“We’d like to offer you the job!”

Ah, that feeling of delight. Whatever level you’re at in your career, it’s a great feeling to get that call. You’re wanted. You are the best candidate. You can crack open the bubbly or whatever you do to celebrate. But do you accept the salary as advertised? It’s still to play for, after all... Or is it?

I’ve noticed a curious thing in my 20+ years of being on both sides of the recruitment fence: the way men and women respond to this post-interview call of a job offer.

Typical female applicant – “That’s wonderful to hear [voice goes higher as you sense the excitement]. I’m so delighted to be working with you, yes, of course, I accept the job”.

I’ve never heard a man say that.

The typical male response is delivered in a deep, calm, bordering on cold voice: “Thank you… I’ve got another offer as well, we’ll need a chat about the starting salary ASAP.”

Don’t get me wrong, most women follow up their initial call to ask about salary. I’ve done it myself. But by then, the stage for negotiating is already set. And that initial poker-style male response seems to work better with senior teams. It’s basic negotiating skills. But as women, we seem conditioned to just be delighted that we got the job offer, to be grateful to have the chance to show our worth. Why is this? Are we socially conditioned this way? Careers Coaches here at Lancaster University support students with identifying what they want in their careers and landing their graduate job. But, interestingly, it’s mostly the male students who seek advice for negotiating their salary.

On International Women’s Day, I suspect we’ll hear a lot of appreciation for women and female role models. That’s great. But the recognition in hard $$$ is equally important. The gender pay gap is still 15% - sometimes reported as women working for free two months of the year – and this increases the further up the ladder you go. Whilst people may care about more than just money, setting the stage for negotiating terms of employment is equally important. And I’d argue it starts with that first call of a job offer.

In a time when the cost of living is increasing, we should all learn to negotiate a better salary and terms of employment because we’re worth it.

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