W-Tech is tomorrow!

It’s W-Tech tomorrow, and it’s not too late to sign up if you want to come along to the evening event.  It will be worth it as Lis Astall is on the panel and she’s a really down-to-earth and inspiring speaker.  And there will be alcohol!

I’ll be stopping by the BCS stand, which will be championing books by its female authors, including myself.

In the run up to the event, the W-Tech website ran a survey about whether or not people would be asking for a pay rise this year.  In spite of the economic downturn, just over 50 per cent of people polled said they would be.

Career coach Julia Thrul is running a seminar at tomorrow’s event on asking for a pay rise.  “It’s not so much a problem of gender, but of negotiation,” she says, “you must be prepared properly when it comes to asking for a pay rise.  You will only receive a pay rise if you are very good at your job, and your boss thinks that you are that good too.”

If you can’t make the event, Julia’s top tips are:

• Research what the average salary for your profession is in your industry and your company.
• Make sure you ask for a pay rise at a time that fits in with your company’s annual plans, i.e. if there are only two specific occasions a year when salaries are considered, then don’t ask outside of these times.
• However, you can point out to your boss when a customer specifically asks for you to work their project, and request for that to be considered when salaries are being discussed
• Negotiate the whole package—money is only part of the remuneration discussion; think also about training, travel allowances, and job titles. This is especially important during times when there is no cash left to give.

Hope to see you there!

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