Taking Charge: Women just don't ask!

Published: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 http://mainlinemedianews.com

By Eileen Connolly-Robbin

You don’t always get what you deserve… you get what you negotiate. Promotions rarely happen just because you’re there and you’re good. You need to tell people how good you are and this is something a lot of women struggle with. Did you know that 56 percent of women say they have never asked for a pay increase and even worse, that only 28 percent of women say they have ever asked for a promotion?

I heard this quote recently that is so fitting: “A man will take a list of 10 skills required for a job and think he is qualified if he can do one. A woman will take the same list and find herself completely inadequate if she can only do nine.” Too often we are our own worst enemies, continuously undermining our value in comparison to other people.

Have you ever thought about the impact that even a small pay boost could make? Mika Brzezinski in her new book, “Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What You’re Worth,” talks about how you and your family’s future depends on you knowing what you should be paid and getting it.

Here are some tips on how to prepare and ask for the promotion or raise that you know your work has merited.

1) Be prepared. Know how the work that you do benefits the organization on many levels especially the work of your boss. Maybe there are things you do that your boss does not even realize.

2) Discuss the future. Tell your boss what you hope to achieve in the following year.

3) Have a plan B. What will you do if your boss says no?

4) Always be willing to look for alternative positions.

5) Don’t use these phrases when asking: “I know you’re busy”; “I don’t know if this is possible”; “I’m sorry if this is bad timing.”

6) Finally, just ask for it. This is probably one of the most underestimated parts of the process. Know what you want and ask for it
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