Dear Job Hunter,
There are a few reasons why you might not be making the kind of money you want to make:
1. Your job skills don’t warrant higher fees
2. You have not done a good job of quantifying your results with your company
3. You lack good negotiation skills or confidence
Let’s address these three.
1. Market Value
The first thing you must ask yourself is this: “What is the going rate for the work I provide?” No company is going to pay you more than you’re worth; you are only worth what the market dictates.
Did you pick a career trajectory that will pay you the amount of money you want? If you didn’t, then that is your problem and you need to choose another career.
But let’s assume for a moment that you did pick a career that pays the type of salary you desire. If you want to make more money, here are the ways you can do so:
A. Find a company that can afford to pay more for the work you provide. For example, some companies can afford to pay $60K a year for a marketing director, while others can afford to pay $90K a year for the same position.
Take the time to research the company you work with (or the companies you are targeting in your job search) and see if they are successful enough to afford quality employees who are at the top of their field.
B. Ask for a raise from the company you are currently working with. However, before asking for a raise you must have proven that you are an invaluable asset. This means that the company must have some fear that you’ll leave their company to work for a competitor. If they do not fear this, then they will not give you a raise.
2. Quality Work & Confidence
However, before demanding a position that pays a high salary, you need to ask yourself these two questions:
A. Are you really good at what you do? Are you the best at what you do? You need to be honest with yourself; generally speaking, most people who have this problem have not made the commitment to being the best at what they do.
B. Do you project confidence, and do you believe you are worthy of the money you are seeking? Your salary starts with what I call your “internal game.”
What do I mean?
It means that you know your value, have a strong sense of self worth, and feel confident about who you are and what you do. If you do not feel confident about yourself and the work you deliver, your manager or boss will sense this and will not be inclined to want to give you a raise.
So before you ask for a raise, make sure you are honest with yourself about your own internal game.
3. Quantify Results
The other reason you may not be making the type of money you want is because you have not established a relationship with your boss where you quantify your results. Meaning, it should be clear that if you deliver X results, you get paid a certain amount. But if you deliver Y results, you would be paid something else.
So you need to get on the same page with your boss about what their expectations are (results delivered) and what your expectations are (compensation).