Do you feel well compensated for the work you produce, or under compensated? There is a startling statistic that women still make up half the workforce and are paid approximately 70 cents to every dollar paid to men. Moms are paid even less. It doesn’t make sense, until you become one. And you realize that you need flexibility to drop off or pick up your children (potentially trading off with a nanny or your spouse, or maybe you are handling both), and your co-workers and manager(s) might look at you as a non-performer due to your late arrival or early departure from work. Now it makes sense. The PERCEPTION is there, but you are working late evenings and possibly weekends to make up for it. Or you are being compensated for 4-day weeks, but actually doing the work of a full-time employee.
I want to talk about negotiating your salary based on some of the perceived notions of moms. If you are applying for a job, try not to mention the mom-hood until the salary discussion is done. As someone who used to negotiate salaries between employers and potential employees, I can tell you that employers LIKE to know EVERYTHING about you. What you are making, where you live, and flexibility versus family life, in addition to the typical experience and ideal role you are seeking.
Our team of Agents plans to include this chapter within our leadership workshop. We know it’s an important topic and one which is easier said then done. Even by me, when it comes to me! Here are some quick tips:
1. Do your research well before you get into an in person discussion with HR or the hiring manager.
2. Know what you want going in. And then ask for 20% more, as a range. Don’t make your focus $$ and don’t start the discussion with $$. Just be prepared for the question.
3. When asked “what do you make now”, do not directly answer. Try to avert the question gently, and flip it back to HR with a range that you are hoping for so that you get a “raise” in your next endeavor.
4. Here’s a close-to verbatim statement I’ve used when the HR person asked me what I make. “Actually, not knowing what the directors make at Company ABC, I will give you a range for what I hope this position pays, of 2.00 to 2.40. (Let’s say that going in, I was hoping for 1.90). That said, I’m not someone who is motivated only by money. While important, I believe that culture is number one and working in an environment that rewards its teams is very compelling”. Those figures are completely false, but you can use what works for you. Do you want $50K? Ask for a range of $60-80K and see what they say. Do they say $40K? Know the answer to this question before going in and taking up your time and the hiring team’s time. If it comes up and you know it’s still do-able, great, but don’t end there. You can negotiate in so many different areas.
If you want more on this topic, we’d love to keep you in mind when we launch our workshops! Let us know!
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