A real empowerment tool for women, negotiation is one of the solutions to reduce the pay gap in France. Ready? Fire, negotiate!
Pay inequalities die hard. Each year in Europe, if we compare their pay to those of men, women start working "for free" around November. Over a career, they can lose up to 300,000 euros – the price of a nice house in a lot of countries! -, whatever their position and level of experience. This systemic and cultural problem appears from the first job and is based in particular on negotiation: only 7% of women negotiate their salary on entry vs. 56% of men.
One could quote many equally shocking figures. What if we took action instead? At 50inTech, a networking platform for digital women, we deploy concrete tools to make tech more diverse and more inclusive. We believe that negotiation pushes women up the social elevator. And it's a learnable skill. That's why we launched the “What I Really Really Want” bootcamp, to help you get the salary and benefits that match your worth. Register, access the masterclasses and their replays, and follow our guide, specially designed for Aufeminin!
1. Because you are worth it
Are you looking for a job or want to change company, you are already in place and you are aiming for a promotion … First question to ask yourself: why? What motivates you ? Clearly state your desires and needs in writing. This is the starting point to get you in the right psychological mood and prepare to negotiate.
By the way, remember your worth. Women often suffer from impostor syndrome. “Am I in my place? Up to it? ” They can devalue themselves and give up negotiating out of weariness – “They will say no to me again…” – or out of fear of displeasing, disturbing, asking for more, simply asking. It’s hard to escape the influence of your upbringing and society, and yet you’re told it again: you deserve fair pay as much as you deserve equality with your male counterparts.
See also: Rebecca Amsellem, economist and founder of Les glorieuses, talks to us about salary inequalities
2. Determine your non-negotiable list
In an interview, the two parties negotiate, judge and are judged. It is therefore essential to establish your personal criteria grid. If you are looking for a job, determine the type of structure that interests you and what are the values and the corporate culture that motivate you, resemble you, then which ones on the contrary make you uncomfortable.
Ditto for missions, salary and benefits. Take stock of your experience and your strengths, then ask yourself what your limits are and your room for maneuver. What are you ready to take? What will you not give up on? Whatever the object of the negotiation, it is about keeping a non-negotiable list in mind, which you will revise as your career progresses.
Read also: Test: Which job corresponds to me basically?
3. "Information is power"
Great news, your application has been successful! Before the interview, do your research. Use a computer and your stalker skills to learn about the business. Where to start ? The employer site and the essential LinkedIn where you will find official information, the name of the CEO, but also the profiles of current and former employees. Study the path of your interlocutors carefully.
Already in post? Learn about internal processes with your colleagues and identify decision makers. Timing is everything – the annual interview is conducive to negotiating a raise, for example. The more you know, the more confident you will be.
4. Let’s talk about money
It’s up to the recruiter to address the salary issue. A priori, he will not do it at the first interview. Anticipate the subject anyway so as not to be caught off guard. Rely on your non-negotiable list and the reality of the market. What is the remuneration of a developer or a data scientist? You can survey your LinkedIn network and friends who have the same functions as you. There are also online tools such as Levels.fyi and Glassdoor.
Finally, if the company for which you are applying has more than 1000 employees and practices a policy of transparency, like most of 50inTech's partners, it probably relies on the Egapro index and publishes its figures on equality. professional here. By crossing your criteria and these data, you will find the right salary range.
5. Practice!
To fight against stress and concentrate on the issues of your negotiation, there is only one solution: preparation… Physical and psychological. Write the key points of your pitch and rehearse. It's not about memorizing a text, it's about mastering your arguments. You can learn from the storytelling tips of Emily Kager, Mozilla Senior mobile Android engineer and influencer.
By training in front of your roommate, your cat or a mirror, pose your voice, work on your language biases and your posture. Also imagine the questions or objections that you might have, and your answers. If someone can give you a response, that’s even better. Finally, before your date, sleep and eat a real meal!
6. The crucial first twenty seconds
If the first impression is not always the right one, it is in any case decisive. As soon as you enter the scene, your attitude, your posture and the words you will say will have an impact on your audience. Choose an outfit in which you feel good, appropriate to the context and the sector. We would like it to be different, but some jobs are very codified: sales for an HR startup does not necessarily mean sequined leggings.
At the start of the interview, breathe! Sit comfortably and anchor your legs in the ground to gain stability. Don't hide your hands. “In negotiations, emphasize the words that matter and underline them with gestures,” Sudha Kheterpal, ex Spice Girls percussionist and coach, would add. Don't speak too fast and watch the people you are talking to. You can spot the 'good cop' and focus on him. If that's too difficult, fix an imaginary point above his head.
7. Show empathy
All discussion is a form of negotiation. Two people who exchange, they are two individuals with their sensitivity who defend a point of view or interests. In salary negotiations, empathy is the # 1 asset. Many define this quality as the ability to put yourself in the other's shoes. Rather, according to Marwan Mery, professional negotiator and co-founder of DNA Group, it is "to perceive, understand and verbalize the emotions of a third party without actually feeling them".
So you have to stay tuned and watch. You won't become an expert at non-verbal communication overnight, but you can have fun detecting the 21 emotional states by observing your loved ones, and then know when they are tense, bluffing or bored. This sense of analysis will allow you to adapt and assert yourself during the negotiation. Be careful, asserting yourself does not mean crushing. Nonviolent communication is part of the toolkit of a successful interview.
8. Play on the FOMO
When you express a request, you may feel like you are in a weak position. Get out of this vision and reverse the balance of power using FOMO. “Fear Of Missing Out” – “fear of missing something” – is a very common syndrome. Forget the lexical field relating to your needs. Focus on the "you", the "‘ us ", and value what you can bring to your (future) employer and (future) team. This will be your point of support in defending your salary claims. If you meet other companies, compete and create urgency by mentioning deadlines: “I'll get a response from Google in a week. They offer me 5K more than you per year ”.
9. Express your desires
Some recruiters may ask you for the amount of your previous salary. You don't have to answer! Or do it by reigniting the debate: “Why do you need this information?”. While this data can be a benchmark for you, it is not an absolute benchmark. Yep, who says that in your last job you were paid what you paid for?
It is up to you to express your desires – cf. our tip # 4. Stay factual and don't hesitate to hand over the responsibility for pay equity to your interviewer. "What do you think is the most fair?" The counter-question is a figure of speech that pays off.
Silence is your best friend
“55K yearly and flexible hours? It's a lot !" When your interlocutor disputes your proposal, do not justify yourself. Show your best poker face or smile, your choice, and wait without saying anything. Let the other come to you.
“Do we say 53K?” Shhh, you know you won't go below the 55K mark, it's on your non-negotiable list. “Um… Ok, 55K.” Banco! Used at the right time, silence is the best way to get what you want.