We don't talk about money!

We don’t talk about money enough. Salary is important to our sense of self-worth and equal pay is still an issue but we don’t talk about it much. We all have a money mindset and your attitude to and relationship with money (probably inherited from your parents - sigh!) is a complicated one. Let’s talk about money…

Know your value

When you’re returning to work after a career break, you need to understand your value in the marketplace once again. We frequently talk to clients about not devaluing themselves. You didn’t lose your skills because you took time out to have a family. That qualification that you worked so hard for? Still valuable. The experience you gained before kids? You still have it. There is no written rule that says you should take a pay cut.

Work out what you need and what you want

Once you’ve had a look around and benchmarked your ideal role, you need to working out the salary you need and the salary you want. They’re different things and both are important. I don’t know why salary calculators are satisfying but they are! Use them to work out both figures and that all important pro rata figure if you want to work part-time. Try this one.

What is the salary anyway?

Finding out salary information shouldn’t be as hard as it is. Undisclosed or ‘competitive’ salary information is really irritating. Fortunately, there is more information out there e.g. Glassdoor and also more access to hirers. They are unlikely to specify a figure but they may specify a range, if pushed.

Negotiating salary at interview

It probably won’t come up until interview 2 or 3 but you shouldn’t enter an interview process without an acceptable range in your head because you don’t want to be caught unprepared. It could literally cost you thousands.

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There we did it! We talked about money a bit and the world didn’t end. What about you? How do you feel about money? Are you confident about salary negotiation?