Salary Negotiation Tips For Women
How to Successfully Negotiate Your Next
Salary Increase
Kelly Magowan
Equal Pay is about men and women being paid the same amount for doing a similar job. However, there is no avoiding the fact that women are still paid comparatively less than their male counterparts. According to EOWA the current pay gap between men and women is 16% - this figure is startling given that women perform academically better than men. There are a myriad of reasons why women still earn less, including: |
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More women than men work part-time and therefore earn only a proportion of full-time earnings. |
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Women are more likely to be classified at a lower grade of occupation than men. Reasons for this include fewer educational opportunities, family responsibilities and sex discrimination. |
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Women are less inclined to negotiate their salary. This third point is something that women can take control of relatively easily, by learning and actively engaging in salary negotiations. As Emanuel Perdis co-founder of the iconic Australian makeup brand Napoleon says "You don't get out of life what you deserve – you get what you negotiate" |
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Why Do Women Avoid Salary Negotiation
Studies show that women are highly uncomfortable with salary negotiation and as a result we avoid it. Even when we do enter into salary negotiation we don't actively seek out the best deal for ourselves, but rather look to a positive outcome for both parties. Some key facts include:
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Men initiate negotiations about four times as often as women. |
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Women report salary expectations between 3 and 32 percent lower than those of men for the same jobs. |
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Women who consistently negotiate their salary increases earn at least $1 million more during their careers than women who don't. |
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How Women Can Become Better Negotiators
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Don't Wait To Be Offered: Women need to speak up for themselves and negotiate not only with what is presented, but if there is the opportunity to bring in new elements to the negotiation such as additional benefits like further education. |
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Talk Yourself Up: It is important to learn to "toot your own horn" to avoid your achievements going un-noticed by your boss. Where possible, if you can debrief your boss on your success or provide written confirmation then this additional information is advisable to do. |
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Learn About Salary Negotiation: For some reason we are uncomfortable discussing our salaries and what we are worth with current or prospective employers. Women need to learn more about salary negotiation in order to become more comfortable and effective with it. |
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The Language You Use Sets the Scene: Women tend to use more passive language in conversations than men. In the salary negotiation context you are there to achieve a result for you, therefore using powerful and active language is crucial. For example rather than "would you mind if", try and be active with your words such as "I would like to discuss X with you today'. |
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Put Salary Negotiation into Action: To improve your salary negotiation skills and the odds of increasing your salary, you need to start to put these skills into practice. The responsibility rests with you to negotiate your salary according to your worth in the marketplace. Start practicing your negotiation skills today, it does not have to be at work, it could be at the market or on a high dollar purchase. |
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Four Essential Steps for Salary Negotiation Success |
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Confidence. |
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Powerful Active Language. |
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Research. |
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Practice, Practice, Practice. |
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Before Entering Negotiations |
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Prepare an agenda: Whether you are looking to negotiate a salary increase with your boss or with a potential employer, ensure firstly that you are realistic and secondly that you have an agenda prepared. List all the key points you want to cover in the discussion and where possible make this a face to face meeting with the relevant parties. |
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Research the Job Market: The internet makes it very easy to access the free salary information. Alternatively, talk to people such as Recruitment Consultants or contact HR Professionals within similar organizations. |
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Prepare Your Business Case: Current or new employers are not going to hand money over to you without some sort of justification. Having a viable business case as to why you deserve X salary or why your salary should be increased is still required. |
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Assumptions: Ensure any assumptions you may have are checked out and justified before you enter into a negotiation with your current or prospective employer. |
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Alternatives: Having an alternative/s is essential in any salary negotiation process. Indeed, in the salary negotiation process all your requirements may be met, none may be met or some may be met. It is important to know at which point you are willing to walk away from a negotiation, and/ or to have alternatives in place. |
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| The Characteristics of a Successful Negotiator |
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| Two key points |
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Concealing your intentions. |
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Always saying less than necessary. |
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Many women are open books. We say what we feel, share our opinions, and are open about revealing our plans and intentions. Whilst this is a positive thing in our day to day lives, when it comes to the workplace and entering into salary negotiations it can work against us. When negotiating you need to train yourself to conceal your intentions and to always say less than necessary. |
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Confidence is Key: Research and preparation bring about confidence. If you go into a salary negotiation meeting having covered all your bases, you are inclined to come out of it with next to all of your needs being met. Aside from confidence, there are numerous other personal characteristics that can make for a successful salary negotiation. Some of these include: Self control, good listener, problem solver, patience, and being realistic. |
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Positive Body Language: Having positive body language is critical in all business situations, including salary negotiation. Your entrance, handshake and eye contact all make an impression, hence the reason for the face to face negotiation wherever possible. Ensure you make a confident entrance, try to initiate the handshake, be conscious of your posture, hold your head up high, have a positive attitude, make eye contact and smile! |
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| Effectively Conducting the Negotiation Process |
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| Having done your research and preparation for your salary negotiation meeting, you should be well ready to enter the negotiation process confidently. With your agenda well laid out, and your evidence gathered to support your case, you are in the best position to come to a mutually beneficial agreement. It is important to raise all your points up front in the initial meeting or discussion, rather than adding new items for negotiation you progress throughout the process. Also try to have input into the environment which is selected as ideally this should be on neutral ground. |
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Handling Salary Questions: If you are asked your salary range or expectations and do not want to disclose the information, try answering with a response like"I would prefer to find out more about the position, the responsibilities and expectations before getting into any salary discussions".
Note: it is best to avoid entering into this conversation too early in the process, as it can limit your opportunity to negotiate further on.
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Documentation & Witnesses: It is imperative that you record what is agreed in a salary negotiation, be that with an existing or new employer. Ideally this should be done face to face. Having a witness is also advisable where this is possible. Always try to come to an agreement in the meeting. Also be sure to clarify with your negotiator if they are the ones who have the authority to settle the matter, as it may be they have to obtain approval from someone else. |
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Accepting a Salary Offer: Ensure you come across as appreciative of the offer and clarify what the offer exactly entails. Be sure to request a hard copy of the offer and ask for a few days to consider the opportunity. Contact the existing or potential employer or agency once you have made up your mind, within the given time frame you specified. If it is a pure "Yes", fantastic; if it is a "No", thank them for their time and the opportunity.
If it is a "Yes", but dependant on one or a few items you wish to negotiate then the negotiation process starts. This is where you draw upon your research and preparation to begin the negotiation process. It may take a few calls and discussions before you and your existing or potential employer reach a mutually agreeable point. |
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A negotiation requires all parties to agree on an acceptable solution to the problem, in this instance your salary. Each party must have their needs met. Being realistic, prepared and professional throughout the negotiation process will increase your chances of securing your next salary increase. |
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Kelly Magowan, is CEO Six Figures, the Executive Job Site for $100K+ job seekers to connect with employers and their six figure jobs and contracts across all industries and professions. Her 13 years experience working across HR, Recruitment & Career Coaching has provided her with a solid understanding of what the job market looks like, what employers look for and the common experiences and challenges they face. |
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Download Your Free Salary Negotiation Guide |
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If you are interested to learn more about salary negotiation and improve your negotiation skills and your income, download your free 17 page
Salary Negotiation Guide for Women from Six Figures.
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