Employers More Willing to Negotiate Salary
HARRIS: OK. So I got a little confused here. I looked back at the big Vista wall here, and I thought we had put the numbers all over the place and we were going to ask you to put the numbers in the right sequences. But, no. We've just sort of blurred out the number. OK. And now we're going to un-blur it. But in the segment before the break, we asked you to think about how much the average wedding cost in the first half of this year. Now, according to WEtv's wedding report is -- un-blur that number, sharpen it up. There you go, $23,867. Are you kidding me? That is up more than $4,000 over last year, when folks were much more budget-conscious, right? Apparently, brides are feeling better about the economy this year. Former President George Bush out with his new book, "Decision Points." Candy Crowley welcomes him as a guest this Sunday on a special primetime edition of "STATE OF THE UNION." The painfully slow economic recovery is forcing more Americans into bankruptcy. The government says 1.5 million people filed bankruptcy during the fiscal year that ended September 30th. That is a 14 percent spike over 2009 and the largest number of filings since 2005, when Congress tightened bankruptcy laws. Here is one way to get a little more money in your pocket. Ask for a raise. Are you kidding me? In this day and time? Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with the details. Alison, people might have been afraid to ask before. I think many are still afraid right now. But could this actually be a good time to ask for that raise?</s>ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Sure, go ahead. Ask for that raise, Tony. I mean, look at how things are right now. The economy is rebounding, so employers are actually the ones who are worried about losing their top talent. It's really become more of an issue now that people are actually able to find jobs. Look at this. I want to show you. There's this new survey out that shows that more than half of employers say they are willing to negotiate with new workers, a little fewer employers say they would negotiate with current workers. But the fact of the matter is, now is as good a time as any to ask for that higher salary -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: So, if you think you can negotiate with the boss, how do you go about doing that?</s>KOSIK: Well, you know, first of all, be confident. I mean, don't walk in there with your feathers all puffed out, but really go in there and be prepared. Talk up your accomplishments. Also, know the exact salary that you want and justify it. Compare it to what other people in your position are getting paid. And finally, show that you understand what the company wants. You know, ask yourself, are you willing to help accomplish what the company's goals are? And if you can show that you're an asset, chances are you can go ahead and get that salary increase -- Tony.</s>HARRIS: OK. So yesterday we talked about markets hovering around a two-year high. How are things looking so far today?</s>HARRIS: Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, see you next hour. Thank you. Tiger Woods in Australia, working on a new swing and looking for his first win of the year. We are talking sports, a couple of items for you, in the next 75 seconds.