#148 June 27th, 2024
Blake Carroll, CPA
PwC People Team - Manager | Helping Aspiring CPAs Navigate the CPA Exam with Confidence
This article gives advice to people who know they should be making more but are struggling with the idea of negotiating their salary.?
When going into negotiations you first need to have the core and foundational belief that you are deserving of getting paid what you are worth. You bring unique skills and experience to the table, and you should get Compensated as such. If you don’t believe you are worthy of more, you will never get more. It will come through in the upcoming conversations if you don’t really believe what you’re saying, which means you could undermine yourself.
You need to go into salary negotiations knowing your numbers and what comparable people are making. You need to have a general script that you’re going to say, but don’t be so rigid that it stresses you to move away from the script.?
Don’t be afraid if there is silence in the conversation; you don’t have to fill all of the space. Don’t always accept the very first offer. Your boss probably has at least some wiggle room on the resources they have available to pay people. You owe it to yourself and to the people you take care of to make what you deserve. A slightly higher raise here and there can really add up to a ton over the course of your career.
Self-doubt and self sabotage can hold people back more than almost any other force in the world. We are afraid of trying something new in an effort to protect ourselves from potentially failing. We each have an inner voice that can be so incredibly critical and make us think we have no shot of creating the change that we want to see in our lives. But the great news is you do not have to listen to that critic. It is just a voice that we all have, it is not who we are. When the inner critic pops up telling you that you aren’t good enough you will have to make a conscious effort to turn toward the positives of how you are good enough. You can make the choice to refute everything your inner critic says with evidence to the contrary.
Nothing can put us on the defensive quite like getting criticism or feedback from someone, especially if it is unsolicited or harsh. We may view the feedback as a threat to our ego or our social standing, which can flood us with cortisol given how much humans are social creatures. This article has advice on what to do when that happens.?
It may seem obvious but you do not have to accept or listen to all the feedback that you get. It’s just that person‘s opinion. Depending on who that person is, their opinion may not be worth listening to at all, especially if it is some random Internet troll. We can choose to not give any weight to another person's words.?
Feedback also offers a great chance for self reflection. If we have been incredibly triggered by the other person's words, maybe there actually is some truth to them, and that is why I triggered it so much. If there is truth in the feedback then it is a gift because it is a chance for you to grow and learn from it.?
If after some time you can’t get the feedback out of your head then it could be worth it to look for concrete evidence of why their feedback is not true, to reassure yourself. Seeing why it is objectively false could help you move past it. Remind yourself at the end of the day it’s your choice on what you want to do with this feedback and if you want to change your behaviors and actions because of it. Don’t let someone else take your power!
领英推荐
When a team is built the right way and functioning effectively, the team can accomplish so much more than what the individual members will be able to do on their own.?
Working on a team allows people to focus on their strengths and not have to spend as much time on the tasks that are tough for them because you probably have complementary interests and skill sets between the members. Team members can motivate each other by supporting each other, helping each other out when you’re struggling, and bringing out the best in each other because you want to be a contributing member and not let your teammates down.?
Teams also lead to more creative solutions to problems because any one person’s perspective is limited to their experience, but bringing in lots of perspectives and opinions opens up all kinds of possibilities that one person would not be able to think of on their own. If we’re just working on our own we might be limited in what we can learn, but every person we interact with has something new to teach us. As we progress through life and our careers, and hopefully into leadership positions, it is crucial to be able to work with others in a team environment.?
CPA tip of the week: Do you know what they call a professional who got a 99 on all four CPA exams? A CPA.
Do you know what they call a professional who got a 75 on all four CPA exams? A CPA.
Don’t put a ton of pressure on yourself to be perfect and know all of the material.
Progress over perfection. It’s okay if some areas are a struggle and more difficult.
That doesn’t have to stop you, intimidate you, or make you think that you cannot pass.
***Disclaimer - yes, the Elijah Watts awards is an exception ?? but at the end of the day, the credential is the same, Elijah Watts winner or not!
If you need a coach or a mentor on the CPA exam I would love to help you and work together; please check out my website below: