Want to get paid like a man? You might have to learn to negotiate like one.

“Women are getting savvier when it comes to negotiating with their bosses for higher pay,” said Felice McEuen, who has worked in hiring placement for 25 years and is co-president of Avanti Staffing, Inc. (www.avanti-staffing.com) in Chicago.

“The biggest problem is that often women don’t realize their self-worth or their worth as an employee. And if they do, they don’t have a strategy in place as to how to present information about their accomplishments to their boss,” McEuen said.

McEuen suggested that negotiating for a raise is not the time to be humble or worry about being egotistical. But you should do your homework and set some goals.

“Think about what you have done to make your boss’ life easier over the past year that exceeds what was expected of you in that position,” McEuen noted.

Employers are less willing to arbitrarily give someone more money for what is within their duties. “This simply says that you did your job. Great, but you’re not really an asset, because everyone (expects you) to be doing your job,” she added, noting that approaching your boss with a sense of entitlement is a real turn off.

Women should update their resumes every year and make sure their Human Resources department has a copy of it in their personnel file, suggests Carol Kem, a job placement expert for Life Horizons (www.lifehorizons.com), an employment consulting firm in Atlanta, Ga.

“The one thing that I suggest to my clients and women in particular, is that they need to see what their value is within the company and have the ability to address their value to their bosses,” she offered.

“You would be surprised how many people overlook an updated resume as an important marketing tool when it comes to negotiating a raise. When it comes to (self) promotion, it is the best tool you have,” added Kem.

Kem says if you’re looking to boost your pay, you need to let your boss know. Start to lobby for yourself within the organization you work for.

“I’m not suggesting bragging about how much of great employee you are to everyone who will listen, but there are less blatant ways to show your boss your worth,” she explained.

It also helps to understand how salaries are doled out at your company.

“Larger companies are always interested in top performers, and gender should never be a factor. That means employees need to understand the standards of the job. They want to be performing at the high-end of the standards that are relative to their peers,” stressed Tom Hanley a Senior Executive Vice President of Ecolab (www.Ecolab.com), a Fortune 500 company based in St. Paul, Minn.

“My suggestion is to take personal initiative and make yourself indispensable. It sounds cliche but those are the first people who get a raise, men or women,” stressed Hanley.

Hanley also stated that when seeking a raise or a promotion, employees should make a fact-based list about what they contributed to the company and list concrete examples of the outcomes.

“Present this list to your supervisor, when appropriate,” said Hanley. “A lot of people think that this is too forward, but honestly it gives your boss something to consider rather than relying on evaluation time and third-party information to decide who should get a raise.”

“Bosses are always busy, and there is a possibility that they don’t have the information right there in front of them to consider you for a raise. In this sense, you are just being accommodating,” he suggested.

But whatever you do, don’t threaten to quit if you don’t get what you want.

“This is the worst way to relate to any company,” Hanley said.

While it may not seem like it, companies are interested in loyalty. Even talking about quitting is never a good way to create a relationship with your company.

“In my experience, if an employee uses this strategy to get what they want it is less likely they will ever be considered for a raise,” he added.

Finally, whatever raise you get, remember to say “thank you” to your employer — even if you didn’t get as much as you want.

For more information:
5 Things You Should Do If You Want To Get a Raise
5 Things You Should NEVER Do If You Want a Raise