How to get the salary—or the raise—you deserve
KNOW YOUR MARKET VALUE. You have to know what your peers are earning before you ask for a raise or accept the starting salary offered at a new job. There are several online tools, such as Salary and PayScale, that provide information on the salaries in various industries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics offers data, too.
Here’s one of my favorite stories, about a woman who stood up to a boss who kept making promises of raises he didn’t keep. The heroine? My mom, Sherry Beilinson.
When I was a kid, my mother managed a popular children’s wear store in Miami owned by her uncle. After working at the store for years, she finally got the courage to ask for a much-deserved raise. Her uncle promised to make it happen.
Weeks and weeks went by and her paycheck remained the same, even as her patience wore thin. A couple months later, she asked him what was taking so long. His response: “Don’t worry. Slowly but surely you’ll get an increase.”
Even though she’s not one to make waves or engage in confrontation, that response didn’t sit well with my mom. Always quick on her feet, she said, “I’d like to see a lot less slowly and a lot more surely.” Go mom! It worked.
NEGOTIATE AS IF IT WERE FOR A FRIEND. Women are awesome when it comes to asking people to make donations to charity. Women have no trouble haggling at a flea market or demanding the best for their kids, but it’s often a different story when it comes to taking care of themselves. If that sounds like you, then pretend you're speaking up for your best friend, your daughter, or the person you care most about in the world. You know you'd want him or her to get the most, so you're likely to do an effective job.
LEAVE YOUR FEELINGS AT THE DOOR. Women often shy away from negotiating because they don't want someone to dislike them. They worry that their future employer will think, "Oh, she hasn't even started yet, and she's already demanding things."
