Today I want to share a personal story and to share some advice with all of you.
I would also appreciate any feedback or personal experience you would like to let me know.
I always felt that I did not need money, I only needed to have enough to eat and pay my bills. I never wanted to ask for more than what my employer would be willing to give me.
I never negotiated my salary. I never learned to do it. I was always happy to accept what I was offered, and as a matter of fact, as a Gen Z, I always wanted to do more, work later, make the most of what I was supposed to do. This led me to learn many more than what I should, perhaps not everything perfect - but I learnt to solve problems - above all. And that is something that has helped a lot, saved me loads of time : )
But why am I saying all this?
As I grow up and become wiser (older), I am beginning to realise that if I was thinking in a different way back then, I would have saved some money and would be wise enough to know my worth and to fight for it.
In one of my jobs, I was told this..
You will receive xxx amount of money, you will not be doing this xxx, and at the end of the year you will receive a bonus.
Do you see any red flags?
What would you do if someone told you this?
Here is what I would ask if someone told me that right now.
How much should I receive according to law? Is this amount bigger or smaller? DO NOT ACCEPT TO BE PAID ANYTHING LESS THAN WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO.
You say I will not do that, so can we have a written job description of what I am supposed to be doing?
What is this bonus? How much is it and in which scenarios should I receive one? How is it measured?
I dont know if you can think of something else to ask here, but I want to tell you that I did not ask for anything.
Maybe I was supposed to be grateful, maybe I was. I dont know.
Anyway, I really wanted to post about this, maybe someone will read this and will start feeling more confident about what they do, and do not fall like a fool like me.
Maybe a good skill for someone to learn is 'negotiation' ? What are your thoughts?
How do we teach ourselves and our close friends not to be taken advantage of and to know their worth?
I would love to know your thoughts on the above and if you receive bonus at work, how it is calculated? :)