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The #1 Mistake Women Make in Career Negotiation

Posted on November 17, 2022 under Career & Work

The #1 Mistake Women Make in Career Negotiation
Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

The #1 mistake women make in career negotiation is not negotiating at all.

Western women are not encouraged or taught to negotiate, and it's a real issue.

This plays out over the full course of their careers.

It typically ends with leaving hundreds of thousands or millions on the table.

Picture two fresh grads, a woman and man, starting at the same level.

Let's just say they are both making $50K per year as associates. Then, he asks for a $5K raise. She doesn’t ask.

His base pay is now $55K for his next raise, and hers is still $50K.

This builds and builds like a runaway train.

Beyond not asking, women are also socialized to believe ‘good girls' don’t ask or go get what they want.

This leaves them stuck without the skills to do the sophisticated dance moves required for success.

Truth is, most women are deer in headlights when it comes to negotiation.

The solution?

Women must seek to learn negotiation skills and confidence from mentors and teachers, etc.

I encourage my women clients to practice negotiating what men would naturally expect.

For many, that feels totally foreign.

But, practicing negotiation is a skill building exercise to strengthen a muscle.

You'll flex it over and over again.

💃 Ready to change your negotiation game? Let's talk live via video; book your consult here

– Kelley Joyce, MBA, CPC

Kelley is a career development coach who is dedicated to helping people discover their career path and land their dream jobs. Kelley and her partner Josh live in New York City from which she has served hundreds of professionals across the U.S., U.K., and Australia since 2012 to radically change their relationship with work.




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