Hello Cool Girls ! In recent months, I’ve noticed a growing movement on TikTok with young people in their twenties voicing their concerns about the corporate ladder. From a young age we’ve been told that a degree and hard work will guarantee you a job you like and a great salary, this message is not only delivered by our parents but is also perpetuate by the educating system. So imagine our surprise, when with a brand new diploma we found out that most of us will be offered minimum wages jobs that barely cover our basic expenses due to the inflation. That’s why you should learn now why and how to advocate for yourself in the workplace to get what you want.
This is one of the harsh realities of climbing the corporate ladder many of us faced when starting their careers and makes them reconsider climbing the corporate ladder as a long-term solution.
1. If You Don’t Advocate for Yourself in the Workplace, Who Will?
Your compensation in the working world is strongly related to your self worth . Of course in the workplace it is determined by: your skills, experience, and your field. Remember that employees are considered as a cost, and a common strategy for companies to grow is to minimize these costs. Their primary goal is to maximize the profit you bring, not necessarily to compensate you fairly. It’s your responsibility to understand your worth and not settle for pennies.
While negotiation leverage may be limited for entry-level positions, you should still advocate for your worth. During the interview process the HR recruiter, is mandated to find the best candidate with a constraint budget. Chances are you’ll no be offered your dream salary without a bit of negotiation.
2. Which strategies can you use ?
Here are some strategies you can use: (during an interview)
- Communicate a slightly higher salary range
- Exposing your assets and the value you’ll add to the position
- Exposing the market value of your profile
- Showing a counter offer of another company
Here are other strategies: (throughout your employment with the company):
- During your annual review, highlight your accomplishments with data to your manager
- Sometimes the best way to increase your salary is to change your position or the company you’re working for
Don’t worry many people early in their careers accept an initial offer to get this first experience or simply because of a challenging job market. But by gaining confidence and maturity we learn to negotiate a fair compensation. So let’s continue advocating for ourself.
