Let’s get straight to the gist… the short answer is yes! But as you know, I can’t just give you a short answer and call it a day. So, let’s go ahead and talk about it.

Negotiating my salary as post-grad

Recuerda, you recently earned a higher education degree as first-gen. That is a huge accomplishment that should never be downplayed. You navigated college with little to no guidance because you are the first.

About 11% of Latinos earn bachelor’s degrees, the number gets smaller when you consider first-generation Latinos. The reason why I want you to keep this in mind is because I know imposter syndrome tends to get the best of us, which then affects our decision-making, and how we advocate for ourselves. It is essential for you to advocate for yourself and be your authentic cheerleader. You deserve a salary that will give you a better quality of life.

Try to figure out how much the employees at those companies are making so you’ll know how much you can negotiate once you are offered a job. If you receive the offer, congrats! But if a monetary raise can’t happen immediately, you can ask if flexible hours are available for you and if the employer will support your long-term career growth goals.

I’ve been in positions where I knew my monetary worth and enjoyed the work I did, but there wasn’t much I could negotiate in the beginning when it came to my salary. However, I was able to work with my hiring manager about giving me flexible hours when I needed to complete important projects.

The point is, I don’t want you to sell yourself short. I know how scary it can feel to think about negotiating anything, especially money. Like, where do we start? And that’s when you start by being your best advocate and going in with complete confidence, even if you must fake it till you become it!

First-gen salary questions

Moving forward, I hosted a TikTok Live where I asked my followers if they had any first-gen salary questions, and we’ll cover the top 2 most asked:

How do I ask for more money? I feel like I should be grateful for the job offer I was given.

Great question! This goes back to imposter syndrome and, honestly, the way we were raised. Many of us were taught to be grateful for everything we were given. It comes from a good place, but it isn’t the best approach when it comes to the workforce. You deserve to feel happy with the life you build for yourself, and your salary has much to do with it. You want to give yourself the things you want and need. I would advise that you take a deep breath, exhale, hype yourself up and ask!

Example:

“[Name] I appreciate the job offer and want to negotiate my salary. With my qualifications, I want to ask for 5% more of what you currently offer me for this role.”

How do we self-advocate as a potential bilingual employee?

Another great question! We often hear the common phrase, “If you are bilingual, you get paid more.” But sometimes, it doesn’t feel like we’re getting paid more. If our resume says we are bilingual, we must receive the proper monetary compensation. Again, I highly emphasize you bring it up to the hiring manager and ask for additional pay on top of your salary.

Example:
“[Name] as a bilingual applicant it is essential that I get paid for my skills because I will be expected to work in two languages instead of one. With my skills, I want to ask for 3% more on top of what I am already negotiating.”

I am so excited for your new post-grad journey, and I would love to know how it’s going. If you are open to sharing, please don’t hesitate to email me at hola@cafeconestrellita.com If it’s okay with you, I would be honored to share your message on an upcoming podcast episode.

Con mucho amor y cariño,
Your Estrellita

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