Age: 25

Industry: PR

Your role then and now (before and after negotiating): I graduated into a permanent position as a media relations executive and moved up to media relations officer

Length of time in industry: 2 years

Location: London

Salary jump: £36,000 to £43,000

Any additional benefits: No.

How did you decide it was time to make a change?

I was coming off my grad scheme, so I was negotiating my salary due to an increase in the workload I had been doing over the last year and a half.

Have you ever negotiated a pay rise before?

No, this was my first time.

What preparation did you do beforehand?

I prepared all of my contributions and successes over the last year. I gathered all external feedback from the industry as well as accolades from colleagues and clients.

What reasons did you give for a pay rise?

I had been offered a salary, but I was unhappy with it because I had been performing outside of my band, and I believed I should be rewarded for that.

Did you have a contingency plan if your request wasn’t met?

Yes, I would line up my affairs and start looking internally for jobs within the comms area or else move roles.

What was the scariest part of the process?

The scariest part was having to voice that I thought I deserved more while being advised that I should just be happy to be getting anything.

How long did the process take?

A month.

Would you do anything differently next time?

Next time, I would maybe try to not get emotional. I’m quite close to my line manager and her manager, so it felt like I was asking my parents for more pocket money rather than something I deserved (that’s how I felt, at least).

Images: Getty