Problem: Article: If you are interviewing for a job, then postpone for as long as you can any discussion of salary. The key is to make sure that prospective employers fall in love with you before you begin to discuss money. If the employer asks you what your salary requirements are, try to re-direct the conversation. Say, “Before getting into that, I’d like to hear a little more about…”  You should certainly wait until you have a job offer before discussing salary. However, the employer may require that applicants put their required salary in a cover letter. If required to do so, then follow the directions. But be sure to list your preferred salary as a range, e.g., $40,000-50,000.  If you subsequently discover that the salary you listed on your cover letter is too low, then you can adjust it during the negotiations by stating that you didn’t realize the full job responsibilities when you wrote your cover letter. By saying this, you can give yourself a reason for increasing the amount you want. By following this strategy, you can avoid naming a number that is too low. If the employer asks you to give a number, you can counter in several ways:  ask what the typical range is for employees in this position at the company ask how much has been budgeted for the position say you’ll consider any reasonable offer say that they have better information as to what would be a reasonable offer Once an initial offer is made, you should not accept it. Employers expect negotiation, so their initial offer typically includes some room for them to move up. Instead of accepting the first offer, counter-offer by asking for your ideal amount. If your ideal is $48,000 but the initial offer is for $35,000, then ask for $48,000. The employer is not going to move up to $48,000 on his or her own. You need to be prepared to ask for it. You can benefit by offering a few quick reasons why you think you are justified in asking for the salary. For example, you may have led your prior company to record growth in the previous year. You can say, “I appreciate the offer and am really excited to work for you. But given my drive and history of performance, I was expecting something in the $50,000 range.” Also be direct. If you want more money, then say that. Do not try to convey that you want more money by talking about your expenses. For example, don’t state, “Well I just bought a new car, so my expenses are really high.” Instead, say, “I need more than that” or “I need a higher salary.” You should negotiate with confidence, sure of your worth. If the employer cannot meet at least your minimum, then you should be willing to walk away. However, you do not need to boast of that fact or issue ultimatums.  Don’t say, “Forty thousand is my final offer!” Instead, say, “I need at least $40,000 to make switching jobs worthwhile.” Always negotiate with professionalism and respect. Often, salary negotiations are initiated after an informal offer has been made but before a formal offer has been extended. You don’t want anything you do in the salary negotiations to cast doubt on the employer hiring you for the job. Remember that base pay is only one topic of negotiation. After you have taken care of it, move on to the following:  minimum severance pay performance expectations perquisites and benefits the schedule for future salary increases To effectively negotiate, you need to mentally separate yourself from the process. Remember that you don’t know everything about the business’s financial health, so perhaps the company is constrained in what it can offer you. Also, companies are under pressure to reduce overhead, and salaries are a big part of expenses. A salary offer that is lowering than what you would hope for is not a judgment on you personally. Always remember that negotiating a salary is a business transaction. You would not be terribly offended if someone offered you less than you wanted for vegetables that you grew in your garden or a craft that you made in your spare time. Similarly, don’t be offended if the employer is resistant to offering you the salary that you want. Once you receive a final offer, you should ask for a couple of days to review. You want the time to clear your mind and look at the offer objectively. Most employers should give you a few days to a week to consider the offer. Even if your first instinct is to decline because the salary is too low, you should take the time to review the offer. Maybe an increase in benefits will help offset the low salary. Only by giving yourself time to review the whole offer can you make a sound decision as to whether to accept or reject the offer. Once you have agreed to a salary and a benefits package, ask for everything in writing. Your employer should have no problem memorializing the offer in writing. If the employer does resist, then you should reconsider working for this company. It is standard business practice to reduce contract offers to writing.
Summary: Delay discussion of salary. Let the employer offer the first number. Make a counter-offer. Justify your counter-offer. Don’t make demands. Negotiate more than just salary. Do not take negotiations personally. Ask for time to consider a final offer. Get the offer in writing.

Problem: Article: To get an accurate depiction of your menstrual cycle, start counting on the first day of your period. Make a note on your calendar or in a menstrual cycle monitoring app when your period begins. Smartphone apps such as Clue, Glow, Eve, and Period Tracker are designed to help you monitor your menstrual cycle, ovulation, and other key points in your cycle. They can be an easy and data-driven means of monitoring your cycle length. Your count resets on day 1 of your menstrual cycle. This means that your count for each cycle should end on the day before your next period. Include a count for the day before your period starts, but do not include the start date of your period, even if it starts later in the day. If, for example, your cycle started on March 30 and your next period came on April 28, your cycle would be March 30 to April 27, and would total 29 days. The length of your menstrual cycle may vary from month to month. If you want an accurate depiction of your average cycle length, monitor your cycle for at least 3 months. The longer you monitor your cycle, the more representative your average will be. Find the average for the length of your cycle using the numbers you collected while counting your period. You can recalculate this every month to get a more accurate depiction of your general cycle length. Remember, though, that the average shows a trend—it doesn’t definitively represent the length of your next cycle.  To find the average, add the total number of days of your cycle for each month that you have monitored. Then, divide that total by the number of months you monitored. This will give you your average cycle length. For example, you had a 28 day cycle in April, a 30 day cycle in May, a 26 day cycle in June, and a 27 day cycle in July, your average would be (28+30+26+27)/4, equalling a 27.75 day average cycle. Keep tracking your cycle every month. Even if you pass a certain target, such as getting pregnant, keeping track of your cycle throughout your life can help you know when something is off. Medical professionals often ask for information about your cycle, as well. Monitoring your periods and cycle length will help you provide the most accurate information possible. If your doctor asks you the date of your last period, the answer is the first day of your last period, not the day it ended.
Summary:
Start counting on the first day of your period. Count up to the day before you start your next period. Monitor your cycle for at least 3 months. Calculate your average cycle length. Continue to track your cycle.