#JustABoss is a blog series about women who’ve negotiated their pay to level up in their careers and their financial journeys!
For this weeks #JustABoss spotlight, Meet Cortney, a Public sector attorney who has over 10 years of experience
Industry :
Government Attorney
Years of Experience:
13 years
What’s your Negotiation Story?
My negotiation story is somewhat unique, because I negotiated for something that was just as important to me as money – my time.
In 2019, I was offered a lateral position, i.e. same job but just at a different agency. After receiving the offer, I was informed by HR that I would not be able to negotiate my salary AT ALL since it was a lateral move.
I had a very frank discussion with the director of the group that made me the offer and explained that I value two things – my money and my time. If they could not give me more money, then they would need to find a way to give me more time.
The result is that I negotiated an arrangement that allowed me to work from home 4x a week, every week – and this was pre-Covid. Skipping a commute literally gives me back 2 hours each day that I work from home. It is amazing and I love not having to deal with traffic or public transit for the majority of my work days.
How did you first prepare to negotiate?
I determined what was important to me – more money and more time – and then brainstormed ideas to get one or both. For example, I already knew that if I did not get the pay bump, then I would counter with the work from home arrangement.
What are your best tips to get in the right mindset?
Again, try to think about how the negotiation conversation will go and brainstorm responses in advance for all potential outcomes.
Pump yourself up. They made you offer, because you are (more than) qualified and you’re the best fit for the position. Be confident in that!
Also, as a woman of color, I ask myself “what would a white man do in my position?”. Typically, he would be super confident and unafraid to ask for what he wanted – and so I should be just as confident too.
Have you ever dealt with imposter syndrome in your negotiating?:
Not really. I am confident in my ability and what I can contribute to a team.
How has negotiating impacted your financial journey?
Absolutely. Gaining an extra 2 hours each day allows me to pursue other interests and side hustles.
If you could offer one piece of advice to someone who is nervous to negotiate, what would it be?
Write out your negotiation speech – with your ask and your justifications as to why the ask is appropriate (ie your experience, the level of responsibility, etc)
Where can my followers find you?
You can find Courtney’s instagram @zerotoinvested where she posts all things personal finance!
