In a previous post, I discussed the effect that missing $20 in every consult and procedure has on your income.
Until you take personal responsibility for the amount you are paid, your income will never increase.
Yes, it is easier to leave it to your employer to decide your salary.
However, it is their job to run a profitable business and one of the biggest expenses is staff wages. If they don’t have to increase your income, they won’t. If you don’t ask for extra benefits or a salary increase, it won’t happen. Those are the facts.
I can hear all the excuses and justifications. I used them myself many times previously.
- Not until I know more
- I don’t know how to ask
- What should I be paid?
- The business isn’t doing so well
- This is what everyone gets paid
- I don’t do it for the money
Learning to value what I did, the knowledge and skills I had and being able to negotiate my salary was challenging in the beginning. Now it is easy.
Once I recognised that I could influence my salary, it changed everything. No one had ever discussed with me what determined my salary and I never had the courage to ask when I was a less experienced veterinarian.
I care about your income as it will directly impact on your career and your life! Your income determines:
- the CPD you attend
- the knowledge, skills and experience you will gain
- the area you will live in
- your mindset around money (this does comes first)
- your mortgage
- your standard of living
- your self belief
- your ability to take time off to rest & renew
- + so much more
The profession has fallen in love with our hard luck story.
However, there are practices out there making a good profit. There are veterinarians, both practice owners and associates, making a good income.
It is possible!
Focus on what you need to do to increase your income, do it and then ask for an increase. If you never ask, the answer will always be ‘No’.
Follow this link for a previous article on what you need to do to increase your income.
Natasha
