Archive for the ‘Salary and Salary Negotiation’ Category

2010 is the year to consume less and save more

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

I came across a good article by Mauren Jordan called ‘The Cinderella complex’ that recounts her superannuation experiences and references some great advice by Peter Switzer.  She describes the ‘Cinderella Complex’ – when a woman makes sure her husband/partner is super secure and thinks his wealth will look after her happily ever after. If you are guilty of this, the article may prompt you to think twice.

The crux of the matter is that women need to spend more time on financially educating themselves and ensuring that they have long term financial plans to see them into a comfortable future. Too many of us spend and consume beyond our means, with little thought for the future. Consuming less has so many benefits – not only on our finances, it helps the environment and also generates a sense of achievement when you can see see your money grow rather than go out the door.

I like the tip by Peter Switzer that suggests look at how you spend your money and cut back by 10%, he calls this GST’ing your life. Well worth doing. Another tip that I find helps kick start your savings is to have your employer pay your salary into two accounts with a minimum of 10% of your salary going into an interest bearing account, as discussed in my post ‘An easy way to earn more money! Salary management!’

As the article by Maureen concludes “it’s up to us women to choose our own financial adventure.”

Please share any great money management tips you have.

Note: today I was sent this great article by Terry Barnes,  ‘Consumption at all costs‘ which expands upon the need for all of us to reconsider how we spend and save our money. It quotes  “according to the Reserve Bank, for the first time Australians now owe more in household debt – on mortgages, credit cards and personal loans – than our entire economy earns in a year. That’s $1.2 trillion of debt, or about $56,000 for every Australian man, woman and child.”

Vote for the 2009 Online Divas Awards

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

girlworklaptop1The  2009 Online Divas Awards are here.

 To vote  just click on  http://www.onlinedivas.blogspot.com before the 19th November.

Online Diva Awards 2009 Categories

Finance, professional services, Technology
Kelly Magowan (Kaplon) , sixfigures.com.au
Kim McKay, klick.com.au
Natasha Jerrad, tbjcreative.com
Zoe Warne, august.com.au
Yvette Adams, thecreativecollective.com.au

Fashion
Nikki Hagger, peeptoeshoes.com.au
Shaughla Ahmed, swapmystyle.com.au
Marni Skillings, frockshop.com.au
Serena Ross, dressedup.com.au
Kath Purkis, leblackbook.com.au

Lifestyle
Pia Vogrin,shmeco.com
Cheryl Brookes, vichevip.com.au
Katherine Porritt, pinkfrosting.com.au
Bianca Kristallis, pamperhampergifts.com.au
Kelly Baker, edibleblooms.com.au

Health and Beauty
Catherine Craig, schkinnymaninny.com.au/
Nikola Ellis, adoreyoga.com.au
Kat Lawrence, beautyeditor.com.au
Jackie Maxted, beautyheaven.com.au
Amy Erbacher, amyerbachertans.com/

Mums and Babies
Katie May, kidspot.com.au
Melissa Wolsey, 4littleducks.com.au
Stephanie Macintosh, bonitobaby.com.au
Martine Pekarsky, thinktwins.com.au
Kate Sykes, careermums.com.au

Media
Kelly Noble, glamadelaide.com.au
Carrie Choo, dailyaddict.com.au
Erica Bartle, girlwithasatchel.com.au
Kate McKibben, dropdeadgorgeousdaily.com
Celeste Mitchell, asseenin.com.au

Entertainment, Travel and Dating
Erica French, fit2date.com
Sam Brett, blogs.smh.com.au/asksam
Belinda Cordina, myinvites.com.au
Victoria Moxey, urbanwalkabout.com
Kirsty Keen and Sarah Tate, ciaobellatravel.com.au

It is a great mix of Divas and industries that they operate in. I have used the Edible Blooms service that Kelly Baker owns which is just fantastic and well received by my clients. Kate Skyes runs a great job site for mums CareerMums and many other terrific divas. Feel free to also vote for me Kelly Magowan (Kaplon) in the Finance and Technology category. To vote, just click on  http://www.onlinedivas.blogspot.com before the 19th November.

Six easy steps to help you secure that next salary increase!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Women who consistently negotiate their salary increases earn at least $1 million more during their careers than those who don’t. Enticing?

Here are six easy steps to negotiating your next pay rise:

Step 1. Don’t wait to be offered
Step 2. Talk yourself up
Step 3. Learn about salary negotiation
Step 4. Practice makes perfect
Step 5. Value yourself
Step 6. Putting it all together

Read the full article on the Cosmopolitan Website ‘Show Me the Money”

The How to Guide for Women to Negotiate Their Salary!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

MoneyDownload your  how to guide for women to negotiate their salary from Slideshare today.

Kelly Magowan, CEO Six Figures  the executive job site for $100K+ jobs and contracts presents on the topic of Salary Negotiation for Women.

For those unable to attend any these  Salary Negotiation events you can still access the presentation, guides and resources  from the links below.

If you are lacking some inspiration consider that in Australia women still earn an average of 17% less than men for the sames jobs. You can find further information about the pay inequality on the Equal Pay Day site.

Best wishes in negotiating your next successful pay increase.

Who is embarrassed to negotiate in front of friends & colleagues?

Monday, September 28th, 2009

womenmoneyThrough discussions with women I know of all ages, it seems that some of us are too embarrassed to negotiate at all, while many of us find it extra embarrassing to negotiate in front of friends or colleagues for fear of what they may think of us.  It seems that there is still a stigma attached to negotiation be it when we are looking to make retail or wholesale purchases, buy at markets or even negotiate our salaries in the workplace.

Do women care more what others think of them than men when it comes to negotiation?  Why are we embarrassed to negotiate when spending our hard earned cash or negotiating our worth in the workplace?

Note: If you are interested in improving your negotiation skills, come along to the Women in Finance Event on the 20th October 2009 - ‘Negotiation for Women How Confident are you in your Salary Negotiation Skills?’

The DIY Job Search & Career Change Program & Workbooks

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

books

The Job Search and Career Change Program has been specifically designed as a Do It Yourself (DIY) program. Using the program’s series of five workbooks you will be guided step by step through the process for making a successful job or career change. Price: AU$39.60

Each of the workbooks includes 28-45 pages of information essential to assist you in your next job or career change, including exercises, samples, guides and references. The program workbook titles are:

•            Workbook One: Self Reflection & Worklife Analysis

•            Workbook Two: Your Personality & Career Exploration

•            Workbook Three: Job Sourcing Strategies & Research

•            Workbook Four: Your Resume, Marketing Plan & Personal Brand

•           Workbook Five: Interviewing, Negotiating & Landing Your Next Job

Clients who purchase ‘The DIY Job Search & Career Direction Review Program’  also receive a free copy of our ‘Personal Branding Guide – It’s All About Brand You’ valued at $7.70.

To find out more about the The Job Search and Career Change Program workbooks visit the Six Figures Resources area, email careers@sixfigures.com.au or call us on 1300 780 177

Equal Pay Day 2009 – Get Involved

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

piggybankEqual Pay Day is held on Tuesday 1 September in Australia this year, to signify the point into a year that a woman must work to earn what a man made in the previous financial year.

Census statistics released in 2008 show that the gap between men’s and women’s earnings changed by less than one percent from 2006 to 2007, narrowing only slightly from 76.9 to 77.8 percent.

Here are the facts:

* Women working full-time, year-round in Australia are paid only about 83 cents for every dollar earned by men
* Lower wages mean less lifetime earnings for women giving the a lifetime of fewer choices
* Some women in CEO and finance positions earn less than half of their male equivalents
* The pay gap for women key management personnel is on average 28.3%, 11% higher than the national average gender pay gap
* The average superannuation payout to a woman is projected to be $150,000, that’s half of the average payout to a man in 2010-11
* The 17% gender pay gap is a national average that opens up to over 30% in some industry sectors
* Pay inequity reveals systemic discrimination and continued under-valuation of women’s work
* Equal pay for women raises family income which means more money to spend on food, housing and child care
* Single mothers and working families lose thousands of dollars annually to the wage gap

To find out more about Equal Pay Day and to get involved visit the Equal Pay Day Site.

Or to join the Equal Pay Day Rally on 1st September with BPW, 1.00pm Corner Bourke and Elizabeth Streets, Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne, In front of the GPO

Why Being Too Agreeable Can Translate Into Less Income

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

The Herald Sun ran a great article last week “Masculine” look a nice little earner

The opening really caught my eye “WOMEN adopting a “masculine approach” in the office earn up to $83,000 more in their working lives than “nicer” female colleagues.”

It is not to say that we all need to act and present like men, however the research undertaken shows a clear correlation between those ‘Alpha females’ and their increased earning potential.

Intelligence and conscientiousness are good traits to get you ahead, however being agreeable does not seem to work so well with the study showing “that being nice does not pay for women, whereas working hard does”

The link then is formed between women who are too agreeable and nice, with them being less inclined to engage in salary negotiation, and hence receiving a lower income than they could otherwise have if they had negotiated.  This is a great article and well worth a read.

If you are unsure about salary negotiation, why not download your free Salary Negotiation Guide for Women from Six Figures today

Share your views and experiences on the topic – does being nice prevent women getting ahead and restrict their earning potential?

Women and Money – Finance Expert Suze Orman

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

girlworklaptop1

In the past few months I have discovered the force of finance expert Suze Orman who is regarded by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Not sure where I have been (I suspect at work) as Suze is a regular on the Oprah Show, has written books, is on radio has her own show and much more. She is definitely an inspirational women who is focused is on educating women about money. She has a top selling book ‘Women and Money’ which highlights the need for women to take financial control, not just for the dollars however also for the sense of self.

Suze advocates many sensible money practices, such as ensuring you have a cash reserve aside for emergencies, paying off your credit card and also being willing to ask for a pay rise and enter into salary negotiations. This is an area that women can really develop very easily through education and practice. Download the Free Six Figures Salary Negotiation Guide for Women to help you get started. It is never to late to start learning about negotiation.

Suze also explores financial management for women in business, and not being afraid to raise your prices. Also be willing to negotiate with service providers and paying yourself first. I myself have seen this and done this in business where you pay everyone but yourself and often you get paid last or not at all. To have a viable business and a sense of self your business must be able to pay you first. So while many of you may be thinking that given the GFC it is not the right time to look to become more financially empowered, the opposite is true. Now is the time to start your financial management plan and to start taking care of your financial present and future.

2009 Employers of Choice for Women: Whose On The List?

Monday, June 29th, 2009

2009 Employers of Choice for Women: The 2009 EOWA Employer of Choice for Women

The issue of pay inequality in Australia still prevails with stats showing the pay gap between 15% – 16%. Unfortunately, women still comprise the largest percentage of Australia’s poor, and it is not only older women, it is younger in their 20’s and 30’s, women who are single or single parents who are living on or just below the poverty line.

The Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) has released a list of organizations that have been recognized as an Employer of Choice for Women.  You can access the list that features those organizations, from various industries and business sizes that are proactively addressing this serious problem.  “Despite the minimum requirement being 6 weeks paid maternity leave, the average duration provided by these organisations is nearly 12 weeks. EOCFW organisations have an average of 46.7% female managers and the average pay gap is 10.9%, 5.1% lower than the national average.” These are great results, however clearly there is still more work to be done in regards to an increase in the number of women occupying more senior positions and the abolition of the pay gap between men and women.

Click here to view the full list of organizations that made the EOWA list visit.

happywomenSome of those employers on the list include KPMG, CITI, American Express, Rio Tinto, Alcoa, Ernst & Young, Monash University, Southern Cross University and many more.

Are there organizations that you know that have not made the list and should be there? Let us know.