Salary negotiation seminars for college students, women in career transition

Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program hosting two $tart $mart workshops on Nov. 5 and 19

The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program is hosting two $tart $mart workshops designed to teach women how to negotiate for salaries and benefits.

$tart $mart was created by the American Association of University Women and the nonprofit WAGE Project that that seeks to end discrimination of women in American workplaces. The workshop was started as an empowerment tool to prepare college women entering the job market.

“Negotiating salaries is a challenge for women at all stages of their careers because women are less likely than men to ask for the pay they deserve,” states the AAUW web site.

According to AAUW research, just one year after graduation, women earn just 82 percent of what their male counterparts earn, and the gender wage gap widens over the next 10 years.

When students leave the three and a half hour $tart $mart campus workshop, they learn

• how the gender wage gap affects their lives
• how to develop a personal budget to determine salary needs
• how to benchmark salary and benefits
• how to negotiate for their first salary out of college

The Wednesday, Nov. 19 workshop for students will follow closely the AAUW curriculum. It will be held from 9am – 1pm in Room 210 Agnes Arnold Hall.

The Wednesday, Nov. 5 workshop, however, has been modified to speak directly to women experiencing career transition. That session is from 6 – 8 p.m. n Room 210, Agnes Arnold Hall, Entrance 14 on Cullen. The closest parking is the Stadium Garage on Holman at Cullen.