Northern to host workshop to help negotiate pay in workplace

Montana State University-Northern is hosting a Start Smart workshop Tuesday to help women and anyone else who is interested in learning about how to negotiate their level of pay in the workplace.

The workshop is sponsored by the American Association of University Women and is being put on by Northern’s Multicultural Center.

Multicultural Center Director Cristina Estrada-Underwood said the workshop is geared toward women who will be graduating college, but added, “I think anybody and everybody would benefit from attending this workshop.”

Estrada-Underwood said men are also welcome to attend.

She added that juniors and seniors at Northern are the best candidates for the workshop.

The information provided in this workshop will help students learn strategies to negotiate pay in a current or future job, Estrada-Underwood said.

The workshop will be led by Laura Wight, who has been coming to the area for the past three years and has travelled across Montana providing this same training, Estrada-Underwood said.

She added that she thinks this workshop is important because women, according to research, typically don’t negotiate their salary, especially at the beginning of their careers.

“In many cases they take what they are offered the first time,” Estrada-Underwood said. “Over time, this practice affects not only their income every paycheck, but also their benefits and retirement and also the well-being of their families.”

She added that the workshop will provide women and men with knowledge about salary benchmarks and about how to negotiate their salaries gently but firmly once they receive their job offer.

The workshop is from 4 to 7 p.m. and is free to attend, but all participants must register. Participants will meet in Cowan Hall room 314 and a light dinner will be provided. People can register ath the Multicultural Center or online at https://havrestartsmart.eventzilla.net/.