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Being enthusiastic vs. being used?

It is said that you should show your strong interest in your job if you want to advance. But if you are too enthusiastic, do you risk being taken advantage of by your company, especially when you begin to work for them for a short time?

I am working part-time for a company, which says that after an agreed-upon time, they will consider hiring me full-time. So I try to work hard as a part-time worker. But sometimes I wonder if they may think I am in desperate need of this job and thus will offer me a mediocre contract, which they assume I will accept anyway.

Is there any way to solve this?

It is a tough balance. What you want to do is to demonstrate that you are a valuable asset, with the hope that the company will appreciate that value and want to capture more of it by moving you to full time.

" Value" is kind of an elusive concept, however. For me, it is not precisely the same as " working hard." It really involves growing your skills and your knowledge relevant to this company.

For example (a crude one, I admit), if your job is digging ditches, " working hard" means that you will dig a prodigious number of feet in a work session. " Adding value" would mean that you had developed better ways to dig the ditch, or developed the ability to lead and supervise others digging the ditches, or had found ways to open new markets for ditch-digging.

What I am saying, on other words, is that mere earnestness in your part-time work, while helpful, may not be enough to convince the company that you should be brought aboard full-time. It will be not just your work, but your own growth, that will attract the company to you. Take an interest in the company, in its overall mission, its strangths and weaknesses, its opportunities and challenges. Show that you are a colleague, not just a commodity. Be like the salesman who says to himself, " I have the product you need and you have my money. We just need to work out the details."

And, if the company is slow to catch on, be prepared to make a direct and professional approach to the people in charge reciting what you can contribute to the company, documenting this with your track record. Sometimes busy managers need to have their attention focused -- in a classy and positive way, of course.

You should also do some homework in your industry to know what other companies would pay someone working full-time in the position you seek, with your credentials and your experience level. That way, if a mediocre contract is presented to you, you will have the ammunition to note, " I have done some research on this, and have learned that the going rate for this kind of work is x." If the company desires your continued work there, you will have sent the implicit message that you want to be paid by industry standards, and the implicit message that you might take your services elsewhere if the company fools around.

Desperation is never a strong stance for job negotiation. Homework, strong personal development, and calm self-confidence are the keys. If a mediocre contract is offered to you, say that you are disappointed and would have to think about it. This may nudge the company into improving the offer rather than lose you.

If the company persuades you that it legitimately has cash flow problems and cannot afford to pay you what you are really worth, then you have a decision to make. How likely is this situation to change? Can you negotiate an agreement under which, for example, your compensation would be reviewed again in six months, with the understanding that it will be increased a certain amount if certain targets are reached? If the company is going broke, are you going to be able to rescue it? Or is the future of you and everyone else there probably doomed? Again, your homework as to other cmpanies in this industry will be valuable in ecvaluating these things.

I would not obsess about being " taken advantage of" by this company. You generally have to impress them first before the promotion comes, rather than the other way around. It is not, " If they would promote me, I would work harder." It is more, " After I demonstrate my value, they will promote me."

Good luck.

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