Do women really negotiate worse?: With these tips you will succeed with more pay

Experts disagree. “Women often have no fun or no experience with salary negotiations and like to assume that the offer is fair, transparent and the same for everyone,” says Yvonne Baumgartner (56), of the recruitment agency Cielo. In your experience, women negotiate worse than men.

Women today are confident

Mattias Mölleney (63), former HR manager at Swissair and management consultant, sees it differently. “Women used to negotiate really worse. But the difference became smaller and smaller, today women are just as confident as male applicants».

The experts agree on the tips. The most important thing – regardless of gender – is to know your own market value. This is the only way to negotiate properly and successfully! “To achieve this, women need to talk more about wages and put on a poker face during negotiations,” says Baumgartner.

Tips for successful salary negotiations

Here’s what you can do to improve your chances in wage negotiations – not just if you’re a woman:

The correct time: In many companies, the budget is created in the third quarter of the year. Now is the right time to strike up a conversation with the boss.

The right preparation: What makes you valuable to the company? Write down facts and figures to justify your request – successfully completed projects, assumed tasks, further training. Let the boss know in advance that you want to talk about the salary. This way you can also prepare.

Realistic Rating: Successful salary negotiations involve knowledge of the market. What is appropriate for an employee of your age in your role, experience and region? You can get help with free payroll calculators:

• lohncheck.ch
• lohnrechner.ch
• Federal payroll calculator

Let the other side begin: Let the boss make the first suggestion – including in the application process. If this is not possible, list your arguments again as to why you deserve more wages and only then state the specific demand. If the manager makes a suggestion, think about it for a moment and calmly make a higher counter-suggestion. Here too, you first list your own qualities and then name the sum.

Bonuses and Co.: If nothing can be done about the annual salary, try negotiating other salary components: bonuses, one-off payment, public transport or cell phone subscription, cost-sharing for further training.

Keep going: If it doesn’t work the first time, keep going! Ask your boss what goals you need to accomplish to get a raise next year. And then try again.