Twitter User Explains Why Women Are Bad At Negotiating Salaries, List Solutions Too!
An informative piece!
There are questions that we as women need to ask ourselves, just to understand the problem from its core. Twitter can be a really good place for such insightful conversations or even information. In a very interesting thread, a user raised the question of why women are bad at negotiating their salaries. In this thread, the user properly explained the reason and also gave helpful tips on basis of her own experiences as a working woman. From addressing this question in depth to giving solutions for each one of them, this Twitter thread is quite an important one for all the women out there!
Why are women so bad at negotiating salaries?
Even privileged women aren't able to get a good enough deal for themselves because sticking up for yourself is scary AF.My first jobs were college placements, but thereafter I did struggle, so sharing lessons.
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
A Twitter user by the name of Ayushi Mosa posted a long thread on the platform about why women are bad at negotiating their salaries. Starting by addressing the core problems on this question, she listed down 6 points. It included points like being afraid of rejection, having no clue how to do it and lacking self-awareness among others.
Understand why you're bad at negotiation. Are you:
1. Afraid of rejection & feeling low value
2. Think you'll come across as unreasonable
3. You are all about work & money talk stresses you
4. Conditioned to be pessimistic
5. Lacking self-awareness
6. Unaware how to really do it— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Then the Twitter user went on to address, explain and give solutions to each of these above-mentioned reasons for the question. For problems like being afraid of rejections and thinking that they might sound unreasonable, the user reminded women that the need to maintain self-respect as per society’s standards may result in obstructing their self-worth.
If your reasons are 1-2, remember that society may appreciate women who toe the line & are agreeable but your self-respect hinges on your own net worth not some HR's mandate or the perception that anyone else feels.
Remember this is a transaction so both parties have needs!
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
For issues like being too pessimistic or professional to disregard money talks, the user suggested that one should question themselves on why they are forgetting their worth.
If your reasons are 3-4, you have to first understand why is it that you can be a good professional but not stand up for what's your worth (after all your colleagues are making more, aren't they?)
What is the real reason behind your excuse?
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
For problems like lacking self-awareness or not knowing how to negotiate salaries, the Twitter user listed down a list of suggestions. The user further went on to explain the process of gaining awareness about oneself, about the offers and pays of the job that one is doing. The user also wrote at length about how the whole process of salary negotiation works on the part of the employers.
If you are in the 5-6 category, you are in the right place!
There are three things you need:
1. 100% Self-awareness
2. Reasonable awareness of the offer
3. Utter shamelessness – you do this once in 3 years, HRs do this 5 times a day – stop doing a self-goal due to anxiety— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Step 1: Awareness
Don't use arbitrary constructs like years of experience. That's for companies to make their job easier. Judge your worth by the level at which you operate & then corroborate with at least:
– Comp benchmark data from HR friends
– Online portals
– Acquaintances— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Step 2: Offer awareness
Different industries at different stages pay differently for different roles & levels to candidates.
Eg: FMCG giants pay good starting salaries, but progression isn't great, Tech may mean a lot of variable pay that you later feel shortchanged about.
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Step 2: Offer awareness
Non-monetary factors to consider:
– Increased/reduced work pace
– Diversification of skills/responsibility
– Cost of commute/opportunity cost of taking role
– Increased/reduced scope of work
– Level within org
– (Potential) stability of source of income— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Step 2: Offer awareness
What's in it for the company?
– Easier to negotiate with an early-stage startup than an established one
– Is your role high-visibility/ cog in the wheel (all orgs have both)
– Why did this role open up?
– Can you get a true idea of the budget from a peer?— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
In this Thread, the Twitter user also asked women to build courage and confidence when it comes to negotiating salaries. She also went on to explain how the corporate game works, and what are the expectations and tactics on the employer’s part.
Step 3: The courage to ask
This is the step that most negotiation tactic blogs focus on. But, trust me if you don't know step 1 & 2 above, then this doesn't really matter.
Most negotiation is people pretending with the org always winning thanks to information asymmetry.
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
If you are afraid to negotiate, remember that the other side knows that the game is afoot and fully expects you to play along.
They are not going to penalize you for asking for 80% of their budget when their initial offer to you was 40%.— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Don't negotiate with a number in mind – I earn 20K today so I want to ask for 50K (what if their budget is 90,000!) or worse 30% is what industry offers as 'standard hike' so you parrot HR-speak and ask for 30% to match them in the first place because you think that's the way!
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Your negotiation doesn't start at offer stage – it starts at screening stage. You think seasoned hiring managers are wasting man hours on out of budget candidates? Think again.
If they're interviewing you, they (almost always) have a reasonable budget for you.
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
There are unseen levers that can help you (senior management getting press coverage is one/ junior team in a niche industry holding competitor offer).
Having said that – no lever matters if you don't have a skillset and role match so that should be your focus.
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
So how do you do that? Where possible, mine for intelligence during interviews.
Scope, role, growth, priority patterns.
If this is low/mid then that will be the quality of negotiation conversations.— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
In the Twitter thread, the user also explained the difference that lies in salary negotiation between MNCs and startups for a deeper insight. She also backed it with her personal experiences.
At MNCs/huge companies there's little say because barring a v.v.senior exec batting for you, you can't beat the process. Then you should optimize what you can.
How soon the next cycle comes, will current company counter offer, perks, benefits(or whatever you need).
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Anyone with even 1-2 years of work ex will tell you is that compensation structures in India is confusing and misleading with multiple allowances, perquisites, performance appraisals (pegged to cultural & work performance!), tax loopholes, random variables, claw back clauses
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Startups don't work like orgs and orgs don't work like startups. Some jumps are easier (eg: AVP to VP from Yes Bank to ICICI), some aren't(AVP, Yes Bank to BD head at FinTech Startup).
Understand runway, plan for your role & value for equity if you intend to make a drastic jump
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
At one job I took they gave me a substantial jump over my predecessor who was senior to me, simply because they realized the skillset gap.
So avoid basing your compensation on who came before you. This is an easy number but in knowledge economy jobs, it's misleading!
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
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The user then reminded the women that they are worthy of being paid at par with their male counterparts, and should never settle for less or rush negotiations. The Twitter user also recommended women strongly justify their demands with proper-backed-up reasons!
Do not break down individual compensation too soon in your journey.
Do not feel overwhelmed to take up a role because the pay is good (what are the hidden costs that you don't know about?).
Do not be underwhelmed if you aren't making what everyone is making what they are.— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
If you are a woman and wanted an opinion on how to dress better, you'd get a lot of tips.
If you want an opinion on how you can get better return on your efforts, you'll find genuine mentors and non-cookie clutter advice hard to come by.
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Women's salaries are not supplementary income to husband's or parents' wealth.
They need to be paid on par (especially by new age companies who claim to have many women employees but actually hire because women were cheaper resources that may cause lesser trouble).
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
Don't rush to negotiate. Breathe when you see the 1st offer.
Don't whatsapp or email. Talk.
HR on the other side is a human doing their job.
Don't base your fair price on 40% of your past pay.
For heaven's sake, say NO instead of saying someone died & you can't take it up.— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
And lastly, remember compensation is an exact science in most organizations with financial projections, multi-stakeholder conversations, benchmarking and awareness of market realities.
So have data-backed reasons. "I want X more" is no reason for actually getting X more.
— Ayushi Mona (@TheMonaFactor) April 5, 2023
This Twitter thread is surely very informative, especially because of the nuanced way in which it has been written. We cannot deny the fact that pay parity is still a raging issue for women, but now we also need to prepare ourselves if we lack the skill of negotiating salaries. And this piece of information is definitely worth understanding.
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