06/12/2025

Negotiating Your Salary like a Professional

It’s about marketing yourself and your experience

When I first entered the career world, I accepted any offer I received. I was raised with the “you take what you get, and you don’t throw a fit” mindset. Often, I was applying for jobs outside of my experience and degree, and I felt I had to take low offers just to make money.

I have heard that it is unprofessional to negotiate a salary and that we should be grateful for any opportunity given. I disagree; I think we should be proud of our skills, goals, and experiences enough to ask for an equitable salary.

It’s about marketing yourself and your experience in a way that benefits the position. The best advice I ever received was, “You never know unless you ask; the worst they’ll say is no."

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.