Before launching their blog and business in 2017, Julien and Kiersten Saunders worked in marketing for a hospitality company. The Atlanta-based couple, who met at work in 2012, recently left their jobs (Julien in June 2018 and Kiersten in April 2020) to focus>Sharpen your skillset
The more value you can add to the company, the easier it will be to ask for a raise. "Trying to stay ahead of the curve was always my magic trick," Julien tells CNBC Make It. "Whenever there were data analysis tools or marketing tools that I felt that I could learn that other people>Build a network outside of your department
Don't just form relationships with people you see and work with every day, says Julien: "I was always making sure I had a network outside of my immediate department." By talking to people other than his team, he gained a broader understanding of what was going>Interview at other companies to know your worth
Kiersten spent time interviewing for other roles both internally and externally "to prove to myself that I could still get them," she says. Plus, "having other job offers and options was valuable leverage in salary negotiations."
This can be a time-consuming and emotionally taxing strategy though. "At first, it felt like a betrayal because nothing was wrong," she says. "We're conditioned to feel indebted to our org charts and to>Ask for what you deserve
At the end of the day, if you want to increase your salary, you can't wait for someone to offer a raise, no matter how hard you're working. You have to be prepared to ask and back it up.
"One of the best pieces of advice I got is to never assume that your work speaks for itself," says Julien. "I would always make the assumption that surely they would see the work that I'm doing. In reality, leaders are just as busy, if not more busy, than you are. They're making hundreds of decisions, they receive five to 10 times more emails than you do.
"You have to get really creative at making sure that your contributions stand out."
Never assume that your work speaks for itself. I would always make the assumption that surely they would see the work that I'm doing. In reality, leaders are just as busy, if not more busy, than you are.Julien Saundersco-creator of Rich & Regular
Be strategic about who you ask, Kiersten adds. "I would attribute my success to not just asking, but asking the right allies. It was clear to me who was willing to help me in a real and meaningful way," she says.
This is especially important for Black employees, who have to contend with racial bias when negotiating their salaries. If she didn't ask the right people within her company for a raise or promotion, "I would not have had as much success with just asking by myself," Kiersten says. "There's a social risk that comes with Black women who ask without a backend support system — and so it wasn't just me asking, it was a system of women who were advocating on my behalf."
There are a few ways to recognize a potential ally in the workplace, Kiersten says. Start by looking at their track record: "If they lead teams, you can look at how often their direct reports have been promoted. I also looked for the 'natural' or 'selfless' helpers, people who volunteered to lead social committees or hung around after a big meeting to help clean up."
Before heading into any salary negotiation, keep in mind that "your salary is not an indication of what you're worth or what your time is worth," emphasizes Kiersten. "That's just what that company decided for that job. … Open your mind to the possibility that your time and contribution is worth way more than whatever you're making at your job."
