It is well-known amongst the tech community that women are frequently getting the short end of the stick when it comes to salary, promotions, raises, and the like.
At first glance, the unfairness feels overwhelming, but do not fret, there are several things you can do to combat these all too common practices!
A lot of women across the globe experience Imposter Syndrome in their day to day lives as it relates to their work.
Am I smart enough?
Is it a fluke that I got hired?
The first step to squashing these unfair compensation practices is to be confident in your worth and what you bring to a company, role, or team.
Things to reflect on:
- Your knowledge/expertise in your role
- Amazing things you have accomplished (data/metrics are always useful here)
- What unique strengths you provide the team.
Write these personal anecdotes down, and continue to build your list (even if it is just mentally) throughout your career.
When you are feeling a low sense of worth or are preparing for an important discussion on pay, reflect on the list you have created to pump yourself up.
Your worth is there, but recognizing your own worth is the first step to positioning yourself more strategically.
Previous research has shown that men are many times more likely to ask for raises, promotions, or negotiate initial salary arrangements when accepting an offer.
While it should not be left entirely up to the individual to ask for these things, there appears to be a correlation between asking and receiving, something to keep in mind.
Having conversations around compensation are incredibly difficult, but worth the effort in order to get the salary and promotions you deserve.
When approaching the “ask” conversations, reflect on your thoughts from the first section of this article.
What value do you bring to the table?
Take the reflections you made from the first bit of this article, and use this in your discussions! Being able to demonstrate your value and worth is an incredibly important part of seeing pay raises and promotions. Be your own best advocate.
While in some cases, it may make sense to discuss compensation with your current company, sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side.
With all the information we now have access to, you can oftentimes research a company’s workplace culture. For example, you could analyze if a company has a positive work environment for women and if the women are being equally compensated in comparison to the men.
Even making a “lateral move” to a different company could get you a much higher compensation package if you are negotiating from the beginning vs trying to make up ground at your current place of work.
If you do choose to seek out other options, tools like Woo.io will allow you the ability to see increases in compensation.
Through Woo, you can set salary expectations from the beginning, so companies know exactly what you are looking for in terms of compensation.
You can also list other expectations around title, company size, location, etc. so you can find not only a role that compensates you fairly, but one that matches your needs.
The bottom line:
Whether you are internally or externally trying to get that raise or promotion, communicate with conviction and go confidently. You are valuable, you are resilient, you can do this!
The thoughts of the author are hers alone and do not speak for/represent the opinions of her employer.
