particularly as you learn the skills needed to advance.
Q. I am returning to the Boston area after 20 years. I have been on the West Coast where all my education and work experience is based. I have six-plus years in human resources. I stopped working to complete my master's in spiritual psychology, which I finished a few years ago. Then I took time off to be with my sons during their last years in high school. I have only been back in the workforce since last year. How do I explain the absence of work time on my resume and during interviews, and do you have any advice for someone relocating?
A. You have a few challenges rolled into this transition, but none that can't be overcome with effective job search skills. Let's start with the relocation. Potential employers understand that life can take you many places. They will be interested to see if you are familiar with Boston and working in this area.
If you had any professional or volunteer experience here, be sure it's on your resume.
If you have a local address, use that on your resume and correspondence. It is also worthwhile to get a local phone number or local cellphone number. Employers want to make sure you have made a commitment to return to Boston because they don't want to waste their time if you are only considering a move.
One of the most effective ways to relocate is to ask for support from the area you are leaving. Do any of your ex-bosses, colleagues, or classmates have connections to the area? See if your former colleagues went to school in Greater Boston, or if any of their children have come east.
Both your master's program and undergraduate alma maters should also be able to help you get in touch with alumni who may have geography and career pursuits in common with you. Try to recon nect with Boston area friends, colleagues, and former contacts. Part of this activity will help you begin to feel welcome, and of course part of feeling welcome may be getting the career help and introductions you seek.
Taking time off to be with your children - regardless of age - is being accepted more often as a reason for a career break. If you have a solid track record, a professional presentation, and a commitment to return to work which you can communicate, you will succeed. I believe the most effective way to accomplish this is through networking and interviewing; not writing it into resumes or cover letters.
Q. I work at a Fortune 500 company, and we just went through our compensation review period. My question is regarding the so-called "salary window" that a company has for each job title. I thought an employee is entitled to know the salary window for his level. I am talking hard figures. For example, level x has a salary range of 80K to 100K. When I inquired about the salary window for my job title, they balked. They would not tell me. All that they would say is that I am on the low-end of the range. Any insight into what information I am entitled to know would be appreciated.
A. The review period at many companies can be stressful for all involved. Managers are trying to figure out how to provide professional reviews for performance, which highlight employees' accomplishments and progress, balanced with the areas that can use improvement for employees to be more effective on the job. Human resources is trying to make sure every employee gets a review so they know where they stand in the organization, to provide for equity, and to avoid any surprises. Employees are hoping to hear great things about people noticing how hard they have worked, and that there is a big pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. In many companies, disappointment abounds.
A number of organizations have separated performance review time from compensation review time for exactly these reasons. One school of thought is that helping employees get better on the job by providing feedback can't always be tied to compensation. The other school says it's all about pay for performance. Deliver for the organization, and you'll be rewarded. Don't deliver and you might see a cost of living allowance but no raise and certainly no bonus.
I'm not sure why they wouldn't tell you the salary range. People typically ask for the range when they are negotiating salary, and employers tell them so that expectations are clear. I would be interested in what information you hoped to gain. It does sound like you didn't get the increase you were hoping for or an explanation why.
Let's take a real life example, and see where some of the disappointment can come from. A relatively new employee (just about one year) is having her first review for her hourly administrative position.
All year she has been given positive feedback, encouraged, and was brought into meetings when customers visit because she is friendly, welcoming, and can put people at ease. She has been flexible and changed her hours as needed. Her projects have been completed on time, and with high quality. Her performance review agrees with her assessment of what seems to be working very well, and is written in glowing terms.
Her manager gives her a 5 percent raise, as he put her at the top of the range for raises, which vary from 3 to 5 percent. He is pleased for her. She, on the other hand, is devastatingly disappointed. The manager doesn't understand why, because her raise was the top of the range. She was upset because she got less than a $1,500 raise that equaled 70 cents an hour on a $15 an hour job.
The moral of this story is both employers and employees need to understand what the expectations are around salary ranges, and what it actually ends up meaning to an employee when that range hits his or her pocket.
Because of misunderstandings like this, I would advise you to meet with your manager to review the situation. Start with the positive. Talk about how much you like your work, your colleagues, and the environment.
Comment on the things you value about how you have been managed and the positive feedback on your work. Having said all that, you can then express your disappointment in the salary increase.
You might then ask, "What would an outstanding increase look like? Is there bonus potential? What would it take for me to get there?"
If you can't get the compensation review changed now, ask to have a review in six months. Schedule that meeting now, and document the work you do between now and then. At the next review, you and your manager should have a better idea of each other's expectations, and you will be armed with concrete information about your work successes.
Elaine Varelas is managing partner at Keystone Partners, a career management firm in Boston.
E-mail questions to jobdoc@globe.com or mail to Job Doc, Boston Globe, Box 55819, Boston, 02205-5819.
