If you are anything like me, you hate the idea of asking your potential employer for more money than they originally offered you. Are you going to seem greedy? Is he/she still going to want to work with you? Here is the thing, the wage gap still exists partly because most women do not negotiate their starting salaries while men do. So whatever questions come up around whether you should negotiate, please know that you should almost always negotiate a starting salary.
When my future boss offered me a position and told me the starting salary, I was excited and impressed but asked for some time to think about it. I called back the next day and used the template below to negotiate relocation assistance and my starting salary. Let's be clear, negotiating felt uncomfortable but I knew I had to do it. And at first, my boss said she couldn't negotiate the salary but appreciated that I asked for more money because women often don't. While this might seem insincere to some, I really liked that she encouraged me. Later that afternoon, she called to offer me a starting bonus and an impressive salary. Yay!!!
So hopefully now you have some courage around asking for more money. And you can use the guide below if you find yourself in the position to do so.
If you have any negotiation tips that you've used, please share them with us in the comments section :)
With lots of candor,
Hiwote