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According to the World Economic Forum, it will take 131 years to close the gender pay gap with the current rates. The is the difference between the earnings of men and women.

Students filed into the conference room in the Williamson House on Friday, March 15, to learn how to negotiate pay and combat the gender wage gap. Kristin Williams, director of Career Services at the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship and a certified instructor through the American Association of University Women, led the workshop and discussion.  

The 5X����'s Women’s Center invited Williams to lead an American Association of University Women Start Smart Salary Negotiation workshop. This is one of the many ways that Kent State cultivates a personalized and holistic focus on each student’s success.  

Williams began the workshop with an open dialogue about why students were at the workshop.  

Students shared that they wanted to gain confidence when negotiating and learn how to negotiate their pay. Some students shared success stories of past negotiations because of the workshop and are returning because they wanted to learn more.  

The Women’s Center hosted this workshop to bring light to the issues women face in the workplace with a focus on pay and benefits.  

“This is Women's History Month,” said Sonia Karkare, program coordinator for the Women’s Center and two-time Kent State alumna, who earned her bachelor's degree in 1993 and her master's in 1996, both in computer science. “It's actually imperative that we take full advantage of this month because we have a 62% or more majority population of female/female-identifying students, faculty and staff on campus, which means all three audiences need to learn about these skills.”

After the discussion, Williams went into the presentation and shared how students can negotiate smartly when accepting a job.  

Here are three steps to take when wanting to start negotiating your salary.  

1. Know Your Worth

“It is important that you’re conveying your value,” Williams said.  

The best way to start conveying your value to employers is through your resumé. Williams highlighted how it’s important for students not to diminish the value of the work they have done in school. To help students see their worth, Williams suggested journaling about what you have done when at a job to remember what you contributed during your time in that role.  

Williams suggested articulating your value on a resumé by listing the accomplishment, then the skill, and then the result. So, it would look something like this:  

I accomplished ___ by using my _____ which benefited our company by ____.

Some other tips Williams shared to be your best advocated are:  

• Document your accomplishments  
• Think beyond the task  
• Quantify your work  
• Remember that everything counts

2. Know Your Target Salary and Benefits  

Before going into a salary negotiation, it’s important to research what a target salary would be for similar jobs.  

To do this, Williams suggested students look at Glassdoor.com and find similar job descriptions to the job they want. Once an average salary is found for the position, it should be the anchor of the salary range given to an employer. Generally, a range of $10,000 is acceptable.  

Once a target salary has been made, a “walkaway point” also must be decided. A walkaway point is the lowest salary you are willing to accept and is a tool to prevent you from accepting a salary you may regret later. It’s important to remember a walkaway point does not have to be based on a dollar amount. It can also include external factors like having to pay for parking at your job or the benefits that come with the job.  

3. Be Patient and Curious  

As Willams wrapped up the workshop she shared that one of the most important things when going into a negotiation is to ask questions.  

“The No. 1 strategy is curiosity,” Williams said.  

She suggested that a salary negotiation could start with a simple question of asking what promotion opportunities exist to get higher pay in the future at this company.

Williams also reminded participants that they are allowed to – and should – wait before immediately accepting a job offer.  

“You’re allowed to say ‘Thank you so much for this information. I'm so excited for your offer. I'd love to take a look at everything in writing’ when receiving a job offer,” Williams said. 

As the workshop wrapped up, students left feeling more confident and prepared to advocate for themselves when it comes to negotiating their salary and benefits at a job.  

“So it's broad, but not everyone walked in the door with the same list of needs. I hope we hit those needs, and that they have that confidence,” Williams said. “But I think the most important thing is that students know that the conversation isn't over. This wasn't a workshop where you learn everything, and you're done. It's continual. That's what I hope they took away."

Learn more about the Women’s Center.