Career Goddess Salary Negotiation Blog

I found this important post on Career Goddess' blog here.

Yesterday's USA TODAY ran an extensive multi-page section on women and retirement was informative and yet it missed one very important FACT -- WOMEN EARN 77% FOR EVERY DOLLAR A MAN EARNS and a major contributing reason is that women don't negotiate salary and men typically do. I have seen this in my work as a career counselor having helped thousands through my private counseling and job search seminars. Women seemed shocked when they follow some solid salary negotiation strategies that resulted in securing thousands of dollars more. Men expect it. In fact, the biggest salary raises (over 15%) come from quitting your job and moving to a new employer but only if you successfully negotiate your compensation package. Women need to step out of their comfort zone, and not be humble or complacent. You must ASK to be paid what they are worth. If you don’t know what your skills are worth, go to www.RobinRyan.com/tools to get a good idea of the range you should be paid for the work you do. Sadly too many women are timid and just accept the first salary offer an employer makes leaving a great deal of money on the table that could have added to their retirement savings account if they had strategically asked. No one will volunteer to pay you top dollar unless you expect and ask quantifying your skills and experience convincing the employer you are worth the additional dollars.