I have nearly doubled my salary every one and a half years for the past six years. I can tell you first hand that it requires work! However, if your goal is to advance your career, and earn more money, it is absolutely worth sticking to the process.
This was a process that required much more than strategies from me. It required evaluating my limiting beliefs, values, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and aspirations. After I gained clarity on those things, I still came up against my humble upbringings that had me stuck thinking: “I will never be able to earn a six-figure salary.” Today I look back, and it’s hard to believe I once had that thought! Worse, that it actually felt so true.
Before you do anything, get clear with your vision. Before I begin the job-hunting process, or before I call a meeting with my superior regarding my aspirations, I get a piece of paper and write down exactly what I want.
Get into the details, the commute, the team, the kind of boss you want to report to, the salary… And deeply understand your “why.” The “why” will make it so there is fire behind your vision, and actions. Your “why” will make you hold steady, be patient in getting what you want, say no when you need to, and negotiate like a boss when the time comes (hell yes!!).
Here are some prompts:
What’s on the line for you? Literally, what could happen if you don’t get the raise or the promotion?
Why do you need or want a raise?
What would getting this money/position get you?
How will a raise/promotion get you closer to your goals, hopes, dreams, and vision?
Make answering these prompts visceral, feel yourself getting fired up!
My recommendations below will not focus on the basics of this process, like: knowing what your job pays for the area you live in. Instead, the steps below highlight the actions to take before you engage in tactics. You’ll see that it isn’t much different than what you do today if you engage in doing OKRs (objectives and key results) as part of your job function.
I truly believe that engaging in tactics, without the following items, has the potential to leave you feeling unaccomplished and unsatisfied. It can also lead you into a career and a life you never intended to have. (Worse, a promotion and a great salary at a company you hate. Yikes!)
1. Know your worth at a cellular level:
Remember my story about the six-figure salary? Yeah, women often doubt their deservingness. When you doubt your deservingness, what you’re really uncertain about is whether or not you measure up. In life, you always create the results you believe you deserve. If you don’t believe you deserve good things, you won’t let yourself have them. You’ll sabotage, procrastinate, and excuse the good right out of your life if you don’t believe you’re deserving.
2. Yo͞oˈnēk:
How do your strengths, values, life, and job experiences intersect to make you unique? Discovering this will support your ability to speak of what you bring to the table with confidence. Leverage trusted sources to support you in finding your genius. Then, get acquainted with how to unapologetically speak of your gifts.
3. A value or two:
If there’s one thing I highly recommend, is finding your values. You can do so by visiting Brené Brown’s website and doing the exercise on pg. 30 that she has crafted. This will be helpful for when you walk into that office and begin the raise or promotion conversation – it will also be a powerful tool in interviews.
Then, see how your values deeply inform your “why” and your goals. It’s imperative you tie your personal values to your goals and aspirations.
Here’s how I have done mine. You can use it as a reference:
What fuels my life is supporting future generations and self-actualization. My ultimate goal is to leave my family set up financially, and have a foundation dedicated to providing scholarships for underprivileged individuals – I was once one. Also, I want to die knowing that I did all I could to satisfy my curiosity through learning.
If you’re curious how my values have informed my career choices, find me on LinkedIn. I have also used that paragraph in job interviews, asking for a raise… You name it! I use it as an opening to let people know I mean business. I am the boss of my life, and I have the reins over that puppy.
4. You’re not an ingrate:
But, “they treat me well,” “I can work from home,” “they’re flexible with my schedule… “ Awesome, you should still be paid what you’re worth, you’re still deserving of a promotion based on the value you’re providing to the organization.
Here’s a story… I spoke with my boss about a ten thousand dollar raise six months into my position, and just months after they had changed the lighting on the floor in order to accommodate my migraines. I knew I deserved it based on the value I was bringing to the company – so I asked for it!
5. Allies help win battles:
I can’t tell you how much this has worked out for me in all my raises and promotions, and my career overall. I have focused on building genuine, trusting relationships with people inside and outside my organization, and I highly recommend you do too.
To put it into perspective, I had a colleague pull me in and tell me he thought he made more than me and that it shouldn’t be so. I asked a former boss, on her way out of the org, how much she made a year, she told me the exact amount. I’ve been hired by former supervisors at different orgs. The stories go on… Don’t underestimate the power of relationships!
6. Time to move on:
It’s important to be observant and recognize when it’s time to move on. Early in my career I worked for an organization that generally paid below-market salaries, and also had mostly men in leadership positions. I remember sitting in my cubicle thinking, “at this place, I will never have a corner office.” At times, getting better salary or a promotion will require a move. Do it!
After you follow these steps, I’d like you to also remember that more money or a better position isn’t everything. Be in-tune with your body, mind, and spirit so you can land working in places where you can thrive in all areas of life – not just finances.
By Laura Montoya | Senior Product Manager of Next Gen Platform, Western Governors University