1. Don’t hesitate to say no when negotiating your salary.
Studies show that women tend to be more concerned about relationships thus hesitate saying no to things that they don’t agree with. They think saying no will hurt the feelings of their employer. In most cases, women want to keep everyone happy. There is nothing as critical as being able to say no when negotiating salary. Sometimes you have to say no for you to get what you really want. You don’t have to say no aggressively. Instead politely ask the employer if he/she can make some improvement on the salary offer. A straight and unexplained no sometimes sounds rude so be very careful and make your point skillfully and politely.
2. Remember, everything is negotiable.
Many women may not realize that an opportunity to negotiate exists whenever they get a job. A new job gives a candidate a golden opportunity to inform their employer of their salary needs. Women tend to have a great ability of developing good relationships. It is usually very difficult to say no to a person with whom you have a good relationship. It is the early stages of hiring that you can take advantage of this ability. By creating a good relationship based on respect with your boss gives you courage to approach him/her to ask for a salary increment. Many women hesitate asking for what they want out of fear of damaging the good relationship. This fear ends up holding them back when they are making salary negotiations. Women should know that asking for something you deserve does not damage a relationship. Ask for what you feel you deserve with respect and courtesy – it can often encourage more respect by asking for what your position is due.
3. Women should learn to negotiate their own salary as forcefully as they would for someone else.
Many women are more aggressive when negotiating on behalf of others than when they are making their own negotiations. Culturally, in the United States, many women are usually raised to believe that asking for things is unseemly and selfish. Due to this date I believe, women find themselves in difficult positions when it comes to negotiating their salary. As a woman, you have to get over this if you really want a salary increment. Never settle for less salary. Instead, think about how you would go about it if you were negotiating salary for someone else.
Interested in learning more about the pay gap? Check out the story published in Forbes: “Are Women Catching Up in Pay?“
