How to Negotiate Your Salary as a Professional Woman

There's no denying that the pay gap exists. An article in Business Insider reveals that the average working woman earns around 81 cents for every dollar men earn working the same amount of hours, figures that add up to women earning $9,909 less than men in annual wages. But, this doesn't mean that there aren’t ways for women to get ahead in the professional world. This is why we've put together a list of tips from women who have done just that. Read on to learn more about how to negotiate your salary as a professional woman.

Do Prior Research

When asked for your expected salary during a job interview, the last thing you want to do is give a number without any basis. Forbes' Melissa Llarena emphasizes the importance of doing the proper research by looking up the average salaries for the position you're interested in. 

You can even go beyond this and look up the specific company that you are applying for and see the average pay for that position. By doing this, it will help you arrive at the optimal number to state during the interview. This also allows you to set your 'walk-away number' or the number that you will immediately turn down.

Highlight Your Skills

Let's say you already have a number in mind and want to convince your potential employers that you are worth the investment. Well, one way to do this is by drawing attention to your skillset. Comeet recommends highlighting your previous job experience by explaining what skills you’ve acquired that make you fit for the new position. This way, you establish your expertise and allow your potential employer to put a monetary value on your skills.

You'll also need to keep in mind that you shouldn't cave and settle for anything less than you deserve. Melanie Eusebe of the Creative Industries Federation notes that it's important to never forget your worth – so stand your ground and show your potential employer that the only fair answer is to be paid according to your skill level.

Project Confidence

Lastly, what you must do is to project an air of confidence. This should be easy, as you're only negotiating for what you rightly deserve. This Inc article highlights how important maintaining confident cues is, such as keeping your posture open, straight, and large throughout the interview. This technique will make it easier for people to believe in the skills you're telling them you have. They want to believe you, all you have to do is help them out with a little confidence.

This tip coincides with Mika Brzezinski's philosophy, author of the book Earn It! She highlights how important it is for women, in particular, to project confidence. This confidence can only come from being prepared.

And if you follow all the tips above, then you'll be as prepared as you could ever be. All that'is left is for you to own it!

If this was helpful, you might want to check out our other article on How to Answer This Interview Question: Why Do You Want to Work Here? And don't forget to let us know your top tips for getting the raise you deserve in the comments!