In this day and age, we know how important it is as women to work hard at our jobs so we can play even harder in our free time. But sometimes being rewarded ‘play’ isn’t enough. If you’ve been busting your chops for years in your career, you should be making even more bank. Times are tough, but you, Bauces, are even tougher. Yet we all know how potentially terrifying it is, especially for women, to negotiate salaries or raises. Just remember, if you’ve been putting in the hours and effort, you deserve it and you need to go get it. Here are five ways to go about this seemingly daunting task:
1) Do your research. Dawn Dugan from Salary.com recommends looking up the area where your business is located and figuring out the typical salary for people with similar jobs in that area. Have a few different figures in mind and reasons for each figure. Know the demographics. You want to go into this meeting completely informed and with facts to back up your information.
2) Get your head in the game… Practice, practice, practice. Practice the conversation with a friend or family member who can give you honest feedback. Know exactly what you’re going to say and why you’ll say it. Come up with great responses to questions you think you’ll get asked.
3) … and play it right. The aggressive approach works for men. Unfortunately, it doesn’t for women. In fact, it will completely backfire if you try to negotiate like a confident, powerful “man”. Play to your female strengths; be friendly, considerate, and firm without being overtly pushy or demanding. You are not in any position to try and appear powerful in front of someone you’re trying to convince should give you more money.
4) Talk about what you will do/have done for the company. Know that you are not entitled to your dream salary or raise; you have earned it. What skills and ideas will you bring to the table that makes you more valuable? What specific tasks and projects have you done for the company that warrants for a raise, in over what period of time?
5) Be serene after the fact. No matter the outcome, you faced your fears and negotiated something very important. If you received the salary or raise, well done! You are a Bauce and you deserve it. If not, at least you planted a seed in your boss’s head and, you never know—a few months down the line, with continuous diligence and hard work, your wish may be granted. Cha-ching!
