A632.4.5.RB - Deception in Negotiations

This week we read about deceptions in negotiations and whether we realize it or not we are constantly negotiating in our everyday lives.  It can be as simple as deciding where to go for dinner.  My daughter would eat Wendy’s everyday if she could so she tries to negotiate with me on the reasons why we need to go there (don’t have to cook, easy clean up, etc.).  I in turn have to negotiate with her on why it is better to eat at home (healthier, cheaper, better for you) .  Chapter 11 talks about 4 ways to evaluate information during negotiations:

·         Ask direct questions

·         Listen carefully

·         Pay attention to non-verbal ques

·         Keep records and get things in writing

When applying for a job you hear the good things about that job and going through the interview process you and the employer are putting their best foot forward to present the best employee and employer have to offer.  When I was in my twenties I applied for a job at the mall working for an accessory store that sold jewelry and hair accessories.  I was told that I would work my way up quickly to management.  I knew a lot about the store as a customer so I knew that they also pierced ears.  I asked directly about this and was told that training would be done and that if I wasn’t comfortable with piercing ears myself I would not have to do this aspect of the job.

Once I was hired I found out quickly that everyone was told that they would move up quickly to management but only if they were full time.  This was a part time job for me as I was working full time already so I could not put in the hours that would be required to “prove” that I was management material.  The training they talked about for piercing ears was another employee who let the girls “practice” on her ears.  No certificate or actual training was done. I was told I had to start piercing ears at some point.  We also had to wear accessories from the store so that customers would see the product on and be more likely to purchase the item.  This included hair bows, necklaces and earrings.  At the end of the night these items were placed back on the shelf without being cleaned first.

I asked about of these things that I was not told during the interview and was told that this was just the way things were done.  Needless to say I didn’t last long there as I didn’t agree with many of the processes they had in place.  I mentioned talking to the regional manager and was told it came from higher than that and that I just needed to learn to deal with it if I wanted to work there.  I made it a month before I quit.

            An example of when I may have overstated a claim was when I was 19 I applied for a waitressing job at a nicer restaurant in town.  I was asked if I had any experience with waiting tables and I said yes I did when in fact I had never waitressed before in my life.  The manager asked some questions that I was able to answer without giving away too much to the fact that I had no idea what I was doing.  I really wanted this job and was determined to get it even if it meant I had to fib a bit to do it.  After my first interview I went to another restaurant and studied how the waitress handled themselves and went home and practiced carrying drinks and plates so I was comfortable enough if they asked me to do this in the next interview.

            I am pretty sure the manager knew I was full of crap but because I sounded convincing enough and had a positive outlook he hired me.  A few months later he finally asked me if I had actually waitressed before and I told him no but that I really wanted to the job and knew that I could do it if given the chance.  I worked my way up to manager before I left 5 years later.

            I knew that I would do well but felt I wasn’t going to be given a chance because of my inexperience.  If it had been something that I knew I would not do well in I would not have overstated my claim because I knew I would not have been able to pull it off.  With age comes wisdom and looking back at this experience I would have been straight forward with the manager and asked for a chance to prove myself.  In my current job I had no financial aid experience but I was pretty clear when I said that I would do my best to learn every aspect of financial aid and that they would not regret hiring me.  I did my homework and did research on financial aid and the school so I was prepared when negotiations started.  I was truthful and asked direct questions and listened carefully to what they had to say.