The Talent & Career team organised the Jeunes ProfessionnELLES workshop for our female students at the end of March. Here we take a look back at this meeting on salary negotiation, organised with the support of Crédit Mutuel as part of its partnership with NEOMA.

How do you negotiate your first salary? How do you prepare for your first job? How can you market your skills? These were some of the topics discussed on 27 March at the Jeunes ProfessionnELLES workshop run by EqualitYX, a firm founded by Leïla Rigoreau, a 2016 PGE graduate.

Keys to tackling pay issues with confidence

Alicia, a Master in Management Year 2 student specialising in Finance, which she is studying as part of a work-study programme, looks back at the highlights of this meeting.

“This workshop has been an enriching experience. The various speakers gave us a better understanding of the factors underlying gender inequality, particularly in terms of pay. We also got practical advice on how to negotiate effectively not only our base salary, but also all the benefits to which we are entitled in a company.

The role-playing exercises were particularly helpful, because they gave us a hands-on experience of different scenarios. They helped me to put the advice into practice and to get a better idea of the challenges I could face when negotiating pay. 

So, this workshop has strengthened my ability to approach pay discussions in a more confident and effective way“.

Crédit Mutuel, a corporate partner committed to helping our students DARE

This year, the Jeunes ProfessionnELLES workshop was organised in partnership with Crédit Mutuel. Having joined NEOMA’s network of corporate partners at the start of the academic year, the bank, which is particularly committed to gender equality, was keen to support this initiative for our female students. “There are many opportunities to negotiate or renegotiate your salary. But it’s an exercise that is often dreaded because it’s difficult to master. Contrary to popular belief, salary negotiation is not just a question of eloquence, it is above all a question of preparation. The aim of this workshop was to provide the keys, put them into practice, and ultimately: DARE to negotiate your salary!” explains Pascale Ruquet, Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Responsible Commitment and Mission Handicap Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale.