Kim Kardashian may have it figured out
How To Ask & Get Your Worth Without Breaking Into A Sweat
The truth about the Gender Pay Gap you need to know & exploit
Are you a working woman not earning her worth?
Chances are you have heard people speak of the Gender Pay Gap in hushed tones.
It seems like sacrilege to mention it aloud. Because talking about it aloud could mean we acknowledge it. Let me set the score straight. The Gender Pay Gap does exist, whether we acknowledge it or no. There, I said it & this website says it too. The Simple Truth about the Pay Gap (aauw.org). It isin your face & unmissable, if you think about it. Like Kim Kardashian’s posterior.
Glassdoor says that women in the US make 76 cents on an average for every dollar a man earns.
If you are a mid-career woman professional, you are the audience I am talking to. You know this. Childbirth, socially imposed deterrents especially in third world countries or personally imposed deterrents stop you from getting equal pay.
Many of the social factors are beyond your control. You know this too, sure as Kim Kardashian knows her claim to fame is a ‘leaked’ tape.
I’ve been there. There was a time I was paid only 60% of what a colleague was making. When I asked for more, I was told that comparing salaries wouldn’t make sense as there is no standard. I got smart about it & you can too.
You can’t control your social media feeds from being bombarded by Kardashian scandals. But you can control one factor that will narrow the pay gap for you personally. As a woman you can focus on being comfortable with Asking & Getting Your WORTH.
PS: After I followed a process to ask, I was able to narrow the gap by more than 28%.
How do you start to do that? By first asking yourself if you have felt underpaid yet overworked through your working career. If you have, you will need to consider these questions. They will give you a glimpse into how you fare in the asking process.
Answer each question & if the answer is ‘Yes’ come up with a plan to neutralise the pain point.
Ask yourself:
- Do I consider job changes/ year end reviews as opportunities. To ask for meaty roles & higher salaries. If not, am I in a constant state of anxiety about them?
- Does the word ‘negotiation’ make me break out in a sweat?
- Does every appraisal cycle at work catch me unprepared? Have I researched the market on whether I am overpaid, at equilibrium or underpaid?
- When I do not get my due during an appraisal/ job interview, do I make up excuses for it rather than face facts?
- When I negotiate, do others make me feel I am asking for too much?
- Do I let my employer decide my WORTH?
- Has my ‘WORTH’ remained constant through my working years?
- Do I expect to be paid for the time I give to work?
- Do I feel more comfortable negotiating for others than for myself?
Now that you have truthfully answered these questions how can you hold your power while asking your worth?
Speaking up is hard to do. Speaking up for yourself can be even scarier. A study on workplace negotiations concluded that 1/3rd of individuals do not ask for something they really want.
I can give you two tips that are enough to make you feel more confident about asking:
- Know & embrace what you want. Before you step into any kind of negotiation, especially ones where money is involved, ask yourself this. Am I clear in my head about what I want? When you can visualize the end result clearly you can come up with a plan. Your plan will help you steer the conversation.
- Have options. This way you will hold your power in a negotiation. You level the playing field between you & your employer when you have choices.
Successful negotiation is a mind game. The game starts within you. It is played between you & your mind. It is about owning your power and being comfortable with quoting your worth.
The next time you sit across a negotiation table, embrace the situation as an opportunity to narrow the Gender Pay Gap!
Kim Kardashian could well be your role model. She is a great marketeer & gets paid for her worth & beyond!
