I once jumped into a job, and within 4 days, I jumped out! What happened? I was overly excited at the sound of a new job after spending 8 months at home doing nothing. You can imagine that situation, right? Salary negotiation didn't cross my mind in any way. At that point, I didn't think it mattered; what mattered for me was simply to be leaving my home every morning as a working-class lady and returning home in the evening. I accepted the salary written in the appointment letter , signed, and submitted it immediately. The next day, I hit the road, off to work!
Reality came knocking after I settled down a bit to really understand what I got myself into. At this point, the excitement was dropping, and I could see with my clear eyes. I could consider the hours I am spending daily working for the company; I could think about my transportation fare , my feeding , my working experience, and the value I stand to give to the company and other factors associated with my job. Wow, transportation alone per month is already half of my salary. How come I didn't realize this on time before saying I do? Lol. Then, I had to resume the job by 8am and close by 6pm. For me to get to the office by 8am, I must leave my house by 5:30am at the latest due to Lagos traffic; coming home might be around 9pm or 10pm.
You see, all my days were choked; I couldn't even do any side hustle due to the time factor. Then, if I should be buying lunch daily, what is left for me at month-end will be an ordinary $20. I didn't need a prophet to tell me to quit the next minute after this evaluation. However, the evaluation was supposed to have come before accepting the offer.
Salary negotiation is very important in any job. Desperation and joblessness are enough to cloud our sense of reasoning, but it's vital that we put some factors, like the few I mentioned above, into consideration before officially resuming any position. Imagine that you also need to relocate because of the job. Then the job should be good enough to pay for the rent and other important bills that will be rotating around the job. The greatest mistake a lot of people have made in the past has been managing salary and remaining financially stagnant even when they have the skills to stand on their own and grow better. Some persons, through their skills, have made their boss richer because they add lots of value to the company, yet they are being underpaid due to a lack of salary negotiation.
If you know your worth, then you don't need to be scared of confidently negotiating with the job owner what you feel is good enough for you as a salary. When there's a need to adjust, you can also do so, ensuring that the offer is also good enough for the value you will add to the company. This is why it is important to always add value to yourself and to your career; position yourself better for a better offer.
I think why some people don't have the confidence to negotiate salary is because they know that they have little to offer to the establishment. So why not prepare yourself for a better opportunity, and confidently consider important factors and talk about your worth for better financial stability?
Having said that, it is also important to find out if the job is subject to an increment, which is fine and could give you a clue about your decision-making. A job that could grant you a decent growth in the process is also worth considering while negotiating salary.
Images were taken from canva