HOW TO STOP UNDERSELLING YOURSELF IN THE JOB OFFER PROCESS

I want to talk about something that I think most of us are less aware of... underselling and in fact undervaluing ourselves at the job offer stage.?

And you may be doing this without even realising it. So, let’s dig into how to ensure we are getting what we deserve!

Underselling yourself #1 - The first issue I see is when we undervalue ourselves by taking an offer we don't really want.?

Reasons we do this:

? The job hunt is exhausting, and we want it over.?

? We've invested a lot emotionally in this particular interview process and feel like we should get a return on investment.?

? It's a step up in every sense (that doesn't mean you should take it!).

? Pressure from family.

? We need the money (less common than I think it appears - scarcity mindset and money mindset do funny things to us). Note, the market is NOT slowing down right now. Many of my clients who are hiring managers have head job requirements open for months and there is no sign of them getting them tidied up before the holidays. The holiday slowdown doesn't show signs of showing up this year.?

Here's the thing. If this job doesn't:

? Excite you.

? Fulfil some need in you to achieve more and go further.

? Put you on the path to what's next.

? Develop you professionally.

Don't say YES unless you have no other choice. We all know it's hard to move quickly. So be patient and trust yourself.?

If necessary, take a bit of a break from the job hunt and come back in a couple of months. It's a marathon, not a sprint.?

Underselling yourself #2 - Failing to do your due diligence on the company.?

You need to know how to identify a toxic workplace. Now, there is no perfect way. But it starts with a process, and I love a good process.?

But it can be exhausting, and you may want to bail on this because you just want this done. A lot like #1.?

They will be interviewing you, checking references, speaking to colleagues, potentially even asking for samples of work depending on what stage of your career you are at.?

You need to do the same.?

Things I recommend doing:?

? Make sure you get the chance to chat with at least your intended skip boss, ideally the skip skip boss (unless your boss or skip boss are already the CEO). Now, this can backfire. I had a client just in the last few days whose CEO wanted to veto a hire she wanted to make based on an interview the candidate requested. But you'll need to work with your skip boss, so make sure you get on with them.?

? Ask multiple people about what a typical day is like. Do you like the way they talk about their work? Do you get the idea that there is a genuine sense of enthusiasm and commitment? Do they brag about working long hours and deadlines??

? If you can email and ideally chat with a few people who have left the company recently. LinkedIn is your friend. Make it clear why and that you are doing due diligence. Be aware that their opinions will be biased of course, but this is the fastest way to check for toxic culture. If your potential new boss is new to the company then be aware that significant changes can happen, so maybe speak to someone they used to work with too.?

? Check out any public records about rounds of investment, profit reports, or anything else. Does this look like a company that has its head screwed on right or is it hanging on and making poor decisions? This isn't necessarily a dead end for you, but poor decision-making is often symptomatic of a toxic workplace because the result of poor decisions is all too often transmitted downwards.?

Yes, this is time-consuming, but ultimately this is what you need to be doing to ensure that the thing you are going to spend the majority of your day doing is good for you. So, stop underselling yourself, vote for yourself, and do your due diligence.?

The third and fourth ways I see people underselling themselves at the offer stage are both to do with the offer itself.?

Underselling yourself #3 – Accepting a low-ball offer (this may seem like an obvious one). This is sadly far, far too common even today in the hot market we have. And having coached literally hundreds of women, I think companies think they can get away with lowballing women still. Whether that's conscious or not I don't know. But let's put a stop to it.?

Do your homework — you deserve that much. Check out reputable websites for realistic tech salary estimates.?

Glassdoor in my experience is now not so great for technology leadership roles, but it is better than no data at all.?

Also, try the following sites:

https://www.payscale.com/for-individuals/

https://www.levels.fyi/

Better yet, ask people in your industry what they would expect to pay someone for the level you are going into (that's often a lot easier to answer than 'what's your salary') — make it generic. Ask a minimum of 3 people. Recently I asked my network precisely this for a client and received an answer 40K higher than what was being reported in Glassdoor. And my client consequently negotiated a salary 50K higher. Win!

Once you have the data it is a lot easier to get out of your own head about what you may or may not be worth and negotiate accordingly. Accepting the low-ball offer because you haven't checked what's possible will set you up for failure from the outset in your role (if you don't know what I'm talking about head to episode 44 to listen to the episode on the high cost of failing to negotiate as a leader)

The fourth and final underselling mistake I see is not taking the time to fully understand your offer and any requirements or contingencies that it includes.?

It's fairly standard to have a probation period, even internationally. But other requirements to do with performance vary massively between countries and even regions. So, if in doubt make sure you consult an employment lawyer if there are any performance-related requirements in the contract.?

Equally, if you've been promised something, such as coaching, or equity after a certain amount of time, get that written into the contract. That's one mistake I made — I had a verbal agreement on equity, but never got it written into the contract. Guess what, I never got any equity. Depending on where you are and your starting salary you may want in there a timeline for a salary review, particularly in a startup. Or maybe you know you want to hire an assistant - that needs to be in there or as an addendum to the contract. I've even had clients who had addendums that indicated how many conferences they would be able to attend per year and options for specific hardware from laptops to home office equipment. If you've been offered something, get it in the contract.?

In summary:

1. Taking a job we don't actually want.

2. Failing to do due diligence.

3. Accepting a low-ball offer.

4. Not understanding or doing due diligence on the contract requirements.

It’s time to look out for ourselves and ensure we get what we not only want but deserve. You’ll be glad you took the time in the end…promise!

To hear the full discussion on How to stop underselling yourself in the job offer process be sure to check out Episode 72 of the Leading Women in Tech Pocast:?https://tonicollis.com/episode72