The Know-Your-Worth Challenge

This challenge takes just a couple of minutes and can greatly increase your income.

But beware!

Once you do it, there may be no going back to the way things are for you at work.

Are you up for it?

Then here we go!

Jump onto a Job Board like Seek, LinkedIn Jobs, Ethical Jobs etc.

Then search for the job you’re doing now, and sort the results by income.?

How does your salary compare to these results?

Many of these positions will be higher than the job you’re in (and some considerably more so).

That’s the easy part.

What makes this a “challenge” is knowing what to do with the knowledge that other jobs are paying higher than yours.?

Because before when you didn’t have this awareness, ignorance was bliss!

Now you need to process what this means for your career.?

You really only have two options.?

1. Do nothing.
2. Do something.?

Doing nothing is a completely acceptable choice.?

You may have this information and choose not to do anything with it, because you’ve accepted that where you are right now is what you really want.?

Not everything is about money, and you might have amazing non-financial benefits that aren’t reflected with external vacancies.?

Or maybe you’re not comfortable with this information but you’re not feeling confident doing something about it - and that’s perfectly ok too!

The point is that you are now making a more informed choice about your career, when before you were acting on incomplete information and hoping for the best.?

But if this new information has inspired action, here are two things you can consider doing.

Have a conversation with your manager

Many professionals are hesitant to have salary discussions with their manager because they’re worried about potential consequences.

But I’ve found that most companies have a genuine interest in the wellbeing and development of those that work there.?

There are lots of reasons why your salary might be different to advertised positions, and any discussion should be approached from a space of curiousity to close a perceived gap.?

It’s important that both sides have the opportunity to reflect on their expectations to ensure a discussion is framed around building a solution together (rather than fighting for an ultimatum).?

You should also appreciate that salary is just one factor with your remuneration, and it doesn’t reflect non-financial benefits you’re receiving or could receive.??

Explore new positions

If a conversation with your manager leaves you unsatisfied, this may be a sign to start exploring opportunities elsewhere.?

Many professionals don’t appreciate that changing jobs is a viable strategy for growing your salary over your career.

Though it’s important to appreciate that job hunting is usually a drawn-out process and it’s a decision that shouldn’t be made lightly.?

If you want to get paid what you’re worth but struggling to decide what to do, a good question to ask yourself is: “How will I get a higher salary at my current job if things don’t change?”

I hope doing The Know-Your-Worth Challenge has advanced your thinking about your career prospects and helped you reflect on your current trajectory.?

If you’ve found this helpful, I encourage you to do this Challenge regularly as maintaining this awareness will help you achieve a higher salary across your career.

Thanks for reading to the end of this article!

If you'd like to advance your career, my online course will help.

This course captures all the insights I use in my 1-on-1 coaching sessions.

It will help you:

1. Get clear on what you want
2. Get the job you want
3. Get paid what you’re worth
4. Set yourself up for future success

Go for it!