Have I ever told you the story about how wearing a pair of red bottoms helped to land a job offer paying at the top of the pay range???
This isn't my story exactly, but I do know someone who does have this story. A woman that I met a while back at conference shared that she wore a pair of red bottoms to a job interview. She was offered the job and was later told by her manager that when she walked into the interview room with her red bottoms on, everyone involved knew they would need to have a competitive offer and pay at the top of the salary range in order for her to accept.
Isn't it interesting how we can communicate our value and expectations without saying a word? While she was prepared to negotiate her salary, she didn't have to. The offer was more than what she was hoping for. She was able to negotiate her salary by choosing to wear an expensive pair of shoes. Does this mean that we should all invest in a pair of red bottoms and wear them to every interview?? Well, no. However, we should be very intentional about what we wear anytime we are preparing to have conversations that involve salary requirements and/or asking for more money.
We've all heard and seen phrases such as " Dress for Success" or Dress the Part" the same applies when you're negotiating your salary, you want to make sure you look like the money you want. You can achieve this without spending a fortune. Pay attention to some of your favorite business executives and owners to get some inspiration and work toward creating the same or similar look within your budget.
Recently, I was offered the position of my career dreams (more details to come :-)), and I received $10k more than what I asked for. When I was offered the position, my new boss called me to tell me how excited he was that I was going to be joining the team and that everyone a part of the interview process was very impressed with my background and experience as well as how professional and polished I was. What you don't know is, I made a huge mistake and was at risk for blowing my shot at obtaining my dream job. I did the #1 interview no no.... I showed up late!!! I don't mean 2-5 minutes late, I was about 15 minutes late for my interview. I had a very good reason, but that's not the point. No one cares about why you're late, so I was walking into this interview with a huge strike against me. However, one of things I had going for me was, I was SHARP! My hair, suit, shoes, everything was on point! I said a prayer and walked in with confidence like I was on time.
I'm not saying that all you need to have is a nice pair of shoes to get the pay you desire, you do need the skills and experience to match. However, you never know how much of an impact your attire can have on your salary potential so make sure you dress for your coins!
I'll be sharing more content on this topic and other career development topics very soon, make sure you check out my recent Facebook live with Dominique Kennedy, Communications Expert for more salary negotiation tips. Also, join our email list and get our free resource "10 power statements to ask for more money." Just click on the link below.
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