“You guys are the ones that are going to change the game,” said Shuchi Sharma, global head of business transformation services, market development for Systems, Applications and Products in data processing (SAP). Sharma spoke to students at Shippensburg University during the Start Smart Program last Tuesday.

The program, held in Presidents’ Hall, is a women’s empowerment series, sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) focused on giving women the knowledge and skills to successfully negotiate their salary.

According to Sharma’s presentation, women make 78 percent of what men do. African-American women earn 64 percent and Latina women, 54 percent.

Just out of college, women are faced with an initial 7 percent wage gap.

For women in higher-level jobs, such as medicine and law, that gap is often 50 percent.

“This is why we want to empower you with these skills today,” Sharma told students. “So that you can start to close that gap.”

There is an inherent bias that is present in the working world, Sharma explained, which is one reason women are given a lower salary. The other reason is that women often do not ask for a higher salary, while men do.

“We’re conditioned not to make requests when we should and could,” Sharma said.

Despite this, there are ways to negotiate a proper market value salary for women, which Sharma outlined in four steps.

The first step is to know your value. It is important to know what you bring to the table before interviewing so you can properly highlight your skill set to a potential employer. A confident presentation allows for more leverage when asking for a higher salary.

The second step is to create a budget. Before you can decide your salary, you need to know the number that will allow you to make ends meet.

There are three things to determine when deciding a salary. The first is a target salary or aim. From there you can decide a minimum acceptable salary and a bolstering range, a range above your target salary which will give you wiggle room.

These numbers can be found using a tool on Salary.com. When using this tool, consider location, desired position and experience you have in that field.

With that in mind, you can select which three levels of experience you fall into. Once you choose your level, you can see the appropriate market value salary for the position in your area.

From there, you can find your take home pay using a tool on paycheckcity.com. Enter your gross salary to see your net pay and weekly gross pay.

Once armed with this information, you are ready to negotiate.

“Most interviews are over the phone,” Sharma said. She advises you have your notes handy and to keep a flexible and positive attitude. Sharma also recommended practicing your pitch out loud to yourself. To gain experience, students broke off into groups to roleplay the negotiation process.

“I learned a lot,” student Mary Omiyi said, “I never knew of negotiating the benefits.”

If an employer is reluctant to give you an acceptable salary, you can negotiate your benefits to receive healthcare, vacation time and other conveniences.

“I learned how to sell myself to get the salary I want,” student Nicole Rakintzis said.

Sharma advised students to never settle if an employer is reluctant to negotiate.

“Remember, how they treat you in a negotiation reflects who they are as an employer. Trust your gut.”

• The workshop was sponsored by The Women’s Center, The Career and Community Engagement Center and Residence Life.

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