Four years ago, Yanira Guzmán had just received a work promotion when she found out her division was dissolving. Guzmán made a lateral move within the company and was at the final stage of the interview process. The manager asked her if she had any questions. Guzmán says she didn’t negotiate compensation with her previous employer because she had just been promoted.
“It was knowledge I didn’t have,” says the first-generation Latina and founder of The Career Gem, a full-service career coaching business. “When you move from department to department, you still can negotiate, even within the same company. I didn’t – and that compounds everything. If you’re staying with your company, the yearly increases are very low in comparison. If you go from one company to the next, you can make significant salary increases. That was a loss on my part.”
Research indicates underrepresented groups are less likely to negotiate their salaries because of biases and discrimination. Women negotiate compensation less often than their male counterparts because of the societal perception they should be less assertive than men.
