When we talked about negotiation in class, someone asked me to share the name of the book on negotiation. Here it is: Women Don't Ask.
I think the title is very true. As I mentioned in class, I learned the hard way by not asking for what I know I deserved. After I finished my MBA, we were in a recession like we are now, and it took me a few months to find a job. I was so relieved by the time I found a good job, that I didn't think I deserved to negotiate salary and just took what I was offered. When I was later promoted, I tried to make up that difference in my salary but my new boss told me that I should have negotiated harder at the beginning. He told me that it is harder to make up your salary later when you don't negotiate well at the beginning. That made a huge impression on me and I have taken that to heart ever since.
One small tip here--we can talk about it more in class if you like. Always ask for a little bit more than you are willing to live with because the company always wants to have the final say. For instance, they offer you a starting salary of $25,000 and you come back and say you were thinking that a salary of $35,000 was fair, based on your experience, your degree and what you can contribute from day one. Only choose an amount a bit above what you are happy to live with, because they will want to end lower than what you come back with--they will want to come back with an amount lower than the $35,000--say, $30-32,000. You are still better off than the original $25,000 that they originally offered you, so your negotiating paid off!
What do you think?!
I completely agree with you that negotiation later on is much harder. I have worked at a company for four years now and I wish I would have negotiated harder in the beginning. Trying to get a raise is like pulling teeth because you already work for them and they know you have been willing to work for less. So my advise would definitely be to negotiate better in the beginning because you maybe not get the money you really need in the end if you don't.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that insight. I always hated negotiating salaries, especially here in North Carolina. It's been a while since I've been in the paid work force, but when I was, employers were not willing to pay your worth.
ReplyDeleteI could certainly benefit from learning negotiating skills in the work force.
I agree, and I think that being able to negotiate your pay is very important. Many women under estimate themselves and are afraid to stand up for what they think they are worth. I will never forget what one of my professors told my Organiztional Behavior class about negotiating: If a company is taking their time to offer you the position and discuss your salary, then they are investing in you; they are not going to throw you away for asking for a little higher pay.
ReplyDeleteA good friend of mine lost her job about a year ago due to the company moving and was forced to go on unemployment. This friend had been making a salary in the 50,000s. When she finally did get a job she just excepted the salary that was offered although it was much less than what she was making at her previous job. She was too afraid to negotiate because she was afraid of being turned away. About 8 months after working at this job (30 min drive also) she found another and she automatically asked for a higher salary in the beginning. There ended up being a bidding war between the current company and the new one, which led to her ending up with the original salary that was in the 50,000s. She felt like it was such a slap in the face that the company had been paying her a much lower salary even though there were able to pay her more the whole time, they just didn't because she didn't negotiate.
ReplyDeleteHope this story wasn't too long winded, but I learned a lot from her story. My friend also learned the hard way and realized she should have demanded a higher salary in the beginning instead of just settling in order to get the job.
I had never known until recently that a person could negotiate their salary. It kind of makes me nervous because I am definitely not a good negotiator, so I might want to read this book. Also learning about the glass ceiling for women, I think this idea can help break through it a little because it can show how women can be just as tough when fighting for what they want. It also shows a little bit of independence and confidence when you tell an employer that you think your salary should be more.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a person especially a women should negotiate for her salary. I think most women are looked down upon in a top, successful company. Like the men are the big shots so the women have to be the little shots. I agree with that you should ask for a price that is above what you're really asking for to get the salary you want. That makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI have many friends who are now too scared to negotiate terms with their current or future bosses because they are either afraid that a company can easily hire someone else for less money or will not think twice about laying them off because of it.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, one such friend considered negotiating a raise with his boss after receiving an offer from another company, but changed his mind. Later, his company started laying people off and he was glad that he did not use this tactic for fear that his boss would not worry about laying someone off that had other offers.
I, however, did leverage an offer with another offer and got more money out of it. This was back in 2006, however, and if they same thing happened today, I am not sure that I would make the same decision...although if you have an offer for more money in one place, it makes it much easier to use this as leverage since you can always fall back on it.
I think this is completely true. I know at Meredith we talk about negotiating in almost every business class you take. Women are afraid to negotiate for themselves out of fear that they will be seen as pushy or needy. Despite as much as I have learned about the importance of negotiating, I still hesitate to negotiate myself. For example, I just recently bought a car and I found it extremely hard to negotiate the price. In the end I did ask for a little bit off, but not much for fear that I wouldn't get the car I wanted. I know that was dumb of me, but I have a really hard time bargaining.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your strategy; that's how we are always taught.