HOW TO GET PAID

So you --- like everybody else, think you are not getting paid enough. You put in the hours. You get the job done. You are top of your field. But still the money is not flowing like you had expected. In fact lesser knowledgable, lesser talented, lesser competent contemporaries are doing much better than you in terms of getting paid.

You need to fix this.

Below are three simple tips to set you on your way

1.       What is your value

If you are an employee ask yourself how do you make money for your company, boss, whatever? If you are a sales person that’s easy to point out, but what if you are a front desk officer?

Everybody employed in a company is there to help the company make money. So take a long hard look at what you do, not your job title, but what you do to help the company make money.

The aforementioned front desk officer value to the company would be in making sure that as the first line of interaction with the company’s walk in clients they have a nice, hopefully memorable experience that keep them coming back and cracking open their wallets to buy.

Her value comes from how she helps the company’s objectives.

2.       Who knows your value

Your value is not what you think it is but what the market is willing to pay for it. Be clear about this.

If you know your value you need to bring to the attention of people who recognize, will pay for that value. It does not help if you are the hottest financial analyst or litigator or bridge contractor if the people to recognize that value have no clue about your special skills.

The difference between those who get their full value and those who don’t, is communication. To get your value recognized you need to communicate it.

In this world of social media it is much easier to create awareness about your value than ever before. You can start a blog or vlog or podcast and drive traffic to it through social media instead of clapping back people and generally making a nuisance of yourself.

In a increasingly competitive world employers are on the lookout for that person who will give them the edge – serious employers at least and searching online is a good way to cut recruitment costs.

3.       Everything is negotiable

    

      A negotiation goes one way or another based on three parameters – knowledge, power and time. With a better understanding of how you can be of value to your prospective employer, knowledge you can see how to maneuver around power and time.

      Because they are the employer does not necessarily mean they have the power. You can shift the balance by being very clear about y our qualities and experience and what value you will be bringing to the table. It helps if your particular skills are widely in demand as well.   

      To be out of time could weaken your negotiating position, so the trick is not to be desperate for a quick resolution of the negotiation. Easier said than done.

      One last thing value is not static, it shifts and changes according to circumstance. You could represent value today and not tomorrow. The t rick is to keep increasing your value by keeping an eye on industry trends why continuously learning and growing your experience.

     It can be a whole thesis on how to get better paid but keep these three pointers in mind in trying to get paid.