4 Practical Tips to Negotiate a Pay Raise for Women

4 Practical Tips to Negotiate a Pay Raise for Women4 Practical Tips to Negotiate a Pay Raise for WomenYouve heard all about the gender pay gap in the US, and can probably recite the statistics in your sleep- particularly the 79 cents on the dollar that women earn compared to their male peers. Were not about to try and solve the national pay gap. But what we can show you is how to narrow your personal pay gap. Heres what you need to know, say, and do to earn more money. What You Need to Know The very first thing you need to know is how much youre worth and how much a man in an equivalent position is worth, says Alison Doyle, Job Searchexpert for The Balance. You can start by going to Glassdoor.com, Payscale.com, Indeed.com and other salary sites to get a sense of what salaries are like for jobs you are looking at. But know that those numbers- because theyre based on the average salaries of both men and women- are going to be low. You want to aim for the average of men, so take the numbers you find and increase them by a good 25 percent. Human resources and job boards may also be a good source of information, Doyle notes. Ask Is there a salary sortiment for this position? Some of them list it right on the website. If youre negotiating for a raise rather than a new job, you also need to have a good handle on what youve contributed, says Dr. Ben Sorenson, Vice President for Optimum Associates. Rather than try to create a document that charts this looking back, start today and do it going forward. If you receive an email from your boss that pats you on the back for a big win, put it in the folder. The same goes for the sales numbers in which youve played a role- particularly ones that show how your performance this year improved over last. What You Need to Say When an offer hits the table, youre tempted to do a little dance of joy. Do it in your head- but dont let it hit your face. Say thank you, of course (Doyle says being nice rather than contentious is ke y), then ask for time to consider. When youre ready to respond, heres one way to ask for more Im really excited about the offer, but based on my research, it seems low. Also, let the company know theyre not the only game in town I need to give the other companies Im talking to the courtesy of telling them I have an offer. I would do the same for you. If instead,youre asking for a raise, you need adifferent language. Again, it comes back to your performance. (Think not of what your company does for you, one of my early bosses advised me, riffing on JFK, but of what you do for your company.) Lay it on the table, then ask As a result of this performance, would it be possible to get a raise or increase in pay? If the answer is no, follow up immediately with Id like to get your feedback on increasing my pay to this level, based on where I stand in the organization and on my performance, Sorenson advises. What You Shouldnt Say When applying to a new job, its common to be asked your sa lary history, or how much money you want to make. Dont answer these questions, says Katie Donovan, founder of equalpaynegotiations.com. Answering either one of these questions is going to keep you underpaid, she says, adding that if youre filling out an online application, you should leave it blank. (If its a required field put in 0.00, she says. For fruchtwein systems thatll be accepted theyre just looking for a digit.) And if youre asked what you are currently making? If youre among the 60 percent of Americans working in the private sector, its actually confidential, Donovan says. And Massachusetts just made it illegal to ask about salary history in a job interview, a trend that could go nationwide. So in many cases, you can honestly say youre not allowed to reveal it. Or you can find another way to dodge the question Its not about me, its about the job. What is the job budgeted for?Im moving from a city where the cost of living is less expensive.I just got a graduate degree, so I m not sure my past salary is relevant. If all else fails, Doyle says, you can throw out a range, but do it with a codicil about why you expect to be at the high end of that. How to Say It Ive always agreed with Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovitch and Meg Ryan in Youve Got Mail Work is personal. And for that reason, it can be emotional. But when youre negotiating, youve got to leave that emotion at the door. That means the idea of fairness- and the fact that others at the company may earn more- should not enter the discussion. Youre not negotiating for equal pay, says Sorenson. Youre negotiating for elevated pay. With Kelly Hultgren