As a student, you’ve probably explored the world of business and jobs alongside your college or university program. You even might’ve worked in the past, but those jobs perhaps didn’t pay you well. Students just like you decide to take almost any pay, even if they’re not satisfied. Why is that?
For some, they’re almost blinded by their excitement for their first and official position. On the other hand, some are too scared to ask for a raise because they feel they don’t deserve more than what they’re currently given. If you subscribe to the latter, we hope this article finds you well!
The following lessons may inspire those who haven’t begun their career journey because they don’t want to work for peanuts – and those who believe raises for students are an impossible concept. Even those that don’t have the time alongside college can start job hunting – you can use these services for reliable paper writing help to save both money and time, so you’ll be free to reach out, get interviewed, and start working for big bucks!
Without any further delay, let’s get into how to negotiate your salary as a student. The process of negotiation is made up of five successive phases:
- Research
- Preparation
- Action
- Offer
- Result
Let’s explore each one of those in much greater detail!
Research
As with any other business talk or action, adequate research is more than a must. It’s your greatest strength to show up prepared and know exactly what you’re talking about and what it is that you want.
The Research part of this process will probably be the most challenging and take up a lot of time. Here are some guidelines you can follow to make this stage more accessible and more fun to go through.
Paycheck Research
Try to find out the average paycheck in the organization you’re working for. It’d be best to know the amount your specific position worker gets and what it depends on. You can do this by researching the company online, including their job posts and social media; or, you could get to know other employees and casually mention it while chatting.
The info you’ll get is here to be a reference point, not necessarily a direct accusation for your employer. Take this information with care, and make sure to cross-reference from multiple sources just to be as correct as possible.
Experience Level
Another big one. Determining how one’s experience affects their position and paycheck is an excellent tool in the negotiation process, especially if you’ve been working for the same firm for some time.
If you find out that other employees get raises and other unique benefits for being long-term employees, make sure to fact-check it and be ready to include it in your negotiation presentation.
Skills & Demands
This one is also very useful in preparing for your raise and salary talk. Try to find out how your skills affect the company and how important for their progress they truly are. Unique and special skills are definitely not to be underestimated in the workplace!
Preparation
Now that you’ve researched thoroughly, get ready for the real thing. The whole premise of preparation is turning the knowledge you’ve gained through research into meaningful points your employer will understand.
This part of the process uses interpersonal skills, persuasiveness, and assertiveness, so make sure you brush up on these before attempting!
Scenarios
Sometimes imagining fake scenarios in our minds is a bad thing, but this is not one of those. Feel free to imagine as many as you’d like, even. Answer different questions that may come up, anticipate solutions, answers, and similar situations.
But try not to get carried away with it, too; as the more you go, the more unlikely the scenarios will become.
Strategy
Think and carefully plan what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. This could, for example, be a specific question or a statement you’d like to ask your employer. Some don’t work well initially, and some, like confrontational ones, don’t work at all.
Practice calm responses, and keep the end goal of your mutual interaction agreement.
Action
Now comes the central part! As you slowly prepare your conversation with calm assertiveness and some easy facts you’ve researched thoroughly, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. Here are some additional advice for doing so:
- Try not to wait too long, as your employer might think you’re jumping around the bush.
- This is the part where your confidence must be at its peak – use phrases that sound confident and well-thought about.
- Use non-verbal communication – don’t avoid eye contact, sit upright, and have that confident look. You know the one.
After your request, carefully observe your employer’s reactions, and wait for their response.
Offer
After your manager carefully thinks about your salary and a possible raise, they’ll for sure make what they really mean abundantly clear to you. Now comes their offer. Make sure to give them time to think and carefully listen to what they have to say.
Some managers will try to change the topic or turn in a different direction, and if that happens, carefully remind them why you came to see them in the first place. And remember, you’re almost done with this feat – you can relax a little bit. Your part is mainly done!
Result
Another central point, the one you’ve been anticipating. There are usually three main responses when it comes to salary negotiations, and those are:
- A complete yes! This is the one you’ve been hoping for, and you can finally breathe out and be at peace! Feel free to thank your manager, shake hands, and continue doing what you love now for better pay.
- A devastating no. This situation is quite sticky, as you can feel stuck about what to do next. Don’t react aggressively, and don’t try to talk them into it. Instead, try out the advice from the third situation.
- Yes… but not now. Your employer could be open to negotiating your salary, but they need a bit more time to think about it. That’s great, too. Just make sure that in the meantime, you’re an exceptional and deserving worker.
Take-Away
We all know expressing what we feel we deserve can be stressful, especially in financial terms. But carefully practicing, researching, and preparing to do so can be a great way to combat the fear you’re feeling.
So, what to take away? You deserve that others appreciate your efforts, skills, and expertise in your field. Roll up your sleeves, practice assertiveness – and confidently walk into your employer’s office!