Why do men make so much more than women in our profession, even in our very first jobs where experience is on a level playing field?  Negotiating the initial salary offer is the most important thing female optometrists can do to close the gender pay gulf (gap is kind of an understatement after Review of Optometry reported a 68% gender pay difference across full-time ODs in 2015). Men are asking for more pay, right from the first offer.  In fact, studies show about 50% of male professional students negotiate their initial salary offer, but only 12.5% of female students do. So if you are wanting fair pay, the very first item on your to-do list needs to be understanding that the first offer is just that, an offer; negotiation expected.  

Why Don't Women Negotiate?

If you ask a room of successful, intelligent women this question, you'll see very similar answers.  We most often don't negotiate due to fear of offending or upsetting our future employer.  It's called the "social cost" of negotiating -- the fear that there will be backlash or that our employer's opinions of us will be negatively impacted because we countered for a higher salary.  And horrifyingly enough, studies prove those fears are real.  Women are on average judged more negatively than men for negotiating their salary, by both female and male employers.  But how you negotiate can make all the difference.  Simply asking for more pay may result in negative impressions, but research shows employers respond very favorably to females negotiating for a cause or on behalf of others.  How can you turn what you want (more pay) into an argument for mutual success for yourself and your employer?  That's the art of the successful negotiation.

What You Can Do For Them (Relational Negotiating)

Think about what your employer needs in a new doctor. Check out their website and social media accounts.  What specialty are they missing?  What (if any) marketing strategy do they have?  You are more than a warm body spinning a phoropter wheel, and the unique assets you can provide for your new employer are what will earn you that coveted paycheck.  Here are some ideas for skills you can offer during negotiation that will make you an asset worth investing in:

Now you know the parts of your optometric resume that can be key negotiating points, but how do you actually negotiate?  Speaking the language of negotiation is just as important as determining the benefits that you can offer.  The best negotiators know how to key in to what is important to the other side of the table.  Your potential employer is going to have an obvious motivating force in looking to add you as a doctor to their team:

When you are negotiating a contract, what really speaks to an employer is what you can do for them and their office. If you lead off your salary negotiation with phrases like “I want” or “I need” you may find that your offer is difficult to negotiate.  Think of the initial salary offer you were given as what your employer would pay an average candidate.  Then ask yourself, are you average? All those skills and passions that make you special and uniquely qualified for the job are things your employer wants to add value to their business. Explain to your employer how the things that you can do will grow their business and drive their revenue.  For these extra benefits that you'll be providing to them, you're asking for a compensation of $X instead due to the extra value you'll be generating to the practice as a whole compared to the average candidate.  Now you're not negotiating for you, but for the chance for you to help them.  That's a negotiation where everyone wins.

Let’s start with the typical optometry job hunt.  If you have a family member in the industry, or a good personal connection, then you may be able to bypass the actual post-graduate grueling job search. But whether you are applying with a large group of doctors where the salary is often presented as "fixed" or joining up with a doctor you already know (or that's family), talking about salary can feel blatantly discouraged or even downright rude. I challenge you to rethink this initial feeling that you aren't supposed to bring money up.  Salary is never a“set” compensation, or we would all be making about the same.  Learn from my naivete: my first job was with a large group practice, and at my interview I was presented with a package number and wording similar to "doctors at our company start at this base salary."  It was a very fair compensation, and the way it was presented really garnered a feeling that this was the salary, take it or leave it.  I even embarrassingly told other student ODs I was mentoring at the time that asked me how I had managed my salary negotiations that it wasn't possible to negotiate in my position. I found out not long after my employment began that of course, not all new ODs were making the same at my workplace and I had just fallen into the oh-so-predictable "she probably won't ask" category of new hires.  I'm not blaming my employers; they were just being good business men.  Why pay more if I'm willing and happy to work for the initial offer? We have to look at ourselves if we are unhappy with pay inequality; we have to be willing to ask about pay, even when we think it is uncomfortable or not likely to make a difference. And who is doing the asking? Male students are 8 times more likely to negotiate their starting salary offer than female students. Ask and you will probably receive, it seems.  Some of you may be thinking, well if I'm happy with my pay isn't that good enough?  I get your point, but pay means a lot more than just income. Don't we have the same amount of debt as our male cohorts in this profession?  So why are we letting them pay it off faster than us by accepting the status quo? 

So whether you are applying with a larger corporate chain, or joining up with a solo private practice owner, make sure you view the initial salary offer as a launching point for discussion in all scenarios.  Take a moment to let that sink in.  Begin your job search with the mindset that every single part of the job offer posted is open to discussion, no matter what you see in print. If you don't, I can guarantee you that another doctor will and you'll become just another statistic feeding our gender pay gap in optometry.  Women are taking over this profession by the numbers, but let's make 2016 the year that we become truly equal! 

So now you know why we need to negotiate starting salary, but do you know how?  Check back for the next installment of our Women In Focus series!